inspirationalWOMEN
A woman’s PLACE?
These three ladies working as successful chefs are proving they’ve got what it takes to make it in a man’s world. Words by COLLEEN REID
Female chef Lesley Crosfield runs half of a two-person kitchen with her co-chef and partner Colin in awardwinning hotel The Albannach.
L
esley started her life in the world of art and attended Art College in Dundee before a swift change of career landed her in the kitchen. Having always had
a passion for cooking it seemed like the perfect vocation for Lesley, however, she was the last person to realise this. ‘Having discovered that my health didn’t enjoy ceramic dust, I needed to make a living doing something I’d always enjoyed and shown a flair for,’ she explains. She started her first professional chef job in The Albannach in 1990 and has been there ever since. Having to learn along the way with no training was challenging, however, it gave Lesley a real opportunity to take her past hospitality background and transfer it into presentation and content of her menus and food. ‘Beginning this career so late has been challenging but once again maturity comes with many overlooked advantages,’ she says. ‘Credibility as an untrained chef and as a woman in a male-dominated industry was also difficult to achieve in the early days.’ Now with several years behind her
as an established chef, Lesley and cochef Colin have seen the accolades roll in starting with The Good Food Guide and The Macallan Taste of Scotland Award in 1998. Since then, The Albannach kitchen has received a Michelin Star in 2009 and various other awards for the hotel itself. Working in a male-dominated industry can be daunting for many women but Lesley is confident times are changing and women are becoming increasingly successful in professional cooking. ‘It’s become quite a trendy career choice of late and it’s attracting men and women of high calibre,’ she says. ‘Encouraging talent at an early stage in adult life, and presenting the option to learn to cook will make this look like an appealing choice of career.’ The Albannach Hotel, Baddidarroch, Lochinver, Sutherland, IV27 4LP, 01571 844407, www.thealbannach.co.uk
L E S E LY ’ S C R A B TA R T WITH AVOC ADO DRESSING (Ser ve s 4) Tart: 4oz savoury short crust pastry // 10oz white crab meat (preferably handprepared, as chunky is good) // 1 beaten egg // 1fl.oz double cream // wedge of lemon squeezed // 1 tsp dry sherry // minimal seasoning of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Avocado Dressing: 1 ripe but still bright green avocado // juice of a lime // 3 each of basil and baby spinach leaves // pinch of sea salt and caster sugar // approx 1/2 fl.oz best quality extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil // 1 garlic clove roughly chopped // optional ¼ chopped chilli or dash of Tabasco, but spiciness not required
Method: At Gas Mark 4, blind bake 4x4’ diameter buttered fluted tart cases, with removable bases if possible, for 15 minutes. Gently mix together all of the ingredients, keeping the crab meat as lumpy and identifiable as possible. Fill cases, ensuring no mixture spills over. Bake for 20 minutes. Rest the tarts at room temperature, they’re best eaten just warm, not hot. Whiz these together, adding the oil gradually and last, to judge the preferred amount. The mixture should be stiff, smooth and very bright green. Serve the tarts immediately, with a generous ‘dod’ of the dressing alongside.
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Julie Oliphant is the co-owner and head chef of the Coll Hotel on Coll Island. After growing up in her parents’ hotel in Eastbourne, Julie is now fulfilling her passion for food in her own kitchen.
T
he Coll hotel in the Hebrides was inherited as a wedding gift from Julie’s parents-inlaw in 1984 and now along with her husband Kevin, she has transformed the hotel into an award-winning business. ‘The beginning could hardly have been less glamorous,’ she remembers. ‘The hotel didn’t have much of a kitchen at the time: it was painted bright orange, there was a big wooden table in the corner, some rickety old shelves, a stove and a little cooker. ‘Taking ownership of the hotel presented an opportunity and we took it with both hands to make it a very successful business.’ Julie has always been passionate about food but didn’t imagine a career as a chef. ‘I was handing round the bread baskets to guests at my parents’ hotel in Eastbourne almost as soon as I was able to walk,’ she says. ‘I’d worked in hotels since leaving school and done every other job in the trade after finishing college with a diploma in business studies. ‘But I’d never cooked professionally until we took over the Coll Hotel. Kev’s dad gave me one of Mrs Beeton’s cookery books and I was thrown in at the deep end!’
After studying various cookbooks and mastering the basics, Julie began experimenting with raw ingredients from Coll and testing her recipes on locals and friends, thriving on positive feedback. Not only did Julie’s confidence in cooking grow but as did the reputation of the Coll Hotel. ‘We were voted Scotland’s top islands hotel for two years in succession in 2008 and 2009 and National Restaurant of the Year,’ she says. ‘In 2010 I also won Gold Medals for Real Food and Hospitality in the Scottish Hotel Awards. Our guests are fond of good, locally sourced food.’ Being at the top of a male dominated career can be challenging but the Coll Hotel finds its kitchen abundant with female chefs. ‘As
a general rule I’ve found women more focused and hard working,’ Julie says. ‘Men tend to palm things off and can be full of themselves; women get things done! ‘There are lots of good women chefs around and plenty of opportunities for them to shine.’ Julie feels role models will encourage women to get involved with cooking on a professional level and believes a lot of credit is due to chefs like Jamie Oliver for keeping it simple: ‘Some chefs try to make themselves look good by creating tricky dishes but he makes it easy for people to cook.’ The Coll Hotel, Arinagour, Isle of Coll, PA78 6SZ, 01879 230334, www.collhotel.com
JULIE’S LOBSTER SPAGHET TI
Ingredients: Fresh pasta (or make your own) // 750g lobsters // parmesan shavings // cream // lightly dressed salad Stock: 1 onion // 2x cloves of garlic // slosh of olive oil // slug of brandy & sweet sherry // 2x tsp tomato puree // salt & pepper Method: Plunge the lobsters into a pot of boiling water, bring back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. To make the stock, put the lobster shells & head meat in a large heavy bottomed pan with the onion, garlic and slosh of olive oil. Place over a medium heat until you smell the
sweet aroma of lobster. At this point add the brandy, sweet sherry, tomato puree and boiling water to just cover the shells. Add salt and pepper, bring to the boil then down to a simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to brew for a couple of hours. Check the seasoning, then strain to be left with just the liquid. Put the stock in a pan and reduce until you are left with a rich aromatic sauce, add a little cream and check the seasoning again. Turn off the heat and add the lobster, just to warm through. Cook the spaghetti for a couple of minutes in salted boiling water. Add the spaghetti to the pan and move it until it is coated in the lobster sauce. Serve with Parmesan shavings and a lightly dressed salad.
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Co-Owner of the Highland Cottage Hotel in Tobermory, Jo Currie, tells us what its like to be a successful female chef in Scotland.
‘I
’ve definitely always had a passion for food,’ she says. ‘Eating it if not cooking it! I was brought up in the North East of England and my mother was a good, plain cook who instilled the basics in me. She’s still turning out tasty dishes at the age of 80.’ With her father working in airport fire services in Uganda and Nepal, Jo frequently holidayed in Africa and Asia giving her grounding in international cuisine and an appreciation of delicious meals made from local, simple ingredients. Whilst managing the Aurora Hotel in Windsor for 16 years, Jo’s enjoyment of cooking flared as she encountered chefs and kitchens on a daily basis. ‘I enjoyed cooking at home for my husband Dave and our daughter as well as for guests at dinner parties,’ she explains. ‘I regard myself as a cook rather than a chef. No airs and graces here!’ After seeing the tremendous potential of a boutique hotel overlooking Tobermory Bay, Dave and Jo designed and built Highland Cottage to their own specifications. ‘It seemed a natural move for me to take on the kitchen role rather than employ a chef,’ she says. ‘The menus
have become more sophisticated over the years and I concentrate on making dishes look as good as they taste. It’s important to work hard and like the people you’re serving.’ Jo’s attention to detail and Dave’s great hosting skills have seen Highland Cottage win numerous awards. ‘We’re very proud of our Thistle Award – Scotland’s Tourism “Oscar” – also of our AA Red Stars and 2 Rosettes, our EatScotland Silver and VisitScotland Gold awards. Dave’s front-of-house skills [he was voted ‘host with the most’ in the 2009 Scottish Hotel of the Year Awards] have helped a lot too.’ As a successful female chef, Jo feels more women are surfacing than ever before: ‘Women are now seen to be successful and recognised in this role. It’s already happening and will naturally evolve as women chefs “make it”. There are after all, fewer and fewer bastions of male dominance!’ The Highland Cottage Hotel, Breadalbane Street, Tobermory, Argyll, Isle of Mull, PA75 6PD, 01688 302030, www.highlandcottage.co.uk
JO’S CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE TRUFFLE TOR TE (Ser ves 4-6) Ingredients: 450gms/1lb dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) // 570mls/1pint double cream // 5 tbs Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur // 4 tbs golden syrup // finely grated zest of 2 oranges Method: Line a 23cm spring-form cake tin with greaseproof paper and brush the sides with oil. Put the chocolate, liqueur, syrup and orange zest into a large bowl and place over a pan of water, simmering over a low heat. Leave to melt gently over the heat. Once melted, leave to cool for approx 10 minutes. Whip the cream in a separate bowl to a floppy stage where it’s not too firm and still slightly runny. Fold the cream carefully into the chocolate - a little at a time. When completely blended in, spoon into the prepared cake tin. Cover with cling film and chill overnight in the fridge.
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