Book by Ullapool-based The Sea Food Shack scoops Best Food and Travel Book Award at National Geographic Traveller's Reader Awards 2021
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE first book by a Wester Ross award-winning culinary duo won a prestigious competition.
Founders and owners of The Seafood Shack in Ullapool Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick published The Seafood Shack - Food & Tales from Ullapool at the end 2020.
The book has now won the Best Food and Travel Book at the Reader Awards 2021 organised by National Geographic Traveller, with winners announced in December.
Ms Renwick said: "We had no idea that we had been nominated, so it was a really nice surprise for us.
"The lovely thing about this award is that it's a Readers' Award, so it's people at home that have voted for us and put our name up for it, so it's quite a special thing really.
"The book has completely gone beyond our expectations. It's something we always had in mind to do and when we started working on it, we thought we'd just do it for ourselves and hopefully sell a few copies. We've had an amazing support from our publisher Emily Dewhurst at Kitchen Press and Clair Irwin who did our photography."
Showcasing local producers, seafood and the pair's tips to cook seafood, The Seafood Shack aims to educate readers about sustainably-sourced seafood and the importance of supporting local businesses.
In 2020, it was also the winner of the the Jane Grigson book prize.
Ms Renwick added: "Many people visit the North Coast 500 and Ullapool, and many come to the Seafood Shack and, when you go somewhere, a book is just a very easy thing to pick up and take with you, and our book contains some of the story of fishing in Ullapool and stories of people that are local characters, so that's something people like.
"It has our recipes in it and each chapter has got a different fisherman and different produce, and some lovely pictures of the area and our recipes.
"Our main ethos at the Shack is to have sustainable food, and that's something that comes across the book. We wanted to get across that you don't need to be a trained chef to cook a lobster or a langoustine, because we are not! You don't need to be scared, it's a lot easier than it looks, especially with the great produce that you can get around the UK using local fishermen and fishmongers.
"As cliché as it sounds, it's the local fishermen that each day go out and risk their lives to get this produce, so it's also trying to get the best prices for them too."
"People these days go to farm shops where you can get local meat and dairy products, and you can do the same with your local fishermen too!"
On their website, National Geographic Traveller wrote about the winner: "The food culture of the Scottish Highlands won your hearts and stomachs in this category celebrating books that serve up more than mere recipes. We selected a shortlist of titles that we’ve championed, reviewed and tested — books that offer the perfect pairing of food and travel stories from around the world. And it was Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick’s fishy foray into the Scottish Highlands that had your mouths watering and feet itching. Sharing the culinary success story of the pair’s small catering outpost in Ullapool, The Seafood Shack helps readers discover the bounty of the North Atlantic’s waters and the communities of producers that line its shores."
The Seafood Shack - Food & Tales from Ullapool is published by Kitchen Press.
