We meet some of Scotland’s most exciting culinary creators. First up, co-founder of the acclaimed Inver restaurant, Pam Brunton, provides her take on modern Scottish cuisine and tells us about her new book, ‘Between Two Waters’. Then: we sit down with the head of mixology at Gleneagles to learn how he blends the hotel’s history into his cocktails. Plus: we visit London’s first dedicated Scottish deli. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hello and welcome to the menu Monocle Radio's food and drink program.
I'm your host for today, Monica Lillis.
Coming up on today's program, we're heading to Bonny, Scotland to meet some of the nation's most exciting culinary creators.
First up, we meet the brains behind restaurant inver, Pam Brunton.
To find out her take on modern Scottish cuis.
From the restaurant, it's like, well, they tell a very difficult story of the last 500 or more years of kind of political history of Scotland and Britain.
Also on the program, we sit down with the lead bartender at Gleneagles to find out how he blends the history of the hotel into his cocktails.
It's very rooted in the 1920s and 30s in the way that the service is provided.
We still have like silver service and, you know, live piano every night.
Plus we visit London's first ever dedicated Scottish deli.
All that here on the menu on Monocle Radio.
When it comes to answering the question what is Scottish cuisine?
You can be sure that different people will give you different answers.
Some might think up the stereotypical images of traditional haggis, neeps and tatties, whereas some will head straight to the chip shop to unwrap a deep fried mars bar.
And whilst these dishes make up a part of the country's culinary culture, an increasing number of Scottish chefs are embracing and experimen with the idea of modern Scottish food, a more refined and contemporary approach to the nation's dishes.
One chef at the forefront of this movement is Pam Brunton whose award winning restaurant Inva in the west of the country champions the concept of a modern version of her home nation's cuisine.
By utilizing the bounty of the nature around her, from oysters and kelp to cobnuts and heather, Pam's menus embrace Scotland's indigenous flavors whilst recognising the importance of incorporating ingredients that were introduced into local diets at a later date too.
In her new book, Between Two Waters, Pam examines Scotland's culinary history and unpacks the significance of food heritage to our collective identity.
Pam sat down with the menu's Chiara Romela and started by telling her an anecdote from the book about a customer who called up the restaurant to ask her what cuisine they serve.
The guy on the phone, he asked what kind of food do you do?