Seven Celtic Chefs ~ Craig Grozier
“There’s a fin floating around my saki and it’s really tasty,” recalls Chef Craig Grozier of one of his dining experiences abroad. He’s travelled to many countries – from Japan to Peru – to “widen the horizons of his culinary knowledge.”
Grozier grew up in the Scottish Highlands near Loch Ness. He began his culinary journey two decades ago by working with some “great chefs” around Glasgow.
In 2012, Grozier started his Glasgow-based business, Fallachan, which provies private, corporate and public clients with a range of tailored eating experiences. Projects have included cooking, demos for culinary adventure tours, radio and TV spots, and curating the 2014 Albannach Food and Drink Festival. Recently he has been enlisting top UK chefs to join him in “guerilla fare” – “cooking and serving the best possible food in a temporary location” – like taking over a small farmhouse kitchen to deliver a high end, three-course meal.
Grozier has also been working on the Isle of Islay with The Botanist Gin, a product made with botanicals from the island. Along with Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods, the pair educate people from around the world about the gin and foraging on the island, taking them on excursions and cooking with the ingredients they have collected.
Grozier aims to deliver custom-made culinary experiences to groups from Scotland and overseas. “I like to learn, I love culture, I love history and I think they all tie in with food. We all need to eat, but with that comes culture and sharing…Food generally brings us together.”
Chef Craig Grozier’s Forager’s Eggs
Ingredients
- 200-300 g chanterelles
- 75 g salted butter
- 10 turns freshly ground pepper
- 600 ml mineral water
- 2 free range eggs
- 1 large pinch of Mark Williams’ dashi powder/Mara dried seaweed powder
- Hebridean salt to finish
Instructions
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a deep frying pan and add the mushrooms till they give up their juices (this is the base of the broth). Add the water and the dashi or seaweed powder. Taste for seasoning and simmer for a few minutes until all the flavours combine. Crack the eggs directly into the broth and simmer covered with a plate or another pan for 3-4 minutes till the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Serve with good quality bread, ideally sourdough. Eat directly from the pan.
