The Falls of Feugh is considered one of Royal Deeside’s centres of culinary excellence, and quite rightly so.
Situated on the banks of the River Feugh on the outskirts of Banchory, the restaurant has been commended on a number of occasions over the years. This includes winning North East Restaurant of the Year in both 2015 and 2016, Afternoon Tea of the Year in 2016 and 2017, and much more.
And while The Falls of Feugh has celebrated back-to-back wins, chef patron John Chomba, a Master Chef of Great Britain and Scottish Chef of the Year 2013 semi-finalist, has had a vast role to play in the restaurant’s success.
Since taking on the restaurant in 2013, his approach of using only the best local and seasonal ingredients combined with innovative methods and techniques results in dishes that showcase Scottish produce at its finest.
We caught up with the inspiring chef to hear more about his background and career journey.
John, let’s start from the beginning. When did you first get involved in the food industry?
Well, I trained in Kenya in food production and management. Instead of employment, I did free internships over a period of two years in different five-star properties to gain experience and hands on training offered by Hospitality Training Aberdeen.
On retirement, my father went into farming – of coffee, fruits and vegetables – and this was my job after secondary school before I went to college. This allows you to understand your ingredients better, as well as the quality, taste at different stages of growth, and the connection from farm to plate.
What have you achieved over the years?
I am a MasterChef of Great Britain, gold medallist in North East Chef of the Year and a semi-finalist in Scottish Chef of the Year. The Falls of Feugh has been named North East Restaurant of the Year and achieved best afternoon tea and best fine dining restaurant. This is among some of our achievements.
But most of all, I enjoy cooking and passing on knowledge to others. I am proud that most of the chefs who have worked with us have gone on to win in all the local competitions.
It’s strange to think that you almost went down the accounting route…
It certainly is. I was initially going into accounting but my love for food took over, and I enrolled as a kitchen porter in a restaurant to be able to go to college. We grew up around one table as a family, so it was just a natural progression for me as my passion is what keeps me going and learning new ways and ideas.
When did the opportunity come about to join the team at The Falls of Feugh?
I took on the restaurant in 2013, young and ambitious – and by God, I had no grey hair then. We have been trading for eight years now, offering a mix of traditional and modern dishes done innovatively with a focus on local sourcing, sustainability and seasonality.
Our list of awards is a testimony to our dedication to the quality of our offering and engagement with local suppliers.
Tell us about your roles at the restaurant.
My roles on a daily basis involve opening up and closing, of course. I also do the ordering, bookkeeping, payroll, cooking, repairs and maintenance, and service – you name it. That is the joy of being your own boss.
We’re all eager to hear more about the food offering, what’s on offer at The Falls of Feugh?
The Falls of Feugh offers a weekly changing menu of local seasonal dishes and our house classics, which our customers come back for.
Alongside this, there is a market menu of our local food heroes, which we source within 10 miles of our location, and our award-winning afternoon teas are available for sit-in or takeaway, as well as our teas, coffees, scones, cakes and tray bakes.
We also have an extensive wine list sourced by Jonathan at United Supplies in Aberdeen, and a wide range of bottled beers, soft drinks and Tennents on tap.
When lockdown eases, the restaurant has an extensive function and wedding selector to cater for private functions, christenings and weddings, and funeral teas.
What are the most popular dishes?
Definitely our chicken liver parfait with grilled pear and sweet brioche to start and braised beef shoulder with vanilla mash for mains. For dessert, it would be our classic crème Brule and Sandra’s sticky toffee pudding. Oh, and our afternoon teas are very popular too.
That all sounds delicious. Who has a say in developing the menus?
I do the menus and ask for input from all members of staff. I ask what they like to eat and cook, and we develop these ideas until we can create a restaurant dish. I also look at the trends ongoing. People are more conscious of what they eat now than 10 years ago.
What else do you take inspiration from when creating a new dish?
Eating in season guarantees the quality of a product at its perfect growth. I eat out a lot and take inspiration from other chefs, and I read on what other chefs are doing and their recipes.
I am lucky to have travelled the world and I gather influence from my travels as well. My favourite chef at the moment is Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park for his approach, execution and management style. Unfortunately, not many chefs make good managers.
Do you include a lot of local produce in your dishes? Could you name a few of your suppliers?
‘Live local, support local’ has been our mantra from the start. We have reduced our food miles extensively – even doing a market menu which is based on produce within 10 miles of the restaurant.
Our suppliers include Blueflag Seafoods (Aberdeen), Katy’s Eggs (Torphins), H M Sheridan (Ballater), Turriffs Montrose (Montrose), United Supplies (Aberdeen) and more.
Other than supporting local, another important aspect of my role is understanding that the customer is always right – you give people what they want to eat. As well as this, I think it’s key to rebuild classics and bring them to the modern world, having a good balance between starters, mains and puddings, and learning new ideas.
What’s it been like for you running The Falls of Feugh?
I have met people of all walks of life and different nationalities, and am lucky to still have my loyal crew who started with me eight years ago (the young ones who started when they were just 14 still work here). We are one family and we look out for each other, it’s been fantastic.
How has the pandemic affected the business?
It has been the toughest year so far, but it has taught us to connect better and be adaptable, flexible, tolerant and understanding. Money is not everything, love is. As long as we are above water, we keep paddling.
What are you most looking forward to in the coming months?
Going back to a full restaurant and seeing our lovely customers again – and not being afraid of sneezing in public…
The Falls of Feugh is currently offering several takeaway menus.
Would you love to recreate dishes created by a Master Chef of Great Britain? Well, take a look at the recipes below.
Braised Daube of Beef
Ingredients
- 1kg beef shoulder (or cheap cut, such as silverside or topside) cut into 200g steaks (or braise it as a joint). Seasoned with salt and black pepper.
- 300g mirepoix – carrot, celery, onion, garlic – roughly chopped
- 150ml red wine
- 500ml beef stock
- 2tbsp tomato puree
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaf
Method
- On a hot pan, seal to brown the beef and set aside in an ovenproof dish. Brown the vegetable mirepoix, deglaze the pan with the red wine, add the beef stock and add to beef.
- Add tomato puree, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and cover with a lid or aluminium foil. Simmer on a low heat or braise in the oven at 180C for about two hours. The meat should fall apart easily.
- Take it out of the stock and set aside. Pass the braising juices and season and reduce by a 1/3, then return the beef to the sauce to warm up.
- Serve with your choice of vegetables – I’d recommend glazed carrots and buttered mashed potatoes.
Malted Panna Cotta, Pineapple & Berries Salad
Ingredients
- 300ml semi-skimmed milk
- 400ml double cream
- 70g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 3 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
- 25ml amaretto
- 2tbsp Horlicks
- 100g pineapple, chopped
- 200g mixed berries
Method
- Scrape vanilla pod into a pan, add cream, milk, sugar and amaretto.
- Bring to just below boiling point, take off the heat and whisk in the Horlicks and gelatine. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into moulds.
- Put in the fridge to set. This takes about three hours but best to leave overnight.
- To serve, add pineapple and mixed berries.
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