cooking by the sea.

Take a virtual coastal holiday with chef and food writer Emily Scott’s beautiful recipes using saffron, seafood and clotted cream – ingredients that conjure up the taste of the county she loves to call home 

Helford blue, spring onion, leek, crème fraîche & thyme tart

PHOTOGRAPHS KRISTIN PERERS FOOD STYLING TAMARA VOS STYLING TABITHA HAWKINS

“This is my life by the sea, where hawthorn and gorse bloom and tamarisk trees meet the edges of the cliffs, where wild coastal flowers – fennel, teasels and ox daisies – drift down to the edge of the water. I’m excited to bring you to the seaside in beautiful Cornwall, to discover my coastal kitchen, which is at the heart of everything I do.

I keep my larder and – by extension – my fridge in order, with dry goods, seeds, nuts and spices (saffron, always), eggs, butter, Cornish sea salt, parmesan, good olive oil, lemons, crème fraîche and clotted cream always in store, so I can make a cake, biscuits or a focaccia at any time. From my kitchen garden are herbs throughout the year, which lift any recipe.

My kitchen – and increasingly my garden – are the places where I feel happiest. Moments in my kitchen are always captured in colour: in the ingredients that appear each season and fill my larder, in the different times of day and what they feel and smell like… These are the colours that appear in my thoughts and inspire me. I’ve said this many times, but there really is nothing better than cooking for the ones you love.”

EMILY SCOTT

A bouillabaisse needs a saffronflecked aioli on the side

“On high days or low days, I find solace in the ebb and flow of the tide, the gentle sea breeze and the waves lapping at my feet. Consistent, fascinating, mesmerising…”

A BIT ABOUT EMILY

From her childhood in Provence to the shores of Cornwall, Emily Scott translates experience and memories into simple dishes with rustic appeal at her restaurant, Emily Scott Food, at Watergate Bay Hotel. In 2021 she was chosen to cook a special menu for the G7 at The Eden Project.

Emily’s latest cookbook is out on 6 July – to get it FREE when you subscribe to delicious. see our offer on p36.

Cornish bouillabaisse

“A seaside soirée wouldn’t be the same without this showstopper, which is also great as a Sunday lunch – a rustic stew that’s simple and quick to make, colourful and delicious. Use whatever fish and shellfish you like – I’ve used Cornish gurnard, mussels and prawns – to dress it up or down. I also make more aioli than is strictly necessary”