We’re thrilled to share our latest partnership with chef, author & restaurateur, Emily Scott. Emily is passionate about using simple, seasonal ingredients and is inspired by the beaches and shores nearby her beautiful home in Cornwall, taking time and care in creating and enjoying food. We hope you enjoy reading our conversation, as much as we did having it!
Tell us a bit about yourself and the journey that got you where you are today?
To put it simply, I am passionate about food and it is in my kitchen where I feel most at home. I love nothing more than delighting others through food, bringing friends and family together around the table.
My passion for the connection between food, a sense of place and storytelling is infectious, intriguing and comforting all at the same time. My story is one which interweaves the sentimental tales of a childhood in Provence with her grandfather ‘Papa’ collecting strawberries from the fields to the hum of crickets in the warm sunshine, to the beautiful shores of Cornwall and golden sandy beaches. Experience and memories are translated into ingredients which collectively are heightening into simplistic, rustic dishes which are easily recreated at home.
I trained in London and France and her classical training forms the backbone of my cooking style. When I was 23 she moved to Cornwall where I successfully ran the Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac. I was named best chef in the South West by Food magazine and recently was listed in the top 100 most influential women in the hospitality industry for the second year running. I’ve been recognised by Michelin since 2016 and I appeared on Great British Menu representing the South West on BBC 2 in 2019 during the competition. I made sure that my ethos of pared down, seasonal cooking came across in her menu. My debut cookbook Sea & Shore Recipes & Stories from a Kitchen In Cornwall was published in June 2021 with Hardie Grant and Time & Tide. The new book will be published on July 6th 2023. My restaurant Emily Scott Food in Watergate Bay is open Tuesday – Saturday offering a set tasting menu seafood and fish focused.
We’re really excited to see your second cookbook, Time & Tide which is out on July 6th . Please could you share the inspiration behind the book?
In Time & Tide, I weave together all the strands that influence and inspire my cooking; from the salt-scented air to the ever-changing shades of the water and the shapes and textures of the wild fennel and tamarisk plants that crowd in on the coastal path. These elements make for incredible dishes infused with creativity and a sense of place.
My recipes reflect the ebb and flow of daily life during the year; from breakfasts of overnight oats and buttery crumpets to lunches of sea-herb focaccia, and from suppers of Cornish bouillabaisse to desserts of treacle tart and bramble and peach crumble. Each dish evokes something inherently special to me and all the culinary delights of Cornwall. Be welcomed into my coastal world with more than 80 recipes alongside stunning photography to help you discover this most-magical of places.
At Peter’s Yard, our ethos is all about taking time for the simple pleasures in life – tell us, what are your favourite pastimes?
For me the table always comes first, a place with family or friends we gather come rain or shine. A constant, however busy our diaries are, the one thing I always prioritise is what we will eat for supper and sometimes a week for me will be worked around what Sunday lunch will look like.
The best conversations are always around a table, a way to communicate in this ever fast world whether catching up on our days or simply being together with good food and always a glass.
Detail is important as is the art of keeping everything I do as simple as possible. From laying my table with mismatched cutlery, french tumblers,candles, flowers cut from the garden and favourite seasonal touches that make my house my home.
Our recent partnership together is really focussed on simple, seasonal ingredients. What are the key components for you when it comes to recipe development & creation?
Less is more and I always think about seasonality and provenance. Cooking through the seasons is one of life’s joys and I love nothing more than cooking with the ebb and the flow of what nature naturally has on offer.
We would also love to know what is your favourite cheese/topping with Peter’s Yard crackers?
Fig, honey, thyme and goat’s cheese is one of my favourites or replace the figs with a perfectly ripe peach.
And finally, what are your plans for the rest of 2023?
2023 is looking very exciting with some new collaborations and my book Time & Tide is published on July 6th. I am passionate about writing something I simply love. My restaurant Emily Scott Food goes from strength to strength and I feel very lucky for all the opportunities coming my way.
Such a joy working with Peter’s Yard!
