Watching Francis Mallmann cook is revelatory. It begins with an intense understanding of local food: grass-fed beef, lambs that browse on seaweed, birds that forage along the shoreline. The flavors develop through the use of local produce, specific woods for fires, herbs for rubs and dressings, native crops (those nine potato dishes were made from indigineous potatoes from South America). What Mallmann brings uniquely is intuition – where to dig a fire-pit, when to season a dish, how long it takes to cook a whole side of beef over an open fire. Wherever he cooks, from his private Patagonian island to the rewilded landscape of the Scottish Highlands, chef Mallmann decides which wine to pair with local game to create “clashes in the mouth”. This is part of his philosophy. “I like to eat something that’s delicious and a wine that contrasts with it, as they both fight over my palate to convince me who is the best.”
Mallmann is not a chef in the modern sense, that’s for sure, but he’s a cook. A cook who’s the bedrock creator of great food from the ground up, with that overused word, ‘passion’ and that underused one, ‘honesty’. There’s no confusion between language and meaning with Francis Mallmann, he sets out to make each meal unique, he achieves his aim with an honest approach to his locality, his ingredients and his guests. Nobody else cooks like Francis Mallmann, a non-chef who defies description.
This August, for the first time in the United Kingdom, Francis Mallmann will share his wood-fire cooking techniques in the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. This exclusive experience is taking place at the award winning boutique hotel Alladale Wilderness Reserve (Europe’s most eco-friendly hotel 2019 and two-Scottish Green Energy Awards finalist 2020), with a 5-day gastronomy experience exploring the authentic philosophy of Francis Mallmann. This is a unique opportunity for guests to spend time with Mallmann and learn his seven-fires technique with a 3-part masterclass.
To book this Hosted Experience with Francis Mallmann in Scotland visit Satopia Travel.
