CELEBRITY chef Dean Banks claims that he couldn’t find the perfect country pub in Scotland – so he created one for himself.
The Forager, in Dollar, Clackmannanshire, opens December 2, as the latest addition to the Dean Banks family of businesses, including The Pompadour and Dulse in Edinburgh, Haar St Andrews, Haar At Home, Waagyu Burger, Mond Vodka and Lunun Gin.
Dean said that his twist on the perfect country pub – and traditional pub food – is something he’s wanted to do for a long time, so The Forager’s opening is something of a Christmas present to himself.
“I absolutely love stumbling across a beautiful country pub, finding that hidden gem that’s got the lot,” he said. “You know as soon as you walk in. The mood, the atmosphere, the pints, the food.
“It’s strange, it’s something chefs like Tom Kerridge do in England but we haven’t really had up here. I want the kind of pub I would love to find myself in – so that’s what The Forager is.”
While Haar and Pompadour are fine dining tasting menu restaurants and Dulse is a neighbourhood seafood-based bistro feel, Dean described the latest enterprise as an altogether different proposition.
“There’s nothing overly fancy – it’s a proper pub. This is somewhere to relax and unwind, not dress up. The food is going to be spectacular though. Proper pub classics, but cooked my way, using the very best Scottish ingredients.
“I’m talking steak pie – but MY steak pie. Ham, egg and chips with huge chunky slices of perfect ham. Fish and chips the way you dream of it. Perfect pub food.”
On the beer front, he plans to support small independent Scottish brewers, alongside ‘the classics’: “I promise we will do a great Guinness,” he added. “We have an Irishman on the team so I don’t have a choice there.”
His watchwords for The Forager are ‘safe, comfortable, warm and welcoming’.
“We aren’t reinventing the wheel here – this is somewhere everyone can feel welcome. It’s the kind of pub I wish was around the corner from me. I couldn’t find one, so I’ve opened it myself.”
