After just one month of getting stuck into the role of Food and Drink writer at the Herald, it’s time to make a big confession.
Having only recently said goodbye to a vegan diet of seven years, there’s a whole world of culinary wonders that I have either been missing out on for the best of a decade or, worse still, have yet to try at all.
A wee bit fussy about fish and seafood even before going plant-based, this list until last month included the likes of mussels, lobster and even cockles, despite having spent hours of my childhood scraping for them in the sand.
But, having made the voyage to the Isle of Mull on a rainy Friday in June, it was now crunch time for both myself and the unfortunate lobster which had been placed in front of our table with a sharp knife ready to pierce its shell.
This would be one of many firsts during a weekend full of discovery as we were introduced to just a small selection of the producers who continue to put the island on the map as a destination that truly encapsulates all there is to love about Scotland’s natural larder.
Leading the way, and serving as the doomed crustacean’s executioner was David Morris, executive chef at the four-star Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa, whose palpable passion for all things seafood somewhat softened the final blow.
“It’s the wrong industry to be in if you’re not committed to the product,” he announced plainly not long before sending a second lobster to the kitchen to meet its maker.
With more than 40 years of experience under his belt, David joined the Crerar Hotel Groups’ team in February this year bringing with him a vast knowledge of local produce and sustainable practices.
Time spent as a teaching chef at le Cordon Bleu in London was being put to good use for our trip, as he laid out a selection of freshly caught fare for a lesson in how to shuck a stubborn oyster, deftly devein a langoustine or prepare mussels in a flash with a sauce of white wine, fresh parsley and butter.
Copious amounts of butter.
There was of course the worry that one of these alien-looking beasties would lead to my downfall, outing me as a novice who was preparing to try her very first taste of shellfish with no guarantee that it would go down well.
Thankfully, with just one bite any concerns evaporated as the sweet and salty flesh plucked out from their deep purple shells transpired to taste not just palatable, but outright delicious.
Having recently gained a new appreciation for the farming process that had seen them delivered swiftly from the water to our bowls, this small victory tasted all the more satisfying.
Just that morning, we had set sail across a misty Loch Spelve as we prepared to be, quite literally, shown the ropes by Cameron MacLean of the Inverlussa Mussel Farm.
Voted the best mussel producer in Scotland on numerous occasions, the family-run business produces up to 500 tons of mussels per year and is a supply member of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group, a co-operative based in Bellshill near Glasgow, with customers including Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl and Aldi.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of visiting the island of Mull themselves may well be familiar with the farm’s ‘honesty box’ which sees a steady stream of locals and holidaymakers alike stopping by the sheds for a bag of fresh mussels every day.
“Mussels have grown in popularity in recent years, although you don’t often see them promoted in supermarkets,” Cameron said.
“We can easily sell about 100kilos from our honesty box over a weekend in summer and see everyone from passing yacht crews to island workers using it.”
Life jackets firmly secured; our objective was to learn just how much care goes into growing these molluscs from no bigger than a thumb tack to dinner ready on coils of thick rope that are submerged in the loch over a three-year period.
The work includes a rigorous water analysis test system, the first of its kind in Scotland, with a marine biologist working onsite to ensure that the highest quality is achieved.
Back on dry land, and having tried Inverlussa’s mussels for ourselves thanks to a lunchtime feast, it would soon become clear that we had only scratched the surface of the treasures to be found within the islands thriving food and drink scene.
A half-hour drive from Craignure saw our group arrive at the picturesque Sgriob-Ruadh Farm to be greeted by a lone goat, which had caught the attention of a couple heading in the opposite direction with bags full of Isle of Mull Cheddar.
“We, um, don’t tend to give the animals names” our guide Ro informed us when asked, “We’re a farm at the end of the day.”
Oh dear. Poor goat.
After a moment of squeamishness at the thought of the blissfully unaware beast’s potential fate, our resolve returned.
This trip was, after all, about learning the stories of producers who honour a more traditional, hands-on approach to delivering from field to fork and preach the importance of knowing exactly where each bite has come from.
Following Ro down a set of winding steps soon led us into the farm’s cavernous cheese cellars where rows of shelves were close to creaking under the weight of thousands of wheels of tangy cheddar, each at a different stage of a lengthy maturing period.
Marvelling at the sheer scale of the operation which on the surface appears charmingly quaint, we’re told that every last wheel of cheese is turned regularly by hand, with a close eye kept out for an affineur’s natural enemy of mites.
There was a time, Ro says, just before the pandemic when the team had begun to worry that they would not be able to keep up with the demand for their cheese which is supplied to hotels, restaurants and shops across the country.
A drop in orders as lockdowns hit, however, meant they could slow things down and maintain the standards that have been in place since Jeff and Christine "Chris" Reade first moved to Mull from their dairy farm in Somerset over 40 years ago.
With sustainability at the heart of their work, the team last year achieved a long-time goal by launching a distillery which transforms leftover whey from the cheesemaking process into alcohol.
Ro said: “The evolution of the farm has always been out of necessity and an effort to keep everything circular with minimal impact.
“They started with producing milk, which led to cheese and then whey, which is a waste product, so they started the distillery.
“Working on an island is all about using what you’ve got at hand.”
A trio of spirits, including a ‘Cheesemakers Strength’ which packs a whopping 60% ABV, certainly make for unique tasting notes that are all the more enjoyable having learned of a backstory that stretches through generations of the resourceful Reade Family.
With a departing pat on the head for the nameless goat, it was onwards to The Baliscate Smokehouse of the Tobermory Fish Company.
A true Aladdin’s Cave of locally caught seafood, freezers packed with everything from homemade fish pie ready meals to trays of plump scallops lined its walls while an iced display of fresh oysters, mussels and langoustines sat begging to be plundered.
There’s not much that could steal the spotlight from their own world-renowned Smoked Trout, however, as Sally MacColl prepared thin slices of a buttery soft fish that had been prepared with a recipe her family has been perfecting since 1971.
Sally’s Mother, Rosie, initially had nothing to do with the business which had been founded by her parents and instead ran a toyshop in Tobermory which experienced a huge boom in business thanks to a prime location made famous by the children’s TV show, Balemory.
Some time after her parents passed away, selling the shop gave her the opportunity to breathe new life into The Tobermory Fish Company and carry on a family legacy, working alongside her daughter to open the smokehouse in 2011.
Taking advantage of the silence as samples were devoured, Sally told us: “We quite often work closely alongside people like the Isle of Mull Cheddar or Inverlussa for events.
“We’re all really passionate about what we do, and we’re driven to push for recognition because it elevates Mull as a whole.
“It’s now becoming a real foodie destination which is so exciting to be a part of.”
Each one of the producers we had been introduced to over the course of the afternoon supplies not only renowned restaurants across the UK but local businesses like the Isle of Mull Hotel and Spa.
The hotel also keeps its bars well stocked with a range of single malts and gins from the Tobermory Distillery which can be found not far from the beloved multi-coloured buildings of the town’s seafront.
In particular, their Ledaig, a robust and smoky offering which the distillery’s charismatic visitor centre manager Olivier claims has converted even the most ardent of peated-whisky-bashers proved a joy to sip.
All of the day’s discoveries would later come together as we were invited to meet once more with chef David who had devised a formidable seven-course tasting dinner that kicked off a with zingy oyster shooter.
Getting good at this now, there was no hiding a small sense of pride after knocking the concoction back in a oner as suggested by our host.
Another first came soon after as I was introduced to the humble anchovy, breaded then fried until golden brown and served on top of a generous slab of layered smoked trout.
Once more marvelling at this local delicacy a mental note was made to visit either Ardnamurchan or Kelp restaurants in Glasgow which are supplied by the team at the Tobermory Fish Company.
David’s personal favourite, a dish which at first glance appeared unassuming amongst a menu of ‘textures’, consommé and a risky cheddar souffle was a simple broth of scallop and langoustine finished with slivers of fresh ginger.
His judgement was not to be doubted with the shallow soup bowl proving to be a perfect example of how such high-quality ingredients require little more than a delicate nudge to deliver a world of flavour.
The entire evening played out amongst a warm buzz of families, dinner daters and hotel guests who had made their way to the Òran Na Mara Bistro to enjoy their own meals in front of panoramic views across the water.
It’s an undeniably stunning set-up and a result of a £4.5million investment from the Crerar Hotel Group who have vowed to continue to put local makers and producers in the spotlight with the help of a talented kitchen team and general manager Gemma Coll.
Plates cleared and on to the sweet stuff, we were introduced to pastry chef Paul Patterson, a fully trained chocolatier who has previously worked in establishments across Sweden and Norway.
His skills were most evident in a signature dessert centred around a dainty chocolate shell which thankfully looked far less daunting than the seafood we sampled throughout the day.
Even with a newly found love shellfish, I draw the line at puddings.
Toasting the end of the night with a dram of Ledaig, there was a bittersweet feeling of having experienced some of the finest food and drink the island had to offer while also suspecting that there was so much more still waiting to be explored.
The next morning, as the Craignure pier slowly disappeared behind us there was no stopping a wave of gratitude for such an extraordinary setting to have ticked more than a few firsts off my culinary bucket list.
And yes, there was one last oyster for the road in Oban.
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