Scottish Bross Bagels Collaborates With Legendary Alan Cumming To Launch Vegan Bagel

Edinburgh-based Bross Bagels has revealed a unique collaboration with the renowned Scottish actor, Alan Cumming, whose signature vegan bagel will take centre stage on the menu at Bross shops across the city from Thursday 4th August, just in time for the Edinburgh International Festival.

The world-renowned star of stage and screen arrived in Edinburgh ahead of the launch of his brand-new show Burn, which premieres at The King’s Theatre, Edinburgh from Thursday 4th until Wednesday 10th August.

Bross Bagels founder - and former performer and stand-up comedian - Larah Bross invited Cumming into Bross Deli earlier this summer to try his hand at bagel building, and the duo have since teamed up to taste, trial and titillate on the perfect vegan bagel, culminating in The Holesome Cumming bagel. 

In a nod to Cumming’s world premiere dance-theatre show at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival - which challenges the ‘biscuit tin’ image of Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns - The Holesome Cumming Bagelincludes Macsween’s Vegan Haggis, Beef Tomato, Smoked Applewood Cheese, Latke, Pickled Red Onions and Chilli Mayo, all packed into an Everything Bross Bagel.

The co-creation will become a permanent feature on Bross Bagels menus across the city, and will change seasonally, allowing locals, visitors and festivalgoers alike to sample a taste of some of Cumming’s favourite flavours throughout the year.  A vegan himself, it was fitting that Bross’ Bagels have recently started producing all-vegan bagels, hand-crafting the fresh, authentic Montreal bagels in the brand’s dedicated Portobello Bakery.

Commenting on the collaboraytion, Larah ‘Mama’ Bross explains: “Embodying Alan in bagel form has been a massive challenge - we had to get it exactly right - sassy but vulnerable, complex but compelling, acerbic but aromatic - we totally ran out of caraway seeds - but I believe your first bite of this bagel will taste almost as delicious as if you were biting the taut left buttock of the man himself!

“I came up with various suggestions for Alan’s bagel - his second name is Cumming for crying out loud - this was meant to be!”

Alan Cumming added: “I have performed for world leaders, I have honorary doctorates, I have been on a stamp, people have even tattooed my likeness onto their bodies. But all that pales in significance now. Being embodied in bagel form really takes the biscuit.”

The Holesome Cumming Bagel will be available on Bross menus from Thursday 4th August, at Bross Deli at St James Quarter which opened earlier this year, at Bross’ shop in Bruntsfield and at the Portobello Bakery.

A co-production between Edinburgh International Festival, the National Theatre of Scotland, and New York City’s The Joyce Theater, Burn is a new creation from the Scottish actor, author and International Festival favourite Alan Cumming and the Olivier Award-winning choreographer Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and featuring the music of Anna Meredith (Mercury Prize nominated for Fibs).