FOOD & FARMING Get to know the women behind Britain’s best takeaway

The winners of BBC Food and Farming’s Best Takeaway/street Food award in 2017 explain their passion for local produce

Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick had the idea for their Seafood Shack in Ullapool, in the Scottish Highlands, in 2015 when both were competing in the town’s annual fishing contest. As they bobbed around in an inflatable boat trying to catch the biggest fish, Fenella turned to her friend and said ‘What Ullapool really needs is a good place to eat all this amazing seafood.’

That was it. The two spent the next months planning and mustering funds to set up a shack, which opened the following year. They now do a brisk trade selling seafood that’s been bought direct from local fishermen, some of them family members. Menu favourites include haddock wrap (see recipe, right), creel-caught langoustines with garlic and thyme butter and fresh bread, and local oysters with Tabasco and lemon.

‘We’ve both been brought up eating our local seafood, so we’re passionate about producing dishes only from seafood that are fresh and caught sustainably,’ says Fenella. ‘Our menu changes daily and what’s on it depends on what’s come in that morning.’

The quality of the Seafood Shack’s dishes clearly impressed judges of last year’s BBC Food and Farming Awards, who named them winners of the Best Takeaway/ Street Food category.

‘A lot of Britain’s seafood goes straight to Europe, but happily this is slowly changing,’ says Kirsty. ‘If people ask for, buy and appreciate local seafood, we can keep it here. For raw fish, if you’re not lucky enough to be able to buy it straight from the fisherman, buying from a fishmonger rather than a large retailer helps keep the profits in your community.’ seafoodshack.co.uk

1 For the pesto, whizz all ingredients in a blender, slowly pouring in the oil while blending until it forms a smooth, nutty paste. Season well and add a splash of water if it’s too thick. Set aside.

2 For the lemon mayo, mix all the ingredients together and season.

3 To make the batter, sift the flours together, then whisk, while slowing adding water. Continue until your batter is a thick but runny consistency. It should stick to your finger when you dip it in. Season.

4 Set a deep-fat fryer to 180C, or in a large pan filled no more than a third full, heat the oil until a piece of bread browns in 20 seconds. Meanwhile check the haddock fillets for bones, season them and coat them in plain flour. Then dip each fillet in to the batter until each has a good coating. Place the fillets in to the deep-fat fryer or pan (make sure you give it a gentle shake so it doesn’t stick to the bottom). Cook until the batter becomes brown and crisp, around 4 mins. Remove and place on kitchen roll to soak up any oil. 5 To assemble, spread each tortilla with some of the pesto, then a tablespoon of lemon mayo. Add a handful of salad leaves and the cucumber, then top with the fish and more pesto. Season, wrap up and serve.

PER SERVING 892 kcals • fat 44g • saturates 5g • carbs 85g • sugars 2g • fibre 4g • protein 37g • salt 2.1g

Our menu changes daily depending on what’s come in that morning