Hi! I'm Shetland chef, Akshay Borges. 

 

15 years ago I flipped a coin packed everything up and moved to Shetland all by myself from Edinburgh to work as a trainee chef.

Since then I've been working tirelessly alongside local crofters, butchers, fishermen, and producers cooking and promoting Shetland’s amazing local produce to locals and visitors.

 

Dishes on my menu are dictated by what's available locally, what lands fresh on our shore, and what I've foraged, preserved, and grown in my ‘no dig’ kitchen garden.

 

Each dish combines an element of Shetland’s history with my memories of growing up in India like my Goan fish curry served with freshly-baked Shetland bannocks.

 

Sustainability and reducing food miles are what I'm working towards everyday.

My goal is not only to invite people into my home to showcase Shetland’s local produce but also to take my humble cooking to 'pop-up' kitchens in local community halls (Croft to Coast) and cooking at local crofts (Farm to Fork).

I also share recipes on social media and my life on this islands on YouTube if you want to see more of my garden, my kitchen, or make some of my recipes at home like my Masala Chai and Shetland Mussels in South Indian Rassam.

I have also been fortunate enough to interviewed in newspapers, magazines and television, you can find out more about each of those here.