Jamie Scott, the current reigning champion of MasterChef the Professionals, announced yesterday that he was to open his first solo restaurant in Newport on Tay in early 2016.

Called The Newport, it is located on the river front overlooking the River Tay and has panoramic views across to Dundee. Set over two floors, it will have 60 covers.

The 5pm Dining blog recently spoke to Jamie about his plans. With the opening of The Newport a few months off, there is plenty of time for those plans to develop and change but in our conversation, the Kirkliston-born chef said that he wanted his new venture to be a sort of Scottish barbeque:

‘I want to use Scottish beef, lamb, pork and do an indoor barbeque offering seven or eight main plates and seven or eight sides. Barbeque is a passion of mine and it will be good to explore that.

‘As well as hot and cold smoking, we’ll also be using a selection of different charcoals and woods to give different textures and flavours.

Sea Buckthorn Martini

‘We’ll be taking whole carcasses into the kitchen and breaking them down ourselves in order to cut waste as much as possible. We also want to incorporate foraged ingredients. I hope to have a very good Sea Buckthorn Martini on the menu.’

Jamie’s love of barbeque has been stoked by his travels. From eating jerk chicken at a beach hut in Jamaica to sharing South African braai with friends, there has often been a whiff of smoke about his most memorable meals.

‘I remember eating fish in Mexico,’ he smiles. ‘It would be caught, scaled and put on the barbeque straight away. There is nothing better than that.’

Opening in Newport on Tay is a smart move. It is an affluent little town which, back in the day, was much favoured by Dundee’s jute barons. It is also just a five minute drive from Dundee, a city which looks as though it is about to have its moment in the sun dues to developments like the V&A.

Excitement around Dundee

‘There is a lot of growth and a lot of excitement around Dundee and hopefully I can bring something to that,’ reckons Jamie. ‘It was always my intention to open my first restaurant in the Fife and Dundee area. This is where I grew up and drew all my inspiration from. The Newport gives me everything I wanted in my first venture. Newport on Tay is a beautiful coastal town with the most incredible views across the river.’

Newport on Tay may be a well to do town but Jamie wants his restaurant to be accessible.

‘Much of my career has been in fine dining but I have strayed away from it recently. I would like to do something a little more informal. I want people to feel they can come in, order a great cocktail, have a lovely plate of food and enjoy themselves. I want the chefs to be involved in serving the customers and I want the front of house to be involved in the kitchen.’

The catalyst for all this was, of course winning MasterChef The Professionals last year. At the time, Jamie was working in Rocca in St Andrews. His win was announced late December. Almost immediately, Rocca was booked up for January, February and March – traditionally dead months for many restaurants.

Broader view

‘My life was always in the kitchen until I won MasterChef The Professionals,’ says Jamie. ‘Winning has given me a broader view of the industry.

‘It’s also meant that I am now doing things like working with Quality Meat Scotland and with the Scottish government to promote Scottish produce. I’m not doing a hundred hours in the kitchen anymore. I’m doing 60-70 hours in the kitchen and doing other things.

‘After I won, people were travelling up from London to have lunch at Rocca and then going back the next day. People wanted me to come out of the kitchen after service and say “Hello” and sign things. They wanted to take pictures with me. It was a big change. Now I want to cook my food for a wider audience. People can eat my food and see me.’