my favourite view
For Billy Boyter, there’s no place like home
My restaurant is only five minutes away from where I grew up, in a town called Cellardyke in Fife. The house I lived in as a child had views from the living room onto the water. On a nice day when the sea was flat, there was nothing better than looking out and seeing the Isle of May just off the coast. And on a blustery day, I’d sit by our coal fire, feeling cosy, watching the waves smashing over the harbour wall.
This part of Fife is a good spot for fishing, so as well as anglers casting their lines from the harbour wall, there are a lot of small peel boats. Growing up, we used to go down in the summer with a little crab line, drop it off the edge of the harbour and pull up crabs for fun before throwing them back in. I’m from a family of fishermen, so I do still try to fish. It’s a bit harder now finding the time with a restaurant and a family, but when I can I’ll nip away for a morning and fish off the harbour at Cellardyke or just off the rocks at low tide. The last time I was out I caught a pollock, which I had for my tea that night, simply grilled with some garlic and a bit of butter on it. Perfection.
It’s also a really popular area for sea kayaks – a lot of people paddle across to the Isle of may but I’ve not been brave enough to venture that far! But this year I went out a few hundred metres off the shore with a fishing line, then just drifted along with the tide trying to catch some fish.
There was a yacht a lot further out than me and I could hear people cheering and clapping and I turned around and there was a pod of dolphins in between us – they must have been out trying to catch the fish as well! That was quite amazing. during the summer you get a lot of dolphins and porpoises coming in and, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a wee glimpse, and this was definitely the best view I’ve ever got of them.
In a way, the coast means everything to me. I’ve always lived by the sea and it’s an important part of my life; I couldn’t really imagine being away from it. I’m so lucky to be based where I am. I can basically go from being in the kitchen – a really busy, stressful environment – and within two minutes I can be out along the coast away from everything. It’s such a relaxing place to be. I love it in all conditions; it’s forever changing and that’s what I love about it. Billy is the chef patron of Michelinstarred restaurant The Cellar. thecellaranstruther.co.uk