Takingafreshapproach

Marysia Paszkowska, executive chef at Monachyle Mhor in Perthshire, tells Caroline Lindsay why growing up in Poland was the root of her passion for seasonal cooking, and why she loves every aspect of her job...

Growing up in Poland on a small family farm, Marysia Paszkowska’s first cooking-related memories are picking nettles and lemon sorrel and using them to make soup.

“I used to help out in my family’s garden with the weeding although I hated this as a child,” she recalls.

“I did, however, love helping my mum when it came to picking the fruit and making preserves, which I found to be very rewarding – I have always had a passion for food and fresh, homegrown ingredients and my mother was a great cook, preparing and cooking all of the family meals.

“We did all our own farming, foraging and made our own preserves and were completely self-sufficient, only eating what we produced ourselves on the farm.

“My dad used to boil the leftover potatoes on the farm to feed the livestock. As a child, we used to pick the skins, season them and then cook them on the fire pit so they were fired, smoked and crispy.

“I think this was my favourite food as a child. Even to this day this smell triggers my happy childhood memories,” she smiles.

Marysia arrived at Monachyle Mhor Hotel at Balquhidder in Perthshire in 2010 after originally moving to Scotland from Poland.

“I soon discovered Scotland’s amazing fresh produce and was inspired by Scottish food, which was what drew me into the hospitality sector,” she explains.

“Starting in the kitchen as a chef de partie, I progressed over the years, learning from Monachyle Mhor’s owner Tom Lewis and working my way up to my current position.

“2013 was a significant year for me as I took part in BBC MasterChef: The Professionals. Not only did I get to the semi-finals but back in the kitchen I was promoted to head chef here at Monachyle Mhor.

“Since then, I have been running the kitchen here at Monachyle and have been executive chef for the last three years for all of the Mhor businesses.”

Marysia has learned a lot over the years, from taking part in organising the annual Mhor Festival, private weddings, small events, outside catering with their mobile restaurant and self-caterings, to the day-to-day running of the kitchen which, she reveals, is her main pleasure.

“I love how fresh our produce is,” she says. “We butcher our own meat, and forage in our farm gardens and surrounding woodland. Getting to work with such fresh produce is my biggest satisfaction.

“Service for me starts out on the farm sourcing the best and freshest produce, preparing it before putting it all together on the plate.”

Marysia relishes the challenge of embracing the seasons and reflecting them in the menus, which she describes as “Scottish, seasonal, modern cuisine.

“We pride ourselves in using our own produce from our farm, garden and surrounding woodland,” she says.

“We know where every ingredient on the plate has come from.

“We love to work with local artisanal producers, from dairy to seafood, and are all about supporting our local economy.”

She reveals she doesn’t have a signature dish and says: “I believe in every dish I cook. I put equal effort and passion into everything that I do in the kitchen.

“Although I would say I particularly love cooking with seafood and game due to the high quality produce we work with.

“My favourite ingredient to cook with is venison. I like the satisfaction of getting a whole stag into the fridge before judging it to mature it, skin, prepare and cook it.

“I am involved in the whole process from hillside to kitchen. ”

Her day starts with a drive into the glen looking out for any mushrooms and herbs she can use for that day’s menu.

“Once at the hotel I make a visit to the garden and start the biggest part of my morning, sitting down with the chefs, bringing our produce to the table and putting together our menus before service,” she says.

Marysia is looking forward to the seasonal goodies November will bring to the kitchen.

“This season we will be concentrating on using game birds and also our own pork from our Tamworth pigs,” she says.

“I am also looking forward to start cooking with our own preserves including fermented garlic scapes and pickled cucumber.

“We started to grow these in our garden during lockdown.”

monachylemhor.net