Chefs get a taste of salmon farming on Mowi visit
A group of top chefs have been shown the egg-to-plate journey of Scottish salmon on the second ‘Salmon Experience’ hosted by fish farmer Mowi, which says it has given the visitors “a deeper understanding of what modern, responsible salmon farming looks like in the Highlands”.
The six chefs are members of the Master Chefs of Great Britain, which provides a forum for the exchange of culinary ideas including innovative approaches to food sustainability.
They were hosted by Mowi Scotland technical director Dougie Hunter; health, welfare and biology director Herve Migaud; and community engagement officer Jayne MacKay, reports Mowi in its monthly newsletter, The Scoop.
The attending chefs were Stephen McLaughlin from the two-Michelin star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles; Paul Hart from The Balmoral, Edinburgh; Stefano Biondi from the Garden Café, Dublin; Joe Queen from Archerfield Links, East Lothian; Craig Millar from Craig Millar @ 16 West End, East Neul of Fife; and Adam Abbot from Gleneagles.
Begin at the beginning
The tour started at Mowi’s Inchmore recirculating aquaculture system hatchery, then moved to a marine site at Scalpay, where the chefs witnessed a fish health check.
The group departed for Isle of Skye Smokehouse to meet owner John Corfield, also a trained chef, for a tasting platter of Mowi salmon.
On the second day of the Experience, the chefs visited Mowi’s remote operations centre (ROC) in Fort William, and concluded the trip with a product demonstration by Mowi Consumer Products UK.
The Scoop reported that the tour facilitated conversations between the group, with food miles, and locally sourced and sustainable ingredients noted as being of great importance, as well as the importance of aquaculture to local communities by providing employment in rural locations.
A greater appreciation
Archerfield’s Joe Queen said: “From the moment we arrived at Inchmore hatchery to be greeted by a bunch of professional people who live and breathe the salmon industry, was incredible.
“Salmon is such an iconic Scottish product and now I feel that I know more and can tell my younger generation about the top-quality company that produces high-end quality salmon.”
Craig Millar, who runs his own-name restaurant in St Monans, Fife, said: “I arrived with pre-conceived ideas about salmon farming and left with a greater appreciation of the industry and its care for the fish and the environment.”
Mowi’s Jayne MacKay said: “We have made great connections and are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Master Chefs of Great Britain. We were particularly happy to welcome its chairman George McIvor, secretary Serena McIvor and treasurer Ben Bartlett along with the chefs for this Salmon Experience tour.
“The feedback we have received from everyone who attended has been very positive and we look forward to hosting Master Chefs of Great Britain again in the future.”
