Member of the month January 2021: Owen Morrice

Here at The Staff Canteen, we feature a different member every month who we think deserves to be celebrated - this month’s winner is Owen Morrice

As thanks for being a regular and longstanding contributor to The Staff Canteen, Owen will receive a TSC mug and will be entered in our Member of the Year 2021 competition.

1 Current place of work, position

Head chef, Down the Hatch, South Queensferry in Scotland, but I'm also at college studying to teach cookery.

Smashed beef pate topped with smoked streaky bacon,
smoked apple wood cheddar, caremelised onions,
beer braised beef and burger mayo on a sesame brioche bun.

2. What is your cooking style and what should people expect from the food on your menu?

The menu at Down the Hatch is classic Canadian and North American food: burgers, big dirty sandwiches, loaded fries, loads of smoked cuts, all made in-house with amazing quality local produce.

At home I like to experiment cooking fresh and exciting plant-based dishes, my wife and kids are vegan so they are willing testers.

I also love a bit of sourdough, it's been the year for it.

3. What is your favourite dish to cook and why?

Scottish girolles and asparagus, my two favourite ingredients.

They are particularly seasonal which means I can't use them all year round and makes it pretty exciting when they come round. Any dish I cook when they are going will probably feature one of them. I really love a good forage and finding new ingredients to play with.

CapCrispy tofu, tempura enoki,
pan-roasted king oyster mushroom,
katsu curry sauce, curry oil avacado and purple shisotion

4. Name a food item/dish/ingredient that isn’t considered “cheffy” but that you love to eat?

Marmite.

5. What do you like about The Staff Canteen?

The Staff Canteen have always been amazingly supportive to chefs and the industry, really great people who really care about what we do and what's happening.

The app and website are an amazing source of inspiration and information for what is going on in our industry, which has been going through a particularly tough time this year.

Roast squash, squash and chipolte puree, watermelon,
corn and yellow tomato salsa, salted watermelon,
fermented chilli, chocolate mint on a blue corn tortilla

6. What are your plans for the future?

I'm really hoping to go on and help train and inspire young chefs through tutoring once I have finished my studies, but in the meantime I'm just grateful to have a stable job working with great people cooking good food in a time when most people in our industry don't have that option through no fault of their own.

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