‘We took this small concept and gave it legs to grow’
On the latest episode of food podcast Scran, Rosalind Erskine speaks to business owners and staff in Moray about adapting to survive
As businesses across Scotland reopen after lockdown, I took my recording equipment on the road to speak to business owners and staff in Moray for the second installment of Scran on the Road.
My first stop was Bootlegger’s Bothy in Hopeman, set up by owners Ruth and Barry Scott of the popular Bothy Bistro in Burghead, with a team including head chef Andy Fyfe. This outdoor kitchen is housed in two shipping containers at Hopeman’s West Beach Caravan Park, which has reopened to holidaymakers. Visitors can enjoy locally caught Hopeman crab or lobster, Orkney Scallops and a range of meat dishes, enjoyed overlooking the dramatic Moray coast. Amazingly, Bootlegger’s Bothy served more than 5,000 people in the fortnight since it opened its doors in June.
Andy, who would normally be cooking up a storm at the Bothy Bistro (which remains closed for now), said: “After lockdown we weren’t sure what was going to happen with the business, so it has been great to see people in the local area coming down and supporting us. We have a small, locally driven menu here at Bootlegger’s, from fresh scampi and lobster off the boats to Orkney scallops. When lockdown happened we decided to develop on the street food concept we launched last year, so we converted two shipping containers, one with an open fire grill. The idea was taking this small project and giving it legs to grow.”
The menu changes as much as possible with the season, depending upon what comes in on the local boats. Highlights include the Hopeman lobster served on freshly made brioche roll. There’s also 12-hour smoked brisket wellington, as well as sandwiches.
Owner Ruth said: “When we first went into lockdown, it was awful. Words can’t describe it. We have a team across the board of 40 staff and before furlough was introduced we did wonder if we could continue with the Bothy and the caravan park.
“However, we’re still here and we’ve managed to turn it around. We’ve made a success of it because of the enthusiastic team that we have.”
Over in Elgin, the Glen Moray distillery has recently reopened its shop and cafe, and is offering tasting flights both inside and outside. Speaking of what visitors can expect, global brand ambassador Iain Allan explains: “We’re very lucky that we have an outside seating area which is licenced as well, so if somebody wants to sit outside to do a tasting rather than come indoors, that’s an option. Although, the Scottish weather is a little bit unpredictable, so it really depends on how that goes. Inside, the safety of staff and customers is paramount to everything we’ve put in place, which means no touring just now and that is a major loss to us. But we are still fielding phone calls from customers looking to do a tour of the distillery, so there’s an appetite for it. We just feel we can’t put in place the correct guidelines to manage that effectively.”
For those who can’t make it to Elgin to buy a bottle, the distillery has a new “Dial-a-dram” service, explains Ian: “We would normally host people from over the world who come to do a tour of the distillery and to pick up a bottling. And one of the key elements of the distillery is our distillery exclusives, which are whiskies that can’t be bought anywhere else. Because of restrictions, we launched “Dial-adram”, not just for the exclusives, so people can phone up and have a chat with our guides. It’s allowing that kind of direct access conversation point and ability to purchase things which otherwise you would only get if you were coming here anyway.”
To listen to this episode, search Scran wherever you get your podcasts.