A popular Edinburgh chef has partnered with a Midlothian farm to establish a kitchen garden in an effort to reduce waste in his restaurant.
Tomás Gormley, owner of Cardinal on Eyre Place, has collaborated with Bramblewood Farm in Midlothian to create the Cardinal Kitchen Garden.
The project will see the Pathhead farm grow vegetables and herbs specifically for the restaurant’s menu . Organic waste from the kitchen will then be returned to the farm to be used as nutrient-rich compost.
The initiative is a partnership with farm owner Nick Holmes to supply Mr Gormley’s first solo fine dining venture, which opened in March 2024.
The 24-cover restaurant focuses on Scottish produce cooked over a bespoke wood-fired barbecue, alongside pickling and fermentation techniques.
Cardinal was recently listed in the Michelin Guide and the SquareMeal Top 100 for 2026. Mr Gormley previously earned a Michelin star in 2022 while co-running Heron in Leith, which he departed in 2023 ahead of opening Cardinal.
In 2025, Tomás departed his other restaurant Skua, handing over the reins to long term friends and business partners James Aikman and Katie Messer.
Bramblewood Farm is a family-owned operation based 14 miles south-east of Edinburgh that focuses on regenerative agriculture, pastured eggs, and grass-fed meat production. Initial crops grown for the Kitchen Garden will include tomatoes, courgettes, beetroots, and salad leaves.
The team intends for the Pathhead site to eventually supply the majority of fresh produce required by the restaurant. This harvest will supply the restaurant’s new vegetable-focused Market Menu, a £25 three-course set menu operating during lunchtime services from Thursday to Saturday.
The Eyre Place site also currently offers a 13-course tasting menu during evening services. Mr Gormley stated that the farming partnership will allow the business to closely monitor and reduce its environmental impact.
Mr Gormley said: “We will bring these ingredients into every part of our menu and work with Mr Holmes and the team to become a cog in the wider farm network.
“Restaurants aren’t inherently sustainable operations, so we will look at how we can cut waste at the restaurant in a way that benefits both us and the garden.”
