Five minutes with Scot Paterson

Fiona Logan

Former digital editor Fiona (aka Fee). She’s a qualified patisserie chef and loves to bake for others in her spare time.

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Scot Paterson is the newest chef de cuisine for TĪNG restaurant in The Shard. Originally from Newcastle, Scot previously held the role of head chef at the Chess Club London. During his early career as sous chef for Dukes London, he gained a three AA Rosette listing and was responsible for the opening of the restaurant 36 by Nigel Mendham. While working at Dukes, chef Scot reached the finals of the TV series MasterChef: The Professionals.

On working in London, Scot says “My inspiration for recipes and dishes comes from a love of finding new ingredients and exploring new cultures. We are very lucky to be surrounded by so many great suppliers and growers who provide us with seasonal produce that they themselves are truly passionate about. The produce we use is some of the best in the UK and the freshness and quality of the ingredients really counts. They don’t call this area a food lover’s heaven for nothing!”

We found out what Scot’s first memory of food was, the recipes he can’t live without, his desert island dishes and his dream dinner party guests.

1. What’s your first memory of food?
I grew up in the countryside in Northumberland and my father used to regularly take me shooting for pheasants, pigeon, rabbit and partridge. We would then bring the game home and I remember preparing it in the kitchen with my mother. It was exciting to create something so tasty from our hunt out in the field. My favourite was pheasant game pie with mashed potatoes that my father grew on his allotment.

2. What’s the first recipe you learned to cook?
Pies were my speciality – whether sweet or savoury. We would make a lot of game pies; however, I also did a lot of baking with my mother growing up. We would pick blackberries and make blackberry pie, as well as apple pies with the neighbour’s cooking apples.

3. What’s the recipe you can’t live without?
I would have to say pease pudding, which is a northern dish that’s a huge part of my heritage. It’s made by braising ham hocks, then using the ham stock to cook yellow split peas, which are then turned into a paste and presented in a stottie cake bun. A stottie cake bun is a heavy dense bread from North East England that is only allowed to rise/prove once rather than the usual twice. It’s a proper hearty winter dish.

4. What’s the one ingredient you’d take on a desert island with you
Potatoes! From dauphinois potatoes to potato bhajis, they’re a really versatile ingredient. I’m sure I could find plenty of ingredients on a desert island to really compliment the potatoes.

5. What’s the meal you’d miss the most?
One of the signature dishes I’ve created at TĪNG restaurant is a rack of lamb with sweetbreads, swede fondant and purée. The dish always brings me back to my time working in a kitchen at Matfen Hall Estate in Northumberland. We would watch the lambs being reared on the farm and then we would work with the fresh produce to serve in the restaurant. It was my first true farm to table experience.

6. You can have a one-off dinner party on your island… Who would you invite?
René Redzepi, the founder of Noma and his team. I love his work, he is the leader of innovation and change in our industry. And he could also give me tips on what to ferment on the desert island!

7. Which cookbook would you take with you to the desert island?
As a teenager, my first head chef told me to read Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential which was all about his career in the kitchen. It really opened my eyes to what professional kitchens around the world were all about.