Mystery diner tables a book

Owner of The Caddy Mann in the Scottish Borders, Ross Horrocks with a new cook book which two of his recipes are mentioned (pictured, Steamed Venison Pudding and Eighteen Hour Slow Baked Borders Lamb).

US food writer Colman Andrews visited the restaurant near Jedburgh one lunchtime as part of his tour of Scottish eateries.

But no one at the restaurant knew who he was. And when Ross received an email two weeks later asking him for the recipes of the dishes he tried, instinctive chef Ross had to tell him they didn’t exist.

But when Mr Andrews explained it was for a book, he relented and worked out the recipes to send him.

Ross said: “We had no idea what kind of book it was going to be until we eventually googled him and found out he was a serious foodie writer.

“That was last year, and we kind of forgot all about it, and thought it was just one of those things that wasn’t meant to be, but then we got an email last week thanking us for our assistance and saying we were in this book – The British Table: A New Look at the Traditional Cooking of England, Scotland and Wales – alongside such top chefs as Mark Hix, Fergus Henderson and Michel Bourdin.

“It was fantastic news, but surprising all the same.

“The restaurant gets a great write-up in the book, as he says one of the most pleasant surprises he had on his tour of Scotland was finding us, and that although we looked like a little tearoom on the outside, we were a serious foodie place on the inside.

“I have to admit to being a little bemused, really, to find out that our wee restaurant in the middle of nowhere is in a book with all those fantastic celebrity chefs.

“It’s quite humbling, really. It’s something quite special to be included with these people.”

The book – containing Ross’s recipes for lamb and steamed venison pudding – is launched next week, priced £30.