As see in Hidden Edinburgh

Q&A WITH ANDY MURRAY, FOUNDER OF THE DRINKS BAKERY

"A good friend recently introduced us to the most delectable drinks companion, biscuits from The Drinks Bakery. These are delicious savoury biscuits that are expertly flavour profiled to balance and match with great drinks and are so tasty you could nibble away and simply forget about a main course! Not only are they super tasty but the packaging is fun and it’s clear to see how much thought has been given to each drinks pairing. We were so impressed with them that we had to find out more about the story behind their being. Read on to find out more from Andy Murray – The Drinks Bakery founder.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and career.

I grew up in a food and drink obsessed family. My parents were pioneering the term ‘foodies’ before it was cool back in the 70’s & 80’s. They threw us in the back of a VW camper van every summer and we travelled around Europe for weeks at a time following our noses for great food and drink. We collected inspiration from amazing brasseries, markets and wineries across Europe.

I’ve been baking since the age of 10, was a decent cook by 14 and wine qualified at 19. I had no idea what I was good at when I left school and ending up doing a teaching degree because I figured I ought to do something. Still searching after graduating I briefly lived and worked in Dublin before heading off on an adventure to the Southern Hemisphere. I was again drawn to the idea of a food and wine focussed journey but this time on a bigger scale.

I managed to get a decent job in Sydney, saved up to buy a van like the good old days and hit the road, but this time it was me behind the wheel. Eight months, 60,000kms and two engines later I’d pretty much covered Margaret River, Barossa, Coonawarra, Yarra, Hunter Valley and Rutherglen, so jumped ship to New Zealand. I spent a further nine months around the wineries of Hawkes Bay and Central Otago where amongst other things I was a wine waiter to Bill Clinton and got a part in a Hollywood blockbuster movie!!

After a quick spin around the deep south of America and bringing in Y2000 in New Orleans I made it back to UK and landed a job in an Investment Bank where I worked in the city for four years and got married to Becky. When news of our first baby hit, we plotted our escape from the City and landed in Edinburgh with a 9month old baby and no job. 16 years later I can look back on a property business, a corporate entertainment golf venue, a gastro-pub and a wine business. Now I’m a Biscuiteer and loving it!"

Read the full Q&A here.