The hand dived Orkney Scallop has inspired Cornish chef and restaurateur Charlie Walters to create a wonderful dish at his own venue, Narla.
The Orkney Scallop is fresh, meaty, and this delectable shellfish is a firm favourite for chefs and diners alike.
Cornish chef Charlie Walters is forging a bold connection between some of the farthest reaches of the UK coastline this winter, with hand-dived Orkney scallops taking pride of place on his new seasonal menu in his own restaurant situated on Cornwall’s south coast.
At just 25 years old, Charlie Walters already has an impressive amount of experience to his name.
First introduced to the world of the kitchen at the age of 14, where he worked as a pot washer, it wasn’t long before he developed a taste for creating his own dishes.
By 16, he was determined to open his own restaurant, taking a slight detour to become Head Chef at the Sardine Factory, work for cooking legend Paul Ainsworth, storm national televison screens and become a finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals before finally holding the keys to his own venue, Narla, situated in the beautiful South Cornwall port town of Fowey.
Charlie is a keen advocate for high-quality, sustainable ingredients. He said:
“As a chef, I will never not enjoy working with a range of different ingredients. We welcome people into the restaurant to share with them what we think is some of the best quality dishes that are on offer and so, when I present certain items on a menu, in essence, I place my name next to that as a nod of, this is what I think is something special.
“The Orkney Scallops are a true delicacy of the northern seas. They’re plump, with a tinge of sweetness and seem to just gleam with the purity of the conditions they are grown in, which helps them to develop their impressive size and a firm texture.
“I have absolute confidence in putting them on my menus, so much so that I have given them centre stage and developed them as a main course instead of a starter.
“We are spoilt for choice in Cornwall; however I think that making use of ingredients from throughout the UK means that what we offer to guests and the flavour profiles I carefully try to craft work as a compliment to each other, as opposed to competition.”
Narla is a fine dining destination situated in the beautiful port town of Fowey and is open for lunch and dinner, including a special Sunday Roast menu, Thursday to Monday. Please see the website to book and review the latest menus.