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The Herald Scotland
21 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
The Gannet's innovative use of traditional Shetland delicacy
The islands boast a unique blend of Scottish and Scandinavian influences, evident in their language, music, festivals, and even their flag – a Nordic cross emblazoned on a blue and white background, mirroring the colours of the Scottish Saltire. Shetland was under Norse rule for almost 600 years, a legacy that continues to shape their cultural landscape. Its traditional music bears a closer resemblance to Scandinavian folk than to the bagpipe-heavy sounds of mainland Scotland. Similarly, the islands' culinary traditions, featuring fresh seafood, roast lamb, and hearty soups, echo the flavours of their Nordic neighbours. Shetland has not hitherto exerted a conspicuous influence on Scottish cuisine but that may be changing, primarily through its prodigious output of shellfish and farmed salmon. The Gannet restaurant in Glasgow's Finnieston area – which prides itself on its use of authentic Scottish produce – has set tongues wagging with its innovative use of the traditional Shetland delicacy, reestit mutton. Read more: Derived from the Scots word reest – meaning to cure by drying or smoking – reestit mutton is considered by many islanders to be the closest thing Shetland has to a national dish. The air-dried, salted meat, similar to Scandinavian skerpikjøt, is made by brining and drying 18 month-old lamb in the rafters of croft houses where it is exposed to peat smoke and the island's salty air, which helps to flavour and preserve it. This traditional method was used to ensure that islanders had a continued supply of Shetland lamb to eat through the winter. The meat has long been a staple of Shetland cuisine, enjoyed in soups, stews, or pies, and is particularly associated with Up Helly Aa fire festivals and New Year's celebrations. Peter McKenna, head chef and owner at The Gannet, has taken this traditional ingredient and applied it in an elegant modern context, pairing it with the islands' renowned, plump scallops, in a sweet reduction made from Lerwick Brewery ale. The result is a delicious celebration of island produce and a quirky local take on surf and turf. The cured element of the reestit mutton is showcased to its full potential, giving it a salted quality that is more akin to a good quality Iberico ham than the kind of fatty lamb you would expect in a soup or a stew. Served with sauted girolles and pickled kohlrabi the dish is brought together with the rich sticky sauce – made from Lerwick IPA – one of a range of craft beers produced by the UK's most northernly brewery, to give it an authentic 'Made in Shetland' seal of approval. On the wall of the gents' toilet in The Gannett is a map of Scotland reproduced from the names of local whisky distilleries, but the same could be done from the names of ingredients in the dishes that have graced its menu over the years. To Loch Creran oysters, Borders hogget, Perthshire pigeon and Hebridean mackerel, can now be added Shetland reestit mutton. McKenna, who prides himself on personally sourcing all his ingredients based on their impeccable Scottish provenance, insists the dish will remain on the menu for as long as it remains popular among his customers. Reestit Mutton is available to order from the Taste of Shetland online shop. Lerwick IPA is available at the Lerwick Brewery online shop The mutton was supplied by Sound Butchers in Shetland.
Scotsman
17-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
'As a small business owner it's really unsettling' - Award-winning Scottish restaurant forced to close due to flash floods
A celebrated Scottish restaurant has been forced to close due to flooding after this week's torrential rain. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Award-winning restaurant, The Gannet , in Glasgow has been forced to close this week due to flooding. The post on social media about the closure and floods reads: 'Unfortunately, due to yesterday's flash floods, we won't be opening this evening - unless you're interested in a delightful dinner-and-paddling-pool combo! 'In recent years, The Gannet and neighboring businesses have faced repeated flooding, causing significant damage and posing serious risks to public safety. The current drainage systems are blocked, poorly maintained, or simply not fit for purpose, failing to manage heavy rainfall. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Gannet is already a popular brand in Glasgow. 'Despite our efforts to report these issues over the years the council has taken no visible action. As businesses that contribute significantly to the local economy through hefty business rates meant for infrastructure maintenance, it's frustrating that such essential upkeep has been neglected, leading to preventable flooding. 'In an already challenging economic climate for the hospitality sector, the extra financial burden from yesterday's flood is unsustainable—unless we fashion waders as part of our uniform.' Speaking to The Scotsman, chef patron Peter McKenna said that the restaurant had 'an awful doing' as did next door neighbour the Kelvingrove Cafe. Both venues share a courtyard that joins the buildings, and it ended up a 'couple of feet underwater.' Mr McKenna also said that the restaurant toilets were 'spewing out water downstairs', which is why the picture he posted was an AI mock-up and the reality 'wasn't something you'd want to be putting on social media.' This isn't the first time that the Michelin recommended restaurant, located in the trendy Finnieston strip in the city's west end, has been hit with flooding, which Mr McKenna puts down to the drains not being properly cleaned, as well as the inclement weather we're seeing more of. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'This is the third time this has happened and every time we complain we flag it up and nothing seems to get done. We shouldn't have these issues. It always happens in the summer as well, usually August. It tends to happen when we've had really good weather and then we get downpours of rain, which happens more and more often. The drains are prone to block, but they (the council) still don't maintain them, they don't have people out there cleaning the excess leaves, and we're seeing that coming out of the toilets - that's how much there must be blocked in there. 'We're insured up to the eyeballs but I know from previous experience It's not really worth my while going to our insurers as they'll do everything in their power just to give us the minimum, and I'll spend hours and hours trying to claw something back. We'll not get anything for loss of earnings for being closed and the staff still need to get paid. That's the real expense and the cleanup. We're in Glasgow, it rains a lot here. We want a bit of support and peace of mind.' Mr McKenna added that his isn't the only business affected by the floods, and that as a small business owner the lack of support from the council is a 'bloody nightmare'. He said that neither the council or the water company 'accept responsibility.' He said: 'It's getting harder and harder to make a living in hospitality. We pay large salaries, and our team deserves them because they put in a lot of work and effort. But National Insurance has gone up, rates are incredibly high - and it's the same for Kelvingrove Cafe next door, Porter and Rye, and Crabshakk across the road. It's a bloody nightmare and we don't seem to get any support. That's why we're seeing people hanging up their aprons and selling their businesses and moving away from hospitality. We're paying an incredible amount in rates and you expect for your services to work correctly - to have that trust in the council but it just seems time and time again that you're throwing money away and not getting anything from it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The restaurant will be open tonight (Thursday 17 July) as normal, after a large cleanup operation which included pumping the water out and extensive bleaching. While sand bags have been created as a short term solution, Mr McKenna is looking to replace toilets with ones with a locking system but that's something that'll 'cost thousands.'
The Herald Scotland
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Award-winning The Gannet shuts doors due to flooding
The flash flood happened on Tuesday, the venue said in a post to social media, and was an ongoing problem for several businesses in the area. The Restaurant is due to re-open on Thursday. The Gannet has previously been named the AA's Restaurant of the Year, and has been awarded three AA Rosettes as well as accolades from industry bodies. In a statement posted online, it said: 'Unfortunately, due to yesterday's flash floods, we won't be opening this evening - unless you're interested in a delightful dinner-and-paddling-pool combo. 'In recent years, The Gannet and neighboring businesses have faced repeated flooding, causing significant damage and posing serious risks to public safety. It continued: 'As businesses that contribute significantly to the local economy through hefty business rates meant for infrastructure maintenance, it's frustrating that such essential upkeep has been neglected, leading to preventable flooding. 'In an already challenging economic climate for the hospitality sector, the extra financial burden from yesterday's flood is unsustainable—unless we fashion waders as part of our uniform.'
