Father and son Scott and Logan Maclean have invested a five-figure sum into transforming a static caravan into a sleek and modern food shack in Inverness.
Forty2 serves up a wide range of restaurant-quality takeaway street food dishes by The Forge Gym on Carsegate Road.
Launching mid November, it took one year to convert the caravan after Scott and his wife Louise purchased it from Coulmore Bay Caravan Park, North Kessock, in November 2020.
All of the dishes at Forty2 are made from scratch by Scott, 43, who has a wealth of experience in the food industry under his belt.
Respected reputation
Scott started working in kitchens from the age of 16 in various hotels in Inverness, including The Mercure, The Kingsmills and The North Kessock Hotel.
He was most recently head chef at Ness Deli in Drumnadrochit until Covid hit.
While on furlough he decided to set out on his own, which is when the idea for Forty2 was born.
“I have always believed that restaurant-quality food can be achieved from any size of kitchen,” Scott says.
“And with my family’s support and backing, I decided to go for it.
“I have been very lucky that my cooking is well-known in Inverness for its good quality and the support I have received so far is just amazing.
“It is very much a family affair with Logan working alongside me.”
Scott originally wanted to covert a shipping container to operate his business from, however his wife spurred him on to opt for a caravan, instead.
Caravan turned food shack
“My wife woke up one morning saying she dreamt we had converted a static caravan,” he said.
“Later that morning she messaged to say she had seen one for sale at a great price on Facebook Marketplace and that it was meant to be.
“Me and Logan went to look at it. Turns out it was just along the road from us at the Coulmore Caravan Site so it made perfect sense.”
The caravan was purchased in November last year and the family have pulled together to transform it.
Inside, it boasts plenty of kitchen and storage space as well as a serving and waiting area for customers.
Logan, 21, added: “It has been a lot of hard work with just as many setbacks as opening any restaurant but we are delighted with the end result.
“We opened nearly a year to the day of it being placed on site.”
‘I like to put my own spin on a dish’
In terms of the food offering, there are daily specials which are posted on the business’ Facebook page every morning.
Scott takes inspiration from cookery programmes and cookbooks, and often puts his own spin on a plate to make it his own.
Dishes include toasted sourdough topped with homemade houmous, poached egg and oven-roasted tomatoes, a roast beef baguette served with gravynaise, and a panko bread crumbed chicken breast burger. Prices vary from £4.50 to £8.50.
Scott said: “I am always cooking at home and coming up with recipes to test on the family. I like to put my own spin on a dish and make it my own.
“I have encouraged my children even from a young age to be involved in cooking, instilling in them the knowledge of where their food comes from and how to be able to prepare and cook it.”
Forty2 also has a weekly curry Friday offer where customers receive a curry accompanied with rice, naan bread, spiced onions and a poppadum.
If you fancy something sweet, homemade cherry Bakewell tart, sticky toffee pudding with custard, and panna cotta lightly spiced with vanilla, ginger, almond and clove and topped with a fruit compote have been among the pudding options to date.
Dessert prices vary from £3 to £4.
“At the moment, our only future plans are to continue giving our customers great quality food,” Logan added.
“We don’t want to start putting our fingers in too many pies and lose the quality and integrity of our product. But who knows what the future will hold.”
Forty2 is currently only operating a collection service, and is open from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays.
Scott and Logan are looking at opening in the evenings and offering deliveries in the near future.
Orders can be made through Instagram or Facebook.