Food focus - a taste of Scotland's larder

At Musselburgh Racecourse, the food ethos is equally important as the racing itself. Uncompromising on quality, traceability, sustainability, provenance and seasonality, the food focus can rival any accolade holding restaurant. Indeed, the culinary team are multi-award winning and have catered for many an A-lister and Royalty.

“A day at the races has certainly evolved,” explains Musselburgh Racecourse’s Senior Operations and Commercial Manager, Sarah Montgomery. “Now, award-winning food sits alongside premier fixtures and dynamic race days for the ultimate offering and atmosphere.”

The food offering at Musselburgh Racecourse is run by Heritage Portfolio, Edinburgh’s iconic foodie experts behind some of the Capital’s best cafés, renowned dining destinations, acclaimed afternoon tea offerings and modern gastronomy at high profile private events. Executive Head Chef Paul Hood has created show stopping dishes for the likes of The Royal Family, Beyonce, Minecraft creator Markus Persson, Sir Sean Connery, Sir David Attenborough, Gordon Ramsay and JK Rowling, amongst others. As well as racegoers, of course.

Whether it’s a quick al fresco bite between races or all-day top hospitality packages, focus is firmly on the freshest of food, always cooked from scratch, designed into tempting seasonal dishes. Even the independent hospitality partners, serving up traditional fayre such as fish and chips, all adhere to the same ethos.

The growing demand for great quality food encouraged Musselburgh Racecourse to invest in its raceday food and drink, no matter what level. Sarah Montgomery says:

“Street food has evolved relatively quickly and where our racedays traditionally provided good quality fish and chips and beef burgers, we now also provide a wider range of food including burritos, gourmet hot dogs, curries and lots more. These are provided by independent suppliers, who are passionate about the quality of their products and the ingredients they use.”

Healthier eating options led to the team transforming its offering to include a wider range of dietary requirements. The result was the launch of culinary destination Pinkies, a gourmet deli offering a delectable range of plant-based dishes, artisan sandwiches, vibrant seasonal salads as well as bespoke hand-made pastries and elevated sweet treats.

Particular attention has been paid to plant-based foods, especially when it comes to hospitality.

“We always want to be fully inclusive and, with the demand for vegan and vegetarian dining experiences growing year on year, it was important that vegan customers are offered the same number of dishes to choose from as guests dining from the main menu,” reveals Hollie Bannatyne, from the hospitality team at Musselburgh Racecourse. “All vegan dishes are fine dining and innovative in both design and taste, so all guests enjoy the same five star experience.”

According to Heritage Portfolio’s development chef Lizzie Arber, demand for plant-based meals has never been so high:

“A plant-based diet has been at the forefront of all food trends since 2020, and the pandemic has heightened peoples’ awareness of their own health and well-being. Consumers are actively looking for healthier alternatives to add into their diets. Plant-based, superfood and low sugar options are all becoming more popular, with fermented, high vitamin products that encourage a healthy immune system all increasing in sales.”

The plant-based menus available at Musselburgh Racecourse are certainly inspiring with intricate details such as balsamic caviar, smoked cabbage, roasted heritage beetroot and celeriac puree, all featuring in dishes this summer.

The devil is always in the detail and the team at Musselburgh Racecourse are unapologetic in their attention to detail when it comes to the ingredients used in all food offerings, from the local independent food vans to the gourmet hospitality packages.

Hollie explains.

“Local provenance is so important to us. We want the freshest of taste so ingredients have to be locally sourced, and we also want to support Scottish businesses by using them as our suppliers. This also reduces our carbon footprint and also shortens the supply chain so we can be confident of exactly where our products have come from and how they have been cultivated. Scotland’s larder is vast, there’s no reason to look elsewhere.”

So, if you fancy an innovative taste of Scotland next time you visit Musselburgh Racecourse, why not check out the upcoming fixtures to see what whets your appetite.