AS Scotland’s national chef, Gary Maclean now spends much of his time travelling the world promoting produce from his home country’s bountiful natural larder – but yesterday he admitted to a gathering of catering students in Glasgow that his ‘life changed forever when he went to Italy’.

The Masterchef winner – who is also a Chef Lecturer at City of Glasgow College - was making a guest appearance at his former alma mater for a special conference organised by the Italian Trade Agency to celebrate the gastronomic bonds between Scotland and Italy.

During an insightful cooking demonstration where he schooled the country’s future kitchen superstars on how to make the perfect risotto, Gary also let hundreds of attendees in on a few secrets garnered from his decades-long career … including a surprising insight on the perfect time to add garlic to a dish.

Scotland's national chef Gary Maclean shows catering students at City of Glasgow College how to make risotto - adding a small Scottish touch with some grated carrot

Enthusing about the quality, texture and taste of Italian cured meats such as Prosciutto San Danielle ham, which he had delicately wrapped around succulent Scottish-sourced scallops for his risotto, Gary said: “My life changed forever when I went to Italy 20 years ago.

"I visited the country with the late Andrew Fairlie and I’ll honestly never forget the unbelievably high standards of ingredients and produce we experienced on that trip.

“I learned a lot from Italy and Italian chefs – I realised I had been making up my menus and then trying to source the ingredients. That was wrong. Over there, it’s the ingredients that come first and then the menu is created from them – that’s absolutely the right way to do things.

“The other thing is – I believe that garlic is added far too early in most of the recipes I read, often at the start of cooking. I don’t think it’s the right way to do it.

"I always add my garlic much later on when preparing a dish – you actually taste it properly that way. And I don’t mind if there’s any little small bits left over that haven’t been totally pureed, it all adds to the flavour and texture.”

The City of Glasgow College masterclass was part of a series of events being held across Scotland this month aiming to educate chefs and consumers about delicious and diverse Italian deli meats and their role in the country’s culture and cuisine.

The event was organised by the Italian Trade Agency, ASSICA and the Italian Salumi Promotion Institute (IVSI) to promote the use of quality Italian cured meats throughout ScotlandOrganised by the Italian Trade Agency, ASSICA (the Italian national trade organisation representing producers of deli meats and suppliers to the industry) and supported by the Italian Salumi Promotion Institute (IVSI), the gatherings will promote sustainability efforts in an industry which employs 30,000 Italians and encompasses 4,000 farms, 200 slaughterhouses and 900 processing companies – not to mention 1000 micro-enterprises and small family businesses across Italy.

Another Scot in attendance who is also well aware of the quality of the products produced by the industry was Giovanna Eusebi, owner of popular Glasgow restaurant Eusebi’s Deli.

The revered city establishment’s founder took to the stage and not only discussed the enduring appeal of quality Italian cured meats, but also revealed her family's close connection to these ingredients and gave budding chefs her tips on avoiding fake lower quality products.

Giovanna Eusebi advised Scotland's chef superstars of the future not to settle for low quality cured Italian meats and always opt for fully 'stamped' cuts which can be traced back to the field the animal once inhabited

She was joined at the event by her head chef Sebastian Wereski, who delighted attendees with morish samples of his own mousse recipe made with mortidella, ricotta and parmesan cheeses, ‘a little, tiny bit’ of double cream and pistachio nuts, served on a chunk of fresh focaccia bread.

Giving a fascinating insight into the familial origins and ongoing passion for sustainability at Eusebi’s, Giovanna told the crowd: “I have a personal memory I’ll share with you all. My grandparents lived in the south of Italy. They had one pig which they fed all year, gave it everything they had spare to eat. And then when winter eventually arrived and they slaughtered it, absolutely nothing was wasted.

“They got countless sausages, hams, rendered the fats down into lard … and some of that was even turned into candles. They always said: ‘Feed a pig for a year then it feeds you for a year’.

“It is all tied to sustainability. Respect is using every part of the animal and this tradition is carried on today at Eusebi’s and in the origins of all our quality cured meats. Each individual variety comes with its own story and own flavour. Sustainability is always key – all of the animal must have value and purpose.”

Welcoming attendees, speakers and guests to the event yesterday, City of Glasgow College Principal Paul Little said: “Members of the Italian community have felt part of Scotland for centuries - a deeply strong bond exists. With Glasgow, certainly, but also the whole of Scotland. It is a bond weaved into our social history and the Italian community are at the very heart of this city and the Glaswegian way of life - its economy, social life, arts and education.”

Above, City of Glasgow College Paul Little enthused about the ongoing love affair between Scotland and Italy

Italy currently exports more deli meats than any other country in the world, overtaking Germany in 2016. ASSICA is keen to share the huge improvements in sustainability that the sector has achieved in recent years.

A sustainability drive was launched in 2021 as part of a larger national scheme from the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition called ‘Made Green in Italy’. Companies achieving high sustainability standards will be able to use the ‘Made Green in Italy’ label. Within the salumi sector all the pork must come from animals born, reared and slaughtered within Italy.

Today Italian deli meats are a healthier choice than they have ever been. Many have reduced salt and saturated fats, and more products are now available that are suitable for coeliac or lactose-free diets.

Later this month in Edinburgh, the salumi will be celebrated by three of the city’s top Italian restaurants. A media dinner with a cicchetti-style menu will be held at Contini on George Street to explore the diversity of the meats - and they will also be hosting the menu between 5-6:30pm from September 23-27. 

Diners in the capital can also sample the salumi at Locanda de Gusti in Dalry and Osteria dei Sapori in Colinton, with both offering special promotional menus on the 27th and 28th of September.

Visit www.ice.it/it/mercati/regno-unito for more details