My Kitchen Garden
In 2024 I started my kitchen without any experience of growing veg before. I taught myself to build raised beds and grow vegetables and this year I'm expanding to grow even more varieties of fruit, veg, and edible flowers.
In my work towards sustainability I have steered towards the 'No-Dig' philosophy of growing vegetables which minimises soil disturbance, improves soil structure, and promotes beneficial soil organisms. It also means there's less digging so it's a win-win for a gardener!
So far I have grown, potatoes, rhubarb, spring onion, kale, cabbage, strawberries, kohlrabi, salads, beetroots, nasturtiums, carrots and much, much more, without the use of any chemical fertilisers. This year I'm adding in more flowers alongside the vegetables to make the garden friendlier for insects and bees.
Most of my veg are grown from seed, donated by local gardeners or bought from the local garden center as seedlings.
When you book a table you can rest assured that you will have some fresh garden produce on your plate, whatever the season - it will either be fresh, preserved, or might even be turned into an oil or infused into a vinegar.
Either way, you'll know part of every dish has come from right outside - I might even take you for a wee wander in my garden.
Seafood
In Shetland our pristine Atlantic waters provide fresh catch for local fishermen which can land in our kitchens just hours after they're caught.
Mussels, scallops, and fish served at award-winning restaurants across Scotland and the rest of the UK often come from Shetland.
It's a great place for a seafood chef to live and for a fish-lover to eat.
Given Shetland’s unpredictable nature, I often adapt my menu—swapping carrots for spinach or monkfish for hake. It’s a challenge I've embraced after over a decade of cooking with local ingredients and it's an important part of cooking sustainably in a remote place.
Crofters
Living here I have the opportunity to visit local farms and crofts regularly, to witnessing the the crofters' passion and learn about their sustainable practices. This connection builds my confidence in using ethically sourced ingredients and helps me understand Shetland's seasonal cycles - all of which influences my menus.
By sourcing locally, I not only reduce my carbon footprint but also support a sustainable food community.
When I cook I want to celebrate Shetland's heritage, help boost the local economy, and contribute to a more sustainable food journey by showing people what you can do even in an out-of-the-way place like Shetland.
One of the crofts I source my meats from belongs to my long-time and close friend Stacey who owns Withyburn Croft - if you want to see how a local croft works and have a tour around the animals, you can head there for a visit.