C E A C

11/03/2023

My afternoon tea at Pitmedden Gardens - designed for Mothers Day, but also a version of this available for when we open again at the end of March.. micro-cress, courtesy of my good friends at Vertegrow, and featuring some divine new teas and infusions by Suki Teas, who will now feature prominently on our menu.. come along and give us a try!

03/03/2023

Yes, I’ve started at Pitmedden Gardens..launching our Mother’s Day afternoon tea with a special flourish before we start the new season’s menu.. treat your Mum.. book early to avoid disappointment..

Why not treat mum to something extra-special this Mother’s Day by treating her to the finest quality afternoon tea at Pitmedden Garden

03/03/2023

Why not treat mum to something extra-special this Mother’s Day by treating her to the finest quality afternoon tea at Pitmedden Garden

01/02/2023

Last week we invited some of the finest chefs and producers to Vertegrow to see the facility, try some of my food using Vertegrow produce, and share ideas and inspiration for the next season's menu planning!

25/01/2023

St. Valentines Day is fast approaching.. why not treat your loved ones and customers to a delicious dessert as a treat, and add some beautiful edible flowers freshly picked from Vertegrow in Newburgh, just to add a touch of romance?

This is my plant-based Coconut and Vanilla Panacotta, with Honeyed Berries, Viola Jelly, and Vertegrow Red Amaranth, Lemon Balm, and Edible Violas

Our micro herbs and cresses are sustainably grown in highly controlled conditions for optimum taste, colour and nutrition.. and locally grown too!
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Vertegrow Micro Crops and Edible Flowers

Good For The Heart
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09/01/2023

It's a challenging time for everyone, especially financially, and many of us are facing a very uncertain future, myself included. I've been in the food industry for 45 years and it has been a source of constant joy and inspiration (and yes , some pain and toil too).
For me , food is unique and special in many ways.. like music, and great art, it transcends religion, race, s*x, culture. Food nourishes, cleanses, restores, sustains.. it brings people together in unique and special ways like nothing else can. Food is art, food is science, chemistry, alchemy, history and geography all rolled into one.
I started my career in the army 45 years ago, and even aged 6 and 7, I was cooking and helping my brother and sister to care for my dear old Mum who was severely crippled with MS. I can remember helping to prep sunday dinners, and spaghetti hoops (one of her favourites), and running to the local market to fetch her beloved jellied eels and pie and mash, and seeing the joy it brought to her face every time.

Food does that.. it brings joy to the world. Cooking should never be like those "reality" programmes where chefs are put under severe stress and judged on their abilities, only to be sent home with their hopes and aspirations crushed. For me , food is and always will be, about sharing - sharing ideas, inspiration, creativity and flair.. it's what I built my career on - creating a culture of education, excitement, positivity, and fun in my kitchens, and giving the next generations the joy of creating their own food to share with friends and family.

Until 2020, I worked for an amazing, inspirational boss, Tim O'Neill.. he had faith in me and believed in me, even through tough times, and promoted me to the most senior role I had the honour of working, as Group Executive Chef for Graysons.

Now I work in partnership with Vertegrow, for another amazing and inspirational CEO, Graeme Warren, who has the faith and belief in me to help them with their incredible new venture. I will also soon be working with a restaurant in a stunning location a little way from my home who, nevertheless need some assistance in getting back to the glory days I know they have enjoyed.. a tough challenge, but one that will be fun and inspiring to all, as together we rebuild it, perhaps in a different way.

Yes, the future is uncertain, but food will always be there for all of us, helping us through challenging times.

Teaching others and inspiring them, and making a difference is what gets me out of bed in the mornings..None of us know what the future holds, and we are all in this together for better or worse -

Happy days, love and respect to you all, and take care everyone in Facebook land - have a Happy and Positive 2023!

07/01/2023

If you want to truly start the new year by asking yourself what you can do to help your local food scene, then these wise words of advice come through loud and clear from my good friends and associates at Slow Food UK..

‘Next year may be better.’ It’s the cry of the wise gardener, when pest or weather throws a spanner at a particular crop. But it’s equally applicable to so much in life as our world changes at an ever-faster pace.

Whatever else changes, there is one question we get asked more than any other by both those new to Slow Food, and longer-term friends who want an aide memoire. It is, of course, "What could I do to make a difference?"

As we are at the start of the year, it seems right to include them now. They are five big picture asks (rather than dozens of specifics, such as don't eat farmed fish), all of which will make a huge difference from field to fork. Here they are, your alternative ‘five a day’, as it were.


1. Buy food from people with names, not name tags. Small stores, farmers markets, local shops. The people who run them don't wear name tags, they know you, and you know them. The food from them is - usually - sourced with care, and they will be able to tell you the story behind every item.

2. Buy less, but buy better. We as a nation waste more than a third of our food, which means we also throw huge sums of money away. Let's all commit to buying a little less food, eating all of it, and taking the money we have saved on buying better and high welfare ingredients.

3. Sit at the table to eat. Food and life shared around the table feeds tummies, hearts and minds. Even a sandwich is an occasion on a plate when it is shared with love and laughter.

4. Try something new. It could be from afar, but how many of us have eaten more than three or four types of apple? There are thousands of varieties from the UK alone. The Ark of Taste catalogues our culinary heritage - we eat it or lose it forever.

5. Eat food. Yes, this one is from Michael Pollan, but is worth repeating. If your grandmother wouldn't recognise the ingredients, ask yourself whether you want to buy it.

04/01/2023

For any chefs out there that know me, and know my culinary style - I was never a fan of the "spots, stripes and swipes" trend that has permeated a lot of modern restaurant cooking - for me the look and feel of a dish should come through with amazing flavours, simplicity of presentation, and letting great ingredients speak for themselves, with very little intervention.

You still can't beat great quality, natural ingredients, shown off to their best effect in simple and elegant ways. Great herbs, and flowers always add a touch of nature to a dish, and no matter how creative a chef is with regard to garnishes or presentation styles, I stand firm in the belief that nature always provides the best solutions.

At Vertegrow, there is a concerted effort not only to provide great quality produce, but the way it is sustainably grown provides great chefs with some fantastic options all year round. Hydroponically grown herbs and flowers equates to consistency of product, at ANY time of year, growing in optimum conditions of light, warmth and moisture, with no artificial fertilisers, pesticides and other 'nasties' in the growing medium. This is why I love working with Vertegrow - they grow with passion and a commitment to sustainability and quality.

We will be inviting chefs and other key members of the culinary community of Aberdeenshire and North East Scotland to an open day on the 24th January - we will be inviting chefs and other guests to tour the site, see our process from seed to harvest, (and everything in between).. then a chance to sample some of our products presented by me, in a range of styles and culinary contexts.. a chance to get 'hands on' with the best micro herbs and tender leaves in Scotland, and a chance to let us know what inspires YOU, and how we can help by growing the produce that you would love to see and use!

[email protected]

28/12/2022

I will be at this event at Aberdeenshire Larder on the Vertegrow stand tomorrow - showcasing our fantastic herbs and tender leaves, with a special emphasis on our petite basil leaves and a few other micro crops..

I will be handing out some of my recipe sheets for you to take away and try at home.. come along and say hello, and sample some of our lovely sustainably grown crops!

Look our for more Vertegrow Basil Recipes on this page over the next week or two!

26/12/2022

I will be helping out on the Vertegrow stand at this Hogmanay event from 1-3 pm with the lovely folk at Aberdeenshire Larder on Thursday..come along and have a chat, buy some of our products, and get some insider tips on how and where to use our amazing herbs, micro herbs, and tender leaves... Excited and honoured to be a part of this.

18/12/2022

A couple of shots here from the autumn, of some open sandwiches.. they could be used as tartines too, if the bread was seasoned and grilled, but I kept these simple for an afternoon tea-style presentation. They look so much more attractive than the typical little triangle sandwiches that are so commonly used I think...

The addition of our fantastic Vertegrow micro herbs give these little bites a touch of elegance, and a restaurant-quality look and feel, but they are so simple to use, both as garnish and as ingredients integral to a dish.

The top picture is a simple egg mayo with a hint of horseradish, topped with scarlet radish, roscoff onion slices, chives, indian pepper, and Vertegrow Micro Mustard Frills, Vertegrow Micro Rocket, and Vertegrow Pea Tendrils.

The bottom picture is finely sliced Copa di P
arma ham, topped with a hand made pesto using Vertegrow Basil, garnished with baby plum tomatoes, Vertegrow Baby Basil, and Vertegrow micro Rocket.

30/11/2022

A couple of canapés from a range I created for a presentation to a contract catering partner in Edinburgh back in July. This was on behalf of Vertegrow and I presented alongside Vertegrow CEO, Graeme Warren - all very well received!

Smoked salmon canapés, with an infusion of soy, garlic and mirin emulsion, topped with Vertegrow micro -mustard, garlic chives, and dill sprigs.

The one on the right is a roulade of goats cheese with Vertegrow baby basil, red amaranth and young pea tendrils. The canapés' centre piece was an oiled stone selected from Newburgh Beach, close to the Vertegrow facility

25/11/2022

C|E|A|C - Culinary Excellence And Consultancy


This is a new page that promotes my work, primarily as Culinary Consultant for Vertegrow in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire. Vertegrow specialises in growing sustainable micro-herbs and tender leafy greens from a vertical hydroponics tower facility in Newburgh, Aberdeeshire.

I hope to be introducing you to our products, and give some insight into how and where to use our fantastic micro-cress, fresh herbs, and salad leaves, and create dishes that will look stunning, and taste delicious. For local chefs and catering businesses, I can encourage positive relationships that will benefit your business, enhance your skills, and bring truly innovative and exciting ideas to your menus.

I also aim to assist Vertegrow in reaching out to, and supplying local industry professionals in the Northeast of Scotland - providing opportunities for training, workshops and skill-sharing sessions, and development - introducing innovative products , modern recipe and menu support, and generally assist in bringing culinary excellence, combined with an eco-friendly attitude, very much aimed at the SLOW market - Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wild, wherever possible.