Former Kirkcaldy restaurant manager re-releases cookbook of venue’s favourite recipes

A former Kirkcaldy restaurant manager has re-released a cookbook of the venue’s favourite dishes amid a wave of nostalgia.

Colin Salmond-Wallace was in charge of The Dining Room, which closed in 2020 during Covid.

Four years on, he is still often asked for the gastropub recipes the restaurant was known for.

They include best-sellers penne pasta with beef fillet and white chocolate and toasted marshmallow cheesecake.

Colin began publishing recipes of the day on social media during lockdown.

And he eventually pulled them together for the book, The Dining Room At Home.

‘Fond nostalgia’ for the Dining Room prompted re-release

Nowadays Colin Salmond-Wallace is better known as the founder of the Love Kirkcaldy Facebook group, which has more than 36,000 members.

He is also the manager of independent High Street jewellery store Eloise.

However, he said: “There is still al lot of fond nostalgia in Kirkcaldy for The Dining Room.

“I keep getting asked for those glorious gastropub recipes we were famous for from those days.

“So it felt like a good time to put it back out there.

“We already had the publishers lined up too so it was easy to update it and re-release it for everyone asking about it.

“It’s really wonderful to see it out there again.

“It was a passion project for me during lockdown and it means a great deal to me to give people something entertaining to read and use in their kitchens.”

Community could be involved in Colin’s next cooking adventure

The cookbook’s initial run sold more than 500 copies within a fortnight and eventually sold out.

The re-release is also being well received.

And that has spurred Colin on as he considers future projects.

“There are another two books in the pipeline,” he says.

“The first will be out in time for Christmas this year and the second will be appearing in spring 2025.

“It’s very exciting. I plan to create a bit of community involvement with the 2025 project but there will be more said about that later in the year.”

The Dining Room At Home is available to buy on Colin’s website, cookwithcoco.com

And further foodie adventures are posted on his Cook With Coco Facebook group.