Garry Watson, chef proprietor of Gordon’s Restaurant, spends a day sampling the delights of Angus’s world-class producers and suppliers
As a purveyor of Scottish produce, I was delighted to be invited along with other chefs and hoteliers to attend an exclusive Taste of Angus Field to Fork event.
The day around Angus introduced us to some of the producers and suppliers that makes this a really special area for its top class food and drink.
We experienced for ourselves where the products are made, grown and reared and also talked to the producers about what makes their products stand out.
The morning kicked off with the most enjoyable coffee tasting at Angus’s only coffee roastery, Sacred Grounds in Arbroath, where we were treated to the amazing aromas of coffee beans while watching them being expertly roasted to produce their wonderful range of coffee.
The next visit was a short journey to the Kinnels Mill Farm where the hard-working Batchelor family rear their pigs and beef cattle on the outskirts of Friockheim. Here, it was amazing to see the quality of life given to the animals and the fantastic produce that is sold in their local butcher’s shop, Flemings, here in Arbroath.
The food trail then went to Ella Drinks in the heart of Angus near Brechin, the parent company of Bouvrage. We sampled fresh, natural juices made with local fruit, including raspberry and apple, producing an unbelievable depth of flavour.
Owner Anne Thomson is a passionate supporter of ensuring good, local food for all. We watched the juicing process and discovered the huge difference in health and taste benefits between Anne’s juice and mass-produced brands.
After a lunch showcasing the Kinnels Mill Farm pork cooked low ‘n’ slow – a barbecue method by Walter from Wild & Smokey – the next visit was a stone’s throw from my restaurant to Myreside Farm, Inverkeilor. Here, Jillian and Neil McEwen have set up Myreside Farm Products, a family business rearing free-range goat meat and growing niche products such as asparagus and honeyberries.
Their hard work shows in their final products and I can’t wait to get the first picking of their asparagus next year to put on my restaurant menu. The day finished with a visit to Distilla tions in Arbroath where the aster distiller, Lewis Scothern, set up his own business creating bespoke Scottish craft drinks for clients. Lewis shared his passion as he showed us the distillery process of gin and we even got a chance to bottle our own miniature bottle with label.
Then Carole Somerville of Gintensify showed us how to enhance gin further with various dried fruits that only wowed in presentation but also in taste.
An amazing end to an amazing day.
