F: Can you tell us a bit about you and how you came to be a cook?

ES. I have developed a passion for simple, seasonal cooking with beautiful ingredients. My kitchen is where I feel most at home, where I feel confident and happiest. My cooking has changed over the years and now I think it is a true reflection of myself and how I think and feel. Simple, seasonal and beautiful, the finesse I bring to my food evolved over time, bringing me new confidence and delight. What I love about cooking is how creative it is and how much joy it brings to others – I think cooking for other people is one of the most loving of all human skills.

I cook with the ebb and the flow of the seasons, going effortlessly along with what nature has to offer at its best. I know where I am then. There is something grounding and reassuring about each changing season. I could not tell you which season is my favourite, but the promise of each one brings its own excitement, evokes different memories and brings different produce into my kitchen.

F. What made you decide to open your own restaurant?

ES. I opened my first restaurant in Port Isaac in 1999 a cafe/ restaurant bringing all the good things to one place and where my Cornish food adventures began. Since then I have been lucky enough to have been given many opportunities and now returning to the sea at Watergate Bay is a dream come true. I love bringing people together, creating memories and moments. It is that simple.

F. Can you tell us what we can expect from your reopening at Watergate Bay this month?

ES. My beautiful seaside restaurant will be reopening in May with a selection of simple seafood and plant-based dishes. We had a wonderful time last summer so I can’t wait to return with my team this year. Our ethos is all about creating beautiful, fuss-free food. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve all been shown we need to find a gentler way of living and find ways to connect with people, and I hope Emily Scott Food does that. The menu will feature roasted scallops, Cornish crab with brown butter hollandaise, hake with pickled samphire, and a simple fig tart.

F. Your debut cookbook launches this Spring/Summer, can you give us any more details at this stage?

ES. I hope, with this book, to inspire you to get cooking; to inspire you to shop with your butcher, fishmonger and grocery store; to get a feel for the seasons and provenance.  

F. You're a fan of Falcon Enamelware. What’s your favourite product and what do you use it for?

ES. I have loved Falcon Enamelware for a very long time and used it in my kitchen at home and in my restaurants over the years. Its stylish simplicity goes well with my brand. I love the mugs for picnics on the beach or perfect for serving my homemade rustic chips. The teapot is essential as are the prep sets, to be honest picking a favourite is too much to ask.

F. How have you been keeping during this time? Do you have any tips for small business owners and creatives?

ES. Life has not been easy during this uncertain time. I hope that everyone is kinder and more patient and has a new appreciation of the world around them. It has been a hugely challenging time the lights were not just dimmed they were switched off and everything I was working towards stopped abruptly. I had to learn to diversify and make decisions based on running my businesses. I am always learning everyday, and sometimes being a small business this can be so difficult but I have the ability not to give up, just press on and keep going. There is always a solution and things will be OK.

To Book Emily Scott Food http://www.emilyscottfood.com/reservations 

Emily Scott’s debut cookbook Sea & Shore: Recipes and Stories from a Kitchen in Cornwall will be published by Hardie Grant Books on 10th June 2021.

Visit EmilyScottFood.com and follow @EmilyScottFood

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