Ferment & Feast: An Evening of Japanese Pickles at Alby’s

In the class you’ll discover how simple ingredients like salt, koji, and vinegar can be transformed into vibrant, flavour-packed side dishes that are at the heart of everyday Japanese cooking.

Together we’ll cover:

• Quick pickling techniques you can easily recreate at home.
• An introduction to the fundamentals of Japanese fermentation - from koji to miso.
• How to bring these traditions into your own kitchen using widely available produce.

We’ll finish by sitting down together to share a meal built around the dishes you’ve prepared — bright pickles, warming ferments, and a few extra surprises from Robin’s lab.

No prior experience is needed — just curiosity, an appetite, and maybe a notebook if you want to take notes. You’ll leave with recipes, know-how, and the confidence to start your own Japanese-inspired fermenting at home.

The formal finish is 2030, but it will likely go on a bit after for chats and snacks.

About the hosts:

Robin Sherriff is the founder of The Koji Kitchen and author of The Science of Fermentation. Known for making mould sound sexy, Robin specialises in adapting Japanese fermentation traditions to Scottish ingredients. He teaches, consults, and experiments widely — usually leaving a trail of jars, koji spores, and happy students behind him. Follow here

Hannah Lilly Morrison is a cook and budding fermenter from the Isle of Eigg, now based in Edinburgh and part of the team at Alby’s. She brings a calm, grounded approach to food, a love of simple flavours, and a quietly excellent instinct for what makes people feel welcome.

About the venue:

Alby’s Leith is one of Edinburgh’s most beloved snack spots. Recently crowned Best Sandwich Shop Outside of London, Alby’s is known for big flavours, big sandos and big patter. The perfect home for a night of pickles, ferments, and tasty chaos. Follow here

(Some of the pictures are from different events - but rest assured - all of the same fermented funtimes and tasty pickles will be present at Alby's).

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