According to Dean Banks, the MasterChef: The Professionals 2018 finalist couldn’t find the perfect pub in Scotland. So instead, decided to create his own.
Set to open The Forager, in Dollar, Clackmannanshire on Friday December 2, the new venue will see the Scottish chef serve up his take on traditional pub food.
Located in the former King Seat Bar on Bridge Street that changed to The Inn at Dollar, the esteemed chef has now taken over the venue after spending 18 months searching for the “perfect pub”.
Dean will invest around £100K into the premises takeover and will update the kitchen and its equipment. This will include purchasing bigger ovens, barbecues and gadgets used in Dean’s other restaurants.
The pub was renovated nine months ago by The Inn at Dollar team and Dean says he won’t be updating its interior as it is already “very much his style”.
“I wanted to find a really nice pub which was renovated to a high standard. I viewed many around the Fife area then this one just came about and I loved it,” he added.
The Forager is the latest addition to Dean’s collective of businesses which include The Pompadour and Dulse in Edinburgh, Haar St Andrews, Haar At Home, Waagyu Burger, Mond Vodka and Lunun Gin.
The Forager
And Dean’s twist on the perfect country pub is something he’s wanted to progress for a long time. Although he jokes that it is “sort of” a Christmas present to himself.
He said: “I absolutely love stumbling across a beautiful country pub, finding that hidden gem that’s got the lot.
“It’s something chefs like Tom Kerridge do in England but we haven’t really had much of the same up here. I want the kind of pub I would love to find myself in, so that’s what The Forager is.”
While the focus at Haar and Pompadour is fine dining, the latest enterprise is an altogether different proposition. And Dean says it’s “a proper pub”.
“There’s nothing overly fancy. This is somewhere to relax and unwind, not dress up.
“It’s classic pub food, but sourced, prepared and cooked to the highest levels just like in all of my restaurants.”
Building the dream
The change of management will also see around 20 staff join Dean Banks’ roster.
Most of the staff will be kept on from the previous entity, and some of the chef’s top talent including executive chef Dan Ashmore and Ruairi Mitchell, operations manager at Haar, will be helping out, too.
The new venture will bring the current team to 85 staff across the group.
What will be on offer?
With a focus on quality local Scottish produce, the team will be using the same suppliers across the business.
They include fishmonger David Lowrie, Gilmour Butchers and McDuff Butchers supplying the meats, venison will be sourced from local game keepers and there will be a focus on foraged foods from local foragers.
For shellfish, Dean will continue to work with the boats he currently uses already, and fruit and veg in the spring, summer and autumn months will be sourced from Falkland Kitchen Garden.
Guests can expect everything from steak, to burgers, grilled fish and curries on the menu. That’s not forgetting the classic pub staple of fish and chips and a top quality pie.
Dean added: “The food is going to be spectacular. Proper pub classics, but cooked my way using the very best Scottish ingredients. Steak pie, ham, egg and chips with huge chunky slices of perfect ham, and fish and chips the way you dream of it.
“We aren’t reinventing the wheel here – this is somewhere everyone can feel welcome.”
The future
Eager to keep the pub’s charm, entertainment in the future will include pub quizzes, bands and artists with guitars will also perform. This will retain the spirit of the current venue, but Dean will develop it as the team settle into the community.
The Forager will be open seven days a week from 9am until 11pm, with the potential of the pub closing around midnight on weekends. Exact times are still to be confirmed.
Conversation