Jess Elliott Dennison at Lamb’s House: A Spring Cookery Workshop

Earlier in May, GRAS welcomed chef and author Jess Elliott Dennison to Lamb’s House for an intimate seasonal cookery workshop, co-hosted by Gunnar Groves-Raines. Set within the atmospheric rooms of this 17th-century merchant’s house in Leith, the event brought together stories of restoration, recipe testing and the quiet joy of cooking together.

Guests gathered in the morning for fresh coffee, home-baked treats and an introduction to the day’s events, beginning with a guided tour of Lamb’s House by Gunnar. Built in 1610 and category A-listed, the house retains many original features including a stone turnpike stair and pine beams—survivors of centuries of change.

Now a family home, the building was brought back into use through a long process of conservation and renewal, revealing layers of lived history and craftsmanship. Hand-made Hungarian glass set into leaded, half-shuttered windows, ironmongery forged by a local blacksmith and salvaged 18th-century Swedish pantiles bring integrity to the fabric. Siberian larch was sourced in generous dimensions to replace lost beams, floors and doors, while interiors remain quietly elemental—untreated timber, lime plaster walls, sheep’s wool insulation and stone flagged floors.

Together, the building and gathering framed conversations around material memory, architectural care and the evolving rituals of domestic life.

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Photography by Murray Orr