Skua team to open artisan knife shop near the Edinburgh restaurant

Skua’s operations manager Katie Messer and head chef James Aikman are opening an artisan knife and kitchen supply shop on the same Edinburgh street as the restaurant.

The pair will co-own Messer, named after Messer herself and also meaning ‘knife’ in German.

Launching tomorrow (Friday 21 June) on the Scottish capital’s St Stephen Street, the retailer is aimed at both chefs and home cooks, and will stock kitchen knives from Japanese brands including Mcusta, Zanmai, Tojiro, Suishin and Ryusen.

A selection of knife-makers from around Europe and the UK with similar values, ranging in cost from £50 to £700, will also be available, along with recipe books and magazines from leading chefs and food writers, and kitchen provisions from local makers like Chorrito’s hot sauces.

Messer said: “We live and work in the food and drink industry and are also heavily inspired by fashion and design, so Messer felt like a natural fusion of our passions.

“James and I have spent years researching products and brands we wanted to stock in our dream store and it feels a little surreal that it’s now becoming a reality. We can’t wait to welcome our first customers this week and share our network of amazing producers, writers and makers.”

Photography by Stephen Lister