Western Morning News (Saturday)
TAKEAWAY WITH A TWIST
Martin Hesp talks to talented West chef Ross Sloan about his re-invention – from hotel kitchen to pop-up fish-and-chip cuisine
If there is one thing we keep coming back to again and again in this, the strangest of times, it is the fact that necessity really is the mother of invention. Or, in this case, re-invention. Because this is the story of one of the most talented chefs in the Westcountry, who has reinvented himself as a fish-andchip shop proprietor.
When this newspaper last featured Ross Sloan in 2019, he was head chef at the lovely Mount Haven Hotel in Marazion where he was turning out some of the most remarkable food west of the Tamar. Now our photograph shows him standing in front of his Cornish takeaway, eight miles to the east, in Porthleven where he is still turning out the most remarkable dishes.
Arguably, the most remarkable dishes of any takeaway businesses in the entire South West…
Cornish pork and Newlyn taco anyone? How about an octopus and squid ink tostado? Or sea-bass ceviche? No? Perhaps you fancy something more traditional on the classic chip-shop menu? Then why not go for battered pollack and chips – or, even better, buttermilk fried monkfish with chipotle mayo? And if you’re visiting a chippy which is so much more than a fish-n-chip shop, why not try the brown crab mayo and Wookey Hole cheddar dirty fries?
At this point I’d better make two things clear. This is lockdown, so I have not been 150 miles south west of my Exmoor home to test the food at Landed, in Porthleven. I also should make it clear the business is not a client of RAW Food and Drink PR which sponsors these pages…
But I did sample the food at the Mount Haven 18 months ago when I spent a morning in the kitchen talking to Ross, so: a) I trust the quality of this output merely by seeing the menus and photographs of the food - and b) his is typical of the transformative stories we are seeing at this unusual time and that we’ll continue to hear about into the future.
This is the tale of young Mr Sloan’s past year-and-a-half, told in his own words… “When we were talking at the Mount Haven, just over a year-and-a-half ago, would you have ever thought you’d see me running a fish and chip takeaway shop? Because I didn’t!
“Landed happened through fate and through seeing a need - and wanting to fill that need. And fate, being what it is… not only do I now have almost my entire kitchen team from the Mount Haven with me, I am hopefully doing my bit to help and support local fishermen, farmers, my loyal staff and perhaps my ego!
“And we LOVE it! “Leaving the hotel was one of the hardest things I have done in my career. I found myself at a crossroads in my life, so decided to take a break to figure out the next step in my career.
“I started working for my best friend Ferg, at Ann’s Pasties to help with the creative side of things. Not so long into the job, the pandemic hit and we all went into lockdown. Everything came to a halt and we were operating with a skeleton crew. I went from being creative everyday, to production line crimping – and I started to feel bored. So I began a series of weekly pop-up takeaways with close friend Kelvin Batt, which we ran through his business, the Mussel Shoal in Porthleven. This took me back to getting creative and excited about what I was doing.
“I was producing fun dishes and being creative with humble everyday food that we all know and love. At the same time, my fisherman friends were struggling now that the hospitality industry had come to a standstill.
“After a few weeks, something clicked… I realised I could remove the stress of a restaurant kitchen and the high expectations of fine dining, yet still offer amazing food.
“Then a takeaway premises in Porthleven became available – and I thought to myself: why can’t I do the pop-ups from one place? I’d spent a long time doing research and it hit me that fish and chips are quintessentially British – yet, in so many respects, we were getting it all wrong. For example: as a seafaring nation, why is it that 80 per cent of British fish and chip shops are using frozen Icelandic cod? Does no one remember the Cod Wars?
“And for a country that voted for Brexit, what about the fact that 80 per cent of the fish consumed in this country is imported – while 80 per cent of fish caught in this country is exported?
“And so Landed was born with
three friends in the time of Covid – with a desire to change the ethos of our fish and chip shops. We we want to set an example – developing a classic British fish and chip shop that uses our local, British, produce.
“We offer fun, creative and delicious dishes, while supporting the local community. Hopefully’ we’re making fish and chips something to be proud of. It’s been no easy task – we opened during a pandemic with no money, yet we are still here trying to push through these hard times. During the second lockdown we even started doing weekly theme nights. You might ask: what takeaway offers theme nights?
“Well, they have kept us going through these troubled times and they give us the opportunity the trial and show customers the variety we can offer when all this is over.”
Thanks Ross... I don’t know about you, but I find this to be an exceptional and inspirational story. I will certainly be calling at Landed for a portion of Cornwall’s finest next time I’m able to cross the Tamar. In the meantime I will be trying at one of Mr Sloan’s amazing recipes at home…