Tasty dishes on the menu

Michael Shedden, a 30- year- old from Cumnock, has for four years served as a chef at Woodlands on Dumfries House estate, where he works under head chef Tom Scoble.

“The restaurant is totally different to anything else in Ayrshire,” explains Michael.

“Everything is fresh, many of the ingredients are sourced from within a mile of the restaurant elsewhere on the estate, and everything is made in the kitchen.”

The team at Woodlands will regularly share with Ayrshire Post readers a selection of seasonal, make- at- home recipes.

Here, Michael describes how to make the perfect homemade seafood risotto. The Dish I love cooking fish. You can do it last- minute: just throw it in the pan and it’s soon ready.

Seafood is a great summer food and west coast shellfish is the best in the world.

The majority of it goes straight to some of the top restaurants in London, where they serve the finest langoustines and scallops.

However, there is plenty great seafood to be found at local fishmongers and supermarkets in Ayrshire.

This risotto dish is very versatile ‒ you can do so much with it.

A pepperoni version of this dish has proven popular at Woodlands, and you can also make it with chorizo, sweetcorn, or ox cheek and wild mushroom.

If you are preparing a seafood risotto, I would usually use razor