Good conversation over a great meal is a precious thing, as members of the Raeburn Supper Club in central Scotland appreciate. Tailored to unattached over-50s, the club serves up companionship and even romance, as Kerry Fowler discovers
Alan joined the Raeburn Supper Club last summer. It’s lovely to be a wee part of a group again,” he says. “When you lose someone – my wife Catherine died two years ago – it’s good to meet people who have gone through the same thing. It’s amazing what you can bring into the conversation over something to eat; nobody shies away from it. But really, it’s just good to talk to people – and the food is always a big point of conversation.”
Set up by Diane Goudie and Yvonne Carvel over 25 years ago, the Raeburn Supper Club invites people to join its lively calendar of dinners and suppers at restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow – both buzzing destinations for food lovers and easy to access.
“We set up an alternative to a dating site, with the emphasis on friendship and sharing food together,” says Diane, who met Yvonne at university when they were studying law. “The club attracts over-50s who are sociable and like going out for meals in interesting restaurants. They may have been single for some time, divorced or widowed.”
For a monthly fee of around £22, members are invited to participate in as many events as they like, with the cost of each meal paid in advance – no worrying about dividing the bill. Numbers range from 12 to 20.
TASTE OF ADVENTURE
“People can be anxious the first time, especially if they’re in a situation they didn’t choose to be in – losing a partner or getting divorced,” says Diane. “But Yvonne or I are there to meet them, and it’s a friendly environment.”
Steve, who has been involved for 15 years – he left while in a relationship and later rejoined – knows it can be challenging. “You have to psych yourself up to walk into a room of strangers,” he says. “But they make you welcome. Food is a common bond and it’s a great way to try new restaurants.”
Diane and Yvonne are good researchers: they scour the cities and check 5pm.co.uk, a restaurant website, for inspiration. Successes to date include Ralph & Finns in Glasgow and The Gardener’s Cottage in Edinburgh, which uses fresh herbs from outside the door. In the diary for 2024 are a sweep of world cuisines, an evening with traditional Scottish music from the band Blazin’ Fiddles, wine tastings and art gallery tour
