Earthy Three and a poshed up rice pudding

I love food stores. I love wandering around reading labels and drooling over the posh products. One of my fave places in Edinburgh to spend a good hour or so exploring is Earthy   in the south side of the city.  It is a little far for me to go on a regular basis...which is good for my wallet but not so good for my foodie cravings.  Earthy sells all sorts of fab locally produced stuff, as well as ethically and fair traded goods, organics and totally lush breads, salads and cakes.  

Well imagine my excitement when the rumours started late last year that a new Earthy store was going to be opening...somewhere much easier to wander along to! Over the last couple of weeks the twittersphere has been abuzz with teasing photos of the shop installations (totally rustic) and finally, this past Friday, the doors officially opened.  

I didn't manage a trip over on opening day...what with a cake engagement to attend...but wandered over around lunch time on Saturday and spent a good hour picking up everything, looking at all the labels, adjusting askew boxes on shelves (a horrible habit of mine) and generally being in awe. 

Of course I was immediately drawn to the mammoth display of breads, where I chatted with the dude who created the interior installations...very cool, very laid back, very Earthy.   I didn't buy a loaf...only because I had some freshly baked bread at home...but will defo be pottering over when a special loaf is needed.  

The fruit & veg are displayed in huge wooden bowls...making it feel more like a home than a market...if I weren't better trained/behaved I would have dived right into that bowl of baby plum tomatoes! 

Attached to the store is a large cafe, serving up all manners of things including all these fab looking salads.  I am a sucker for a deli counter.  It is a good thing we didn't plan on eating on this visit...the cafe was absolutely heaving with people (an excellent sign). 

I didn't buy a whole heap of things, although I easily could have.  I managed to limit myself to a few small items (and a huge handful of rhubarb).  This Gustosecco rice pudding mix immediately caught my eye.  There were a few flavour varieties (including chocolate) but I just had to have this elderflower, ginger and apricot one.  

At £2.95 a sachet I think that this product is excellent value.  Sure...sure...pudding rice isn't all that expensive but if I had to source elderflower and crystallised ginger and dried apricots it could get ridiculous.  And besides, it was easy. Just dump the contents into a ovenproof dish, mix with 2pints of whole milk and bake for 2 hours...into the oven it went and back onto the couch I went.  Served with some lovely Tweedside creamed honey from Chain Bridge Honey Farm this was a perfectly comforting and extra special easter pudding! 

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