Learning his craft at some of Scotland’s leading restaurants and hotels such as Ullinish Country Lodge Hotel, Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel & Contrast Brasserie, The Cross at Kingussie and Boath House Restaurant & Rooms, David Smith joined The Dipping Lugger in the summer of 2019. We chatted to David about his beginnings, how hospitality has changed and his hopes for the future.
What do you love most about the job?
We’re a small team here, so it’s not massively about the camaraderie in the kitchen. We’re more like a family. It’s the creativity and produce that gets me out of bed in the morning, and maybe the money a little bit too.
The shellfish is just exceptional where we are. About 200 yards away from us fresh scallops, langoustine and lobster are landed straight from the boats. Another great product is the venison we source, which comes from only three miles away. And that’s just a couple of things, we’re blessed with some seriously good ingredients – we’re very lucky.
Describe your cooking style?
I would call it modern Scottish. If my cooking were a footballer, I think it would be someone like Barry Ferguson – a Glasgow Rangers legend. Hard-working, a good engine, solid and reliable with flashes of creativity and brilliance.
Would you consider yourself a seafood specialist?
I would say due to our location, seafood is definitely a strong point for us. We always have two fish courses as part of our tasting menus, and I like to showcase them in as many ways as possible.
Tonight, we have a raw scallop on the menu, last night we had roasted scallop. We’ve also recently created a cured halibut dish because we don’t use salmon anymore. You see what salmon is like up here on the farms and as a result it’s off the table – it’s far from natural, it’s just factory farming in the middle of the sea.
What cuisines, flavours or techniques are you loving right now?
Asparagus. I absolutely love it. I use a cigar cutter to put a little incision in it and pair it down with a knife. We juice the asparagus and then cook the asparagus back in its own juice with a knob of butter. Uber asparagussy! We’re serving that with roast chicken with black garlic, leek ash and a little truffle mash potato.
What are your next goals and targets on a work level?
A successful, sustainable business is our most important goal. I want us to be somewhere people want to come and eat, rather than be put off because they think it’s something it isn’t. We’ve had people who haven’t wanted to work here because they thought we’re too posh. It’s mad, we’re just normal people.
Three tips vital for success in a professional kitchen:
- Punctuality – be early. You may not like it but be early. I’m first in and last out and I have been like that since I was 14. Give us 10% more.
- Concentrate – I struggle with it myself. I don’t want to be a tyrant; you want people to take responsibility and concentrate. They don’t want a chef looking over their shoulder all the time.
- Question everything – Questions are good but don’t ask stupid ones. I constantly question myself – every plate of food I want to know what can be done better.
