"Rush slowly and believe in yourself. Have confidence and don't miss out on any opportunities"
Emily Scott
Great British Menu (GBM) is back for series 14. The BBC Two show has a brand new format and new studio. Women in the Food Industry are interviewing the strong female line-up of chefs from across Britain competing to serve their dish at the final banquet. Their co-founder, Mecca Ibrahim, interviewed Emily Scott, Chef Owner of The St Tudy Inn who is representing the South West on Great British Menu starting 24th April 2019.
Emily is a first timer on the show and said that she was a bit scared about seeing how it will all come out. However she noted "from a business perspective I’m excited to see it all and grasp at the opportunity for more people to see The St Tudy Inn."
After working in a restaurant in Burgandy, Emily trained at Tante Marie Cookery School in Woking. She moved to Cornwall and met her husband who was a fisherman in Port Issac. The couple have three children but divorced 10 years ago. Emily bought a restaurant called The Habour which is where Nathan Outlaw now has his Fish Kitchen. She worked there for eight years and is now chef owner of St Tudy Inn where she has worked for the past five years.
When asked how she prepared for the music theme on Great British Menu she said "It was a bit like being given a project at school as you go round in circles with it. I love listening to people’s lives and their stories and how they have got to where they are with their highs and lows. I love listening to Desert Island Discs. So Desert Island Dishes was born and to me music and food are very closely linked. I may have overthought it but I loved it."
Emily competes against Joe Baker of Number 10 Restaurant and Bar in Jersey and Lee Smith of the Samphire Restaurant, also in Jersey. She said "They were both great to work with although there was slight competition between both of them as they are both from Jersey. After a while I started forgetting about the competitive element and was just being myself and getting on with the brief. The kitchen was all brand new and we were some of the first chefs to be in there. You go around the kitchen for the first time and you are filmed meeting your competitors for the first time, so that is all a genuine reaction when you meet them."
Named in the top 100 most influential women in the hospitality by industry magazine CODE, Emily said "I feel really happy about this and to be able to inspire other women to follow their dreams is great. Cheffing is not as easy at it looks. The hours are long, and people criticise you. I’ve just been nominated in the National Restaurant Awards as a Chef to Watch and am at the GQ Awards very soon as St Tudy Inn is nominated as best pub."
She gave the following advice to newcomers "Rush slowly and believe in yourself. Have confidence and don’t miss out on any opportunities!"
Emily will be appearing on Great British Menu from Wednesday 24th April 2019 representing the South West. You can read the full interview with Emily Scott on Women In the Food Industry
