Celebrating leading women in Edinburgh’s hospitality industry

Roberta Hall-McCarron at The Little Chartroom

As the co-owner and chef of The Little Chartroom, Roberta Hall-McCarron has achieved great things in a short space of time. The restaurant opened in 2018, gaining a fast fan following, before opening a pop-up on Portobello’s prom and then relocating its primary premises to Bonnington Road. But rather than move out of the old space, she conceived a brand new dining experience in The Little Chartroom’s former space — Eleanore.

The new site is named after a family boat and continues the brand’s maritime theme. But while The Little Chartroom has a blue exterior and a white interior, Eleanore’s colour scheme has been reversed. Both showcase local fish and seafood with dishes such as oysters and salami mignonette; crab with courgette tartare, chervil, macadamia and pecorino; hash browns, smoked cod’s roe, vadouvan and lime; and halibut with razor clams, winter vegetables and red wine sauce found on the menus.

Hall-McCarron cut her teeth in big-name restaurants like The Tower, Castle Terrace Restaurant and The Kitchin. The chef and restauranteur’s fame has far greater reaches than the city boundaries though. Roberta (like her previous boss Tom Kitchin) was a finalist in last year’s Great British Menu, making her somewhat of a celebrity chef these days. She also won the Young British Foodies Award 2018.

Intimate, fun, relaxed and friendly, a meal at The Little Chartroom or Eleanore is an unpretentious and delicious experience.

Virginie Brouard at La P’tite Folie

The Little Madness (as its name translates) first opened its doors in Frederick Street in 1996, before taking up residence in the West End’s historic Tudor House in the noughties. Virginie had arrived from France at the tender age of 19, five years before the inception of La P’tite Folie. The restaurateur also owns Le Di-Vin Wine Bar, an award-winning venue set within an old church building. It made it onto The Sunday Times top 25 wine bars in the UK. At the time of both openings, Brouard had babes in arms — her first son was five months old as La P’tite Folie launched, with her second child just six-months-old at the time of Le Di-Vin’s inception.

Virginie is not only a champion in her own right, but she champions the cause of other women too. For nine years she’s sponsored a feeding program in Northern Ethiopia (her daughter was adopted from this region), making regular trips to visit the children in partnership with “The Daughters of Charity”; Virginie’s also involved in several educational programs working with street children and women’s health.

Lively and charming, La P’tite Folie is the home of traditional French cuisine, while Le Di-Vin Wine Bar offers a wide range of superb vinos, alongside sharing plates — perfect for after work meet ups.

Mary Hillard at Mary’s Milk Bar

A very different type of hospitality venue, Mary’s Milk Bar is a gourmet ice cream parlour. And its success has been so overwhelming, that it’s actually visible on any given sunny day, and many dreich ones too. Wander past and you may see a large queue snaking along the Grassmarket pavement. If it’s an off-peak moment you’ll still see the queueing demarcations on the ground outside, reminding you that this is an in-demand establishment whose produce is in demand. Mary herself makes the fresh gelato and artisan chocolates sold here (how’s that for authenticity?). And every day brings something new, as the flavour changes every morning and throughout the season (although this does mean that the most popular combinations can sell out quickly).

Yorkshire-born Mary started out as a chocolatier, but wanted a taste for something a little bit different (quite literally). So she enrolled in training at the Carpigiani Gelato University, Bologna, honing her skill in real Italian ice cream, before opening her very own venue in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle. The ‘milk bar’ phenomenon was popular in the early to mid twentieth century, a more glamorous approach to what we now typically experience as an ice cream parlour. As such, Mary’s own take on the milk bar has a homely, stylish and retro feel. It’s become one of the most recommended and best loved culinary names in the city, a go-to for tourists and locals alike. And of course, we love that this success story has a woman’s name over the door.