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In print September 2018
If you know me you’ll know I say it as it is! No fluff just straight to the point.
It’s the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight until 16th September, so we should be celebrating all that’s great about our abundant larder.But I’m struggling to celebrate with such sad news surrounding an industry that I love.
Yes whisky, gin, beer, salmon and shortbread exports are beating the records year on year but closer to home the small artisans are struggling.
Some of our smallest suppliers have gone out of business. These include our dear friend Graham Stoddard of Cuddybridge Apple Juice, a taste Our Best accredited and multi-award winning Scotland Food & Drinks apple juice producer closed his business this June.Increased costs and consumers not willing to pay the price for a quality hand made product has made this business unsustainable.
If you’ve been following the Errington Cheese story you’ll have read that they have laid off two more staff and in short, are on their knees. Another multi award winning artisan producer that is struggling but this time due to massive injustice and bureaucratic cover up.
As an independent Scottish restaurateur and as a Scottish consumer, I try wherever possible to support our local artisan suppliers and other independent, family run businesses.
Our reputation as a land of food and drink that now brings visitors from all over the world has been built on the hard work and passion of many of these very small very hard working family business.
If we’re not careful not only will we lose them, we’ll hurt the whole industry.
Macaroni cheese with Phantassie Farm candied tomatoes, Isle of Mull cheddar and buttered crumb crust
Macaroni cheese has got to be a favourite for most people. Adding a vegetable suchas tomatoes really lightens this dish and makes it extra-tasty and a little healthier.
SERVES 4
Ingredients:
Handful of small tomatoes roasted to release their juices
500g macaroni or any short pasta
80g unsalted butter
80g plain flour
salt and freshly ground whitepepper
½ tsp English mustard powder
600ml full-fat milk
4 tbsp double cream
350g Isle of Mull cheddar,finely grated
Optional pea shoots for decoration
Method:
1. Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain welland set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. To make the sauce, melt thebutter in a pan over a low heat, then add the flour. Cook for about3 minutes, stirring continuously until the mixture starts to bubble. Add1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper and the mustard powder. Slowly add the milk andbeat with a metal whisk to prevent lumps forming.
3. When the sauce startsto thicken, add the cream and 250g cheddar. Check the seasoning.
4. Add the cauliflower and macaroni. The mixture will be wet but themacaroni will absorb the sauce as it cooks. Transfer to an ovenproof dishand sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for20 minutes until bubbling and golden.
cream of celery & lanark blue soup
This is a soup we make in winter but we need to be buying Lanark Blue as much as we can so they are there next winter to supply us.
SERVES 4
Ingredients:
150g unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 leeks, white part only, finely chopped
2 heads of celery, leaves reserved
3 large floury potatoes
1 tsp celery salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1 litre chicken stock (see below), hot
125g Lanark Blue, crumbled, plus extra for garnish
125ml double cream
salt and freshly ground white pepper
for the chicken stock (makes approx. 1 litre)
10 chicken thighs or drumsticks
generous pinch of salt
2 litres cold water
1 large bunch of flat-leaf parsley
1 celery stick, halved
Method:
apple and sultana pie
When we started our kitchen garden it was lovely Mr Apple that advised and supplied us with 46 of our apples trees. Choosing heritage varieties like James Geieves and white Melrose (check this please) – who would have thought Mr Apple would be the extinct supply we’d need to save for the Ark!
SERVES 4-6
Ingredients:
7 small or 4 large Bramley apples
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp caster sugar, plus extrafor sprinkling
small handful of sultanas
¼ pinch of cinnamon
25g unsalted butter, melted,for greasing
egg wash made from 1 egg, beaten
pouring cream, chilled, to serve
for the pastry
250g self-raising flour, plus extrafor dusting
pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled
100g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice-cold water
Method: