L’escargot bleu makes history as the UK’s first Pasture for Life certified restaurant

Fred Berkmiller is a chef I’ve quietly admired since first visiting his restaurant, L’escargot bleu, with my family a few years back. It was my parents’ first visit to Edinburgh and I booked a table there on a whim, not truthfully knowing much about the ethos of the restaurant or the food on offer. The memory of that night still resides happily in my mind; the excited glances exchanged as the food arrived on the table, the thoughtful attention of the servers and the quiet contentment of the walk home after a delicious meal out.

Fast-forward a few years and I was pleasantly surprised to be invited to their new wine bar to help celebrate their Pasture for Life certification. Under Fred’s tireless championing of pasture-fed meat and heartfelt commitment to sourcing the highest quality ingredients, L’escargot bleu has become the first restaurant in the UK to be certified by Pasture for Life, a movement that supports and promotes producers of 100% pasture-fed beef, lamb and dairy. After years of intensifying their purchasing policy, they have reached the point where they only use produce in season or with fully-traceable provenance. It’s a real testament to Fred’s unwavering sense of duty to his customers — to source ingredients that put provenance and health above profit. On the night, Fred spoke animatedly about the importance of knowing where food comes from, how it’s treated and how innately that’s connected with taste. He also touched on how everything in the food chain is connected and stressed that ‘every link must play their part as best they can.’

By championing seasonality and supporting a variety of suppliers — regardless of yield capacity, Fred is giving farmers and producers that all-important route to market which can be a real life-line. This approach helps to drive interest in local produce, educates staff and customers about the importance of locality, and showcases Scotland’s incredibly rich and diverse regional larder.

It’s no surprise that Fred has won an accolade of awards for his commitment to sourcing and cooking over the years — including ‘Chef of the Year’ at the CIS Excellence Awards in 2019 and ‘Best Restaurant in Scotland’ at the Slow Food UK Awards in 2019 and 2022. He also has his own market garden where he grows herbs, salads and vegetables and makes his own compost from the food waste at the restaurant. It is wonderful to see a chef leading by example and making a tangible difference in the community — something that was deeply apparent from the warm greetings extended to Fred at the event and the scope of those in attendance.

Winning awards is one thing but actively choosing and sustaining a path (that at times might not be the easiest) is something else entirely and Berkmiller’s philosophy on sourcing good quality ingredients truly showcases this. What struck me, is how he is using his position of influence for good — not only to benefit his customers, but also to positively impact his suppliers, producers and the environment.

You can find out more about L’escargot bleu here.

Chef Patron, Fred Berkmiller. Photo credit: L’escargot bleu — featured here with their kind permission.