Life

Friendly Glasgow has plenty for urban adventurers

Glasgow's trendy West End is among the last places you'd expect to go foraging but John Manley and family were pleasantly surprised by what he found there

Glasgow's George Square – you’ll find ‘People Make Glasgow’ is a marketing slogan with a firm basis in reality Picture: Lenny Warren
Glasgow's George Square – you’ll find ‘People Make Glasgow’ is a marketing slogan with a firm basis in reality Picture: Lenny Warren Glasgow's George Square – you’ll find ‘People Make Glasgow’ is a marketing slogan with a firm basis in reality Picture: Lenny Warren

EVEN my Edinburgh born-n-bred sister-in-law begrudgingly concedes that Glasgow people are friendly. Perhaps because much of the city’s popular image is associated with an acrimonious football rivalry, some find the notion of a welcoming Glasgow alien.

I first debunked the No Mean City myth for myself while on honeymoon 15 years ago. Rather than a place whose people dozens of TV dramas had led me to expect were either too drunk or way too sober, my new wife and I discovered a cosmopolitan, European city that was as welcoming and interesting as any we’d been to. Visit the city and you’ll find ‘People Make Glasgow’ is a marketing slogan with a firm basis in reality.

Chris Charalambous, chef and proprietor of Cail Bruich in Glasgow’s West End, pretty much epitomises the city’s self-confidence and hospitable slant. His restaurant on Great Western Road – its name means ‘eat well’ in Scots Gaelic – is yards from Glasgow’s Botanical Gardens, the place where our foraging adventure with him begins.

The gardens were originally developed on a site closer to the city centre but have been in this location, close to the University of Glasgow, for more than 150 years. Accordingly, they boast several impressive glasshouses, the largest of which – Kibble Palace – regularly doubles as boutique concert hall.

The West End is Glasgow's trendy quarter, with plenty of bustling cafés, bars and restaurants. There are also bookshops, galleries and the most fashionable thrift shop I've ever had the pleasure of browsing.

Back in the Botanic Gardens, Chris is demonstrating how he takes local sourcing to a laudable extreme, finding many of his ingredients and garnishes growing wild within easy walking distance of his award-winning kitchen. Sorrel, hogweed, ground elder and even the cursed Japanese knotweed all figure in his ‘Scottish cuisine’ dishes.

From the formal parkland of the gardens we descend down steps to the nearby wooded and wilder banks of the River Kelvin, which winds for a mile or so south west before joining the Clyde. All the time Chris is excusing himself before crouching down, plucking and tasting leaves or disappearing into the undergrowth and emerging with elderflower and wild garlic. If it’s edible and has aromatic qualities, he’ll find a use for it somewhere.

Back at Cail Bruich we join other lunchtime diners to enjoy a menu based around some of the plants foraged an hour previously. The exquisite taster menu is complemented by dishes featuring Scottish ingredients from slightly further afield, such as seaweed, berries and the crispy battered mussels with celery and lovage that kick off proceedings.

This is followed by beef fat doughnut with confit duck, foes gras and a hint of elderflower. Elderflower is again utilised with mackerel coupled with a succulent heritage tomato ahead of rump and belly of (Perthshire) lamb served with a seaweed salsa verde and beach herbs. A house craft beer brewed at Glasgow’s Drygate brewery helps wash down each delicious course. The successful urban foraging experience concludes with a crescendo of cream, sorrel granita and berries – billed on the menu as the beautifully evocative ‘Meadowsweet’.

The hospitality at Cail Bruich is so warm and relaxed I’m tempted to put my feet up and enjoy a post-lunch snooze; however, we’ve a busy afternoon ahead taking in sights and the inevitable shopping expedition.

We’re based in the heart of Glasgow, in a serviced apartment on Queen Street just off George Square. It’s perfect for a family of four and much easier on the pocket than a hotel. The two-bedroom apartment is spacious, has its own balcony, and is equipped with everything a modern family needs, including a big TV, complimentary wi-fi and a fully equipped kitchen.

It’s also dead handy to the shops and numerous pubs and restaurants. There’s culture too – cross the street, walk 100 yards and you’re at Royal Exchange Square and standing beneath the imposing neo-classical pillars of the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA).

Originally built in the late 18th century as a townhouse for tobacco lord and slave trader William Cunninghame, in the years since it has housed a bank, a library and the Royal Exchange that gives the square its name. It has been the GoMA for the past 20 years, during which time it has not only hosted exhibitions showcasing hundreds of upcoming artists but also the work leading 20th century and contemporary figures like Andy Warhol and David Hockney.

Retailing-wise, Glasgow beats Belfast hands down. For niche shoppers like myself, who prefer specialist record shops and independent clothes outlets, there’s a lot happening round and about the main drag up to Buchanan Galleries, where most of the big high street names are located, including John Lewis.

The wide range of shops is matched by a variety of food outlets – Greek, Italian, Thai, fusion, etc, all within a leisurely stroll of the apartment. Pub-wise, the Counting House stands out for its bewildering selection of real ales and craft beers. Housed in a former bank dating from Victorian times, its bright interior and high ceilings are the antithesis of the ‘cosy pub’ and all the livelier for it. There were, however, two downsides – it is owned by JD Wetherspoon and from what I can remember there’s an awfully long trek to the basement toilets.

Keen to ensure we don’t spend all our time shopping, we jump on a sightseeing bus to get a flavour of the city, hopping off and on to get a closer gander at the Glasgow Science Centre and Riverside Museum. And all the time there’s that recurring friendly theme.

FACT FILE

:: John Manley and his family travelled to Scotland on the Stena Line Belfast to Cairnryan service, which takes approxiamately 2 hours 15 minutes and offers up to six sailings a day.

Prices per person begin at £10 for a day return for foot passengers; a single car and driver costs from £79.

On board you can experience the various lounges and Taste restaurant as well as the Curious George kids play area and POD Lounge with iPads and Xboxes.

Customers can upgrade to the Stena Plus lounge from £15 per person, where they can enjoy a selection of complimentary snacks and beverages. A recent addition is the Pure Nordic Spa, where passengers can make the most of the only jacuzzi and sauna on the Irish Sea from £10 per person.

See www.stenaline.co.uk

:: The family stayed at Premier Suites Plus Glasgow, which is offers a choice of 45 serviced apartments, a combination of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouses.

All of the suites have a living area and a separate bedroom area. They boast a 47-inch flat-screen TV, a safe, Nespresso machine, washing machine and dishwasher. The penthouse suites also offer air conditioning. Prices begin at £79 per night.

See www.premiersuitesglasgow.eu