French budding chefs exploring West Scottish lands

In 2015, the French Budding Chefs are going west! For this new round of the Budding Chefs programme, nine French chefs-to-be travel to West Scotland. They will discover local food specialities before heading back to Edinburgh for school workshops and a new version of the Pop-up Restaurant at the Institut français d’Ecosse.

The brigade of nine young chefs from the Lycée Hôtelier de Dinard in Brittany will live a full-immersion Scottish food trip as part of the Budding Chefs, a programme set up in 2011 by the Institut français d’Ecosse and Chef Fred Berkmiller. As their predecessors, the youngsters will get the opportunity to discover national gastronomic treasures and meet some of the finest, most passionateprofessionals of the Scottish Food & Drink industry.

2015 is Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, celebrating the country’s exceptional natural larder, the role food and drink plays in shaping economic success andthe people, landscapes and culture that make Scotland’s food heritage so unique.

From Tuesday 17 to Thursday 19 March, the Budding Chefs team is travelling from Edinburgh to the gorgeous Isle of Mull to explore the Scottish larder. Before taking the ferry, the chefs-to-be will stopat Loch Fyne Oyster to meet Roy Brett (chef-owner of Ondine, Edinburgh) and see what a sustainably produced Scottish oyster look like and taste. A first stop with a tasty flavour of sea-salt!

On the Isle of Mull, Brendan Reade is waiting for them at the Sgriob-ruadh Farm to visit the Isle of Mull Cheese dairy farm. This traditional and family farm hosts several breeds of cows (Friesian, Brown Swiss and Ayrshire) producing perfect milk for the typical Mull cheeses.

They will pack up tons of Cheddar in their luggage before heading to The Ethical Shellfish Company to meet the tireless adventurer Guy Grieve and learn more about scallops hand diving.

After exploring Scottish seabed, the young Chefs are awaited in the meadow. The Glengorm Estate farm has been rearing cows and sheep for decades. Ovine and bovine farming are not unknown to our Bretons Chefs. However, their meeting with the famous Highland Cattle and black face sheep promises to be fascinating!

Before coming back to Edinburgh for the public part of their week, the Budding Chefs do a final stop at Nick Nairn Cook School. For a few hours they will occupy the school’s kitchen with multi-awarded Chef Calum Richardson of The Bay Fish & Chips Shop (Stonehaven), to prepare the most perfect fish & chips.

On Friday 20 March, the Budding Chefs are meeting P6 pupils from Prestonpans Primary (East Lothian) and S3 pupils from James Gillespie’s High School (Edinburgh) for two cooking workshops organised in association with Scottish Business in the Community / Food for Thought Programme : a national food education programme developed in partnership with Scottish Government and Education Scotland. A particularly enriching exercise for the French brigade, as they will be sharing their passion for French food with the young people and inspire them to become the new generation of Budding Chefs.

After a busy trip through the Scottish valleys, the Budding Chefs will be resolutely awaited in Edinburgh for a public restitution of their week of exploration. Taking over the Institut français d’Écosse the French Budding Chefs will turn the premises into a Pop-up Restaurant on Saturday 21 March evening. For this new, intimate version of their Pop-up, a couple of former Scottish Budding Chefs will join the French brigade in the kitchen to deliver a 'Retour de Mull' menu, small sized dishes intertwining Scottish products with French culinary traditions.

Vincent Guérin, Director of the Institut français d’Ecosse said: 

“Forever we have been thinking about going to the west coast of Scotland and this 5^th year is an excellent time to do so, a natural evolution of the programme. I know the people we are going to meet, those passionate producers and chefs, will make our Budding Chefs’ eyes shine! We may be going further through Scotland but we are back to our roots in Edinburgh and I look very much forward to welcoming all the fans of the Pop-up Restaurant, old and new ones, at the Institut français.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: 

“We are absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with the French Institute and local businesses to host these young chefs and journalists from premier French publications, introducing them to Scotland’s world-class food and drink. With the Year of Food and Drink well underway there is no better opportunity to sample our country's many culinary delights and inspire those with a love of food to experience our bountiful natural larder.

“We are delighted to have helped organise a packed itinerary which will showcase the richness of our fresh produce, from seafood to dairy farms. The group will also meet with local suppliers who contribute to Scotland’s gastronomic feast. I have no doubt that these budding French chefs will be blown away by their trip and experience some of the best and most delicious food and drink that Scotland has to offer.”

Tickets for the Pop-up Restaurant are now on sale and the full programme is available online on www.buddingchefs.net

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For further information, interviews, and images, please contact Vanessa Bismuth: 0131 220 7751 or pr@ifecosse.org.uk

The full programme of the Budding Chefs’ week is avaialable upon request. To attend one of the visits on 17, 18, 19 or 20 March, please contact us.

Please go to www.buddingchefs.net for more details. Follow us on twitter: @BuddingChefs #BuddingChefs