Good menus have Scotland at heart

Scotland’s chefs should be focused on creating menus that revolve around fresh Scottish ingredients, according to foodservice firm Brakes.

The company, which launched a Scottish subsidiary earlier this year, said that, with Scottish produce becoming increasingly popular with locals and tourists alike, there is “no excuse” for chefs to use ingredients such as dairy, meat and fish from elsewhere.
Lorna Allison, marketing manager of Brakes Scotland, said a good restaurant menu should have “at its core, a selection of the finest Scottish ingredients and provide customers with the traceability and provenance that they want”.
“We believe that certain items such as dairy, meat and fish should always be of Scottish provenance,” said Allison.
“With all that Scotland has to offer there really is no excuse for this not to be the case.
“We would advise chefs to focus on the centre plate items first, as these make the biggest impact, and then enhance them with locally-sourced, seasonal items wherever possible.”
Allison said provenance has become a “key driver” for chefs and operators in recent years when they are purchasing ingredients.
“Locally-sourced products continue to be increasingly important due to the Scottish political landscape,” she added.
“They are regarded as being important for supporting the local economy, environmentally friendly, better quality, ethical and healthier.”