If you are looking for food in Edinburgh that is super fresh, organic and healthy and caters for a wealth of dietary requirements then Pumpkin Brown in the Grassmarket is the place to goto. Owned by Edinburgh resident Amanda Brown she has taken her passion for healthy eating and made it into a business.
Read our Q&A with Amanda and then pay Pumkin Brown a visit, you won’t be disappointed.
Where did your passion for healthy eating begin? Was healthy eating always a focus for you?
Eating healthy wasn’t something I had ever thought about when I was younger! I was a bit of a sugar junky and lived on chocolate during my uni years! It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Hypermobility Syndrome in 2014 that I considered my diet and how this might affect my condition.
I was inspired by people like Ella Mills (Deliciously Ella) Tanya Maher (Better Raw) and Olivia Wollenberg (Livia’s Kitchen) who looked to improve their health through diet. I bought all their cookbooks and started very slowly changing my diet. It was difficult at first and I suffered a ton of detox side effects and major sugar cravings! I cut out all junk and processed food and started making everything fresh at home. I then reduced wheat and dairy and this was when I saw the biggest difference to my health.
Why did you want to share your passion for healthy eating? What are the benefits of changing your diet?
I wanted to open the café because there are not a lot of places in Edinburgh that cater for people with specific dietary requirements. Plant-based and vegan diets, dairy and gluten intolerances, and Coeliac disease to name a few, make eating out difficult with limited options to pick from. Pumpkin Brown caters to all of these. Its so lovely when people following these diets come in and realise they can pick from the whole menu and not a small part of it!
Eating this way has allowed me to control my illness, stop the constant pain and get my life back! I really believe that my diet has played a massive part in my healing, I’ve been able to come off all my medication and I feel incredible. I eat a plant based diet and I really enjoy it! I eat such a wide variety of food now and I’m always trying new foods and dishes.
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What can people expect to find at Pumpkin Brown? Can you give us a couple of examples of your most popular dishes?
The café is plant based, gluten free and organic so you will always find fresh healthy food to grab and go or sit in. Our deconstructed sushi bowl with avocado is really popular and the ‘Flavour of Fall’ salad (pictured) is my new favourite. We brew Obadiah specialty coffee, Matcha and Turmeric lattes, and for the winter, a Pumpkin Spice Latte made with our own organic pumpkin and cinnamon puree.
Why did you open in the Grassmarket? What do you like most about the area?
I love the Grassmarket! It has so many great quirky independent businesses and seemed a great place for a start up. The local business owners are all really supportive and have become our regulars and friends. My office is also there so its super handy for lunch everyday!
Finally, what would your perfect 24 hours in Edinburgh be like? Where would you go and what would you do?
On the weekends I like to eat my way round the City Centre! Normally Caffeine Drip for Breakfast, they have an amazing vegan menu and the staff are just lovely! This is followed by a wander around Inverleith Park or Calton Hill with our dogs, then a snoop around Jeffries Interiors in Stockbridge or Georgian Antiques in Leith. Lunch would be at Hendersons Bistro followed by a nice glass of wine at Smith & Gertrude. My favourite season in Edinburgh is Winter and I’m looking forward to the Botanics light show and the Christmas Market!
