Culinary star of the Dalston food scene in East London returns to Arbroath

Dundee-born Elaine will be cooking up a storm at Hospitalfield.

Renowned Scottish chef Elaine Chalmers has returned to her homeland to head up the new Hospitalfield Cafe following a 30 year spell in London where her cooking was a cornerstone of the burgeoning art scene in East London in the late 1990s.

As co-founder and Head Chef of Shoreditch Electric Showrooms and latterly her own restaurant A Little of What You Fancy, Elaine attracted rave reviews in the press and was visited by Yoko Ono, Bjork, Pet Shop Boys, Pam Hogg, Louise Gray, Janet Street-Porter and many other creatives.

Now visitors to Hospitalfield’s Cafe will have the opportunity to enjoy what Dundee-born Elaine describes her cooking style as “relaxed and homely, nothing fussy, I like to bring people together by the love of good food”.

Speaking on arrival at Hospitalfield Elaine said: “I came across this opportunity by chance on social media and wanted to know more. I loved the look of the building and the exciting projects Hospitalfield do, and thought it would be a brilliant project to take on the kitchen.”

“I am looking forward to building up the relationships we have and to get more local suppliers from Angus into Hospitalfield, using the produce that they grow and sell and supporting them. It’s all about community for me, that’s what I would like to create. In the future I would like to introduce supper clubs, evening dinners, Sunday roasts and special events so I’m particularly excited for diners to enjoy the new Christmas menus I have been working on.”

Under the guidance of Head Chef Elaine, the Garden Café serves brunch and lunch as well as tea, coffee and cake with a daily changing menu featuring an abundance of fine local produce, freshly prepared using home grown vegetables and herbs straight from the garden. The menu features creative uses of locally produced meats and smoked fish, novel seasonal soup recipes, veggie and vegan delights, artisan bread and of course fabulous cakes served with the best coffee, locally roasted in Arbroath courtesy of Sacred Grounds. The Garden Café also stocks fresh Wild Hearth Bakery sourdough from Crieff to order each week for collection.

The Cafe is fully licensed and open from 10am to 5pm from Thursday to Sunday until December 21.