What’s your favorite ingredient?
Seaweed (kelp, laver, or alaria) is my current favorite ingredient. It’s easy to source locally and very compatible with a variety of seafood, as well as in a salad along with some pickled cucumber. I love cooking with the different varieties and learning new things to do with this coastal wealth.
Do you have a guilty pleasure in eating?
A BLT sandwich. The perfect balance of streaky smoked bacon, ripe tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise on toasted sourdough is my idea of heaven.
Tell us about your first food memory?
My mother was an excellent and frugal cook. She would make two or three meals out of a fried chicken to support a family of six, which takes some work. I often think of their Tuesday parties. They were filled with a creamy chicken sauce made with some chicken broth, carrots, and the last bits of meat plucked from the carcass. Yummy!
What is your favorite Scottish restaurant, deli or café?
For special occasions I go to The Cellar in Anstruther. However, if I were to go out to eat with good friends, it would be The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh. My favorite cafe is Bread & Butter in Anstruther.
What would your last supper be?
I’d start with dragon sushi rolls with crispy San Francisco soft-shell crab and then I’d serve ojo de bife (rib eye steak) straight from an Argentinian parilla with a side of herbed chimichurri.
I’ll go for the appetizer as I’m a savory girl at heart.
Do you hate food?
Not really, I’ll eat anything (and I mean anything), but I’m in no rush to go for tripe.
What appetizers, entrees and desserts would be served at your dream dinner party and who would you invite?
For starters we would have Surf and Turf with a selection of fish and game that has been salted and/or smoked. The main course would be seared turbot with sautéed fennel, seaweed beurre blanc and rat potatoes, and all the ingredients would have been sourced from Fife. Dessert would consist of homemade rhubarb soufflé served with rhubarb ginger ice cream and an orange tuille.
As they are my culinary heroes, I would invite chefs Nathan Outlaw, Shirley Spear and Raymond Blanc. Also my life and business partner Malcolm Cheape and all my best friends who love food and make the world a better place.
What is your favorite geographic destination for foodies?
In my previous life as a geologist, I worked in Southeast Asia and Argentina. I especially love the flavors of Cambodian, Myanmar and Thai cuisine. Argentina has a long tradition of eating nose-to-tail to waste absolutely none of their amazing beef. I ate my first entrails over there and it was a revelation!
The Dory Bistro & Gallery, 15 East Shore, Pittenweem, Anstruther (01333 311 2222, www.thedory.co.uk)