I’m Phil and together with my partner, Katie we have setup SaltpigCanteen.com; a blog/ street food/ restaurant project which we hope to grow over the coming years.
We don’t just love eating it, we love the story of food; where it comes from, what’s in it, how it’s been prepared and the people involved in getting it from the source to your table.
I’m not a chef by trade but feel very much at home amongst pots, veg, dishes, recipe books and store cupboards. By contrast my other passion and day job is spent working on a computer in the design industry of London. I’ve been in the capital since 2006. Originally from the north east coast of Scotland, which has allowed me to have a wealth of produce on my door step; Beccleugh beef, West coast langoustines, Hand dived scallops, Venison, fields of rape seed for cooking oil, Strathdon Blue cheese, oatcakes, Talisker & Glenmorangie Whiskey, black pudding; the list could go on.
Before becoming a designer, I worked in the restaurant and bar industry from a glass collector to barman and from manager to cook. I didn’t realize it at the time but these were to be the foundations of my love affair with all things edible. Since then I’ve been an avid home cook, restaurant fanatic and ferocious attendee of most food markets.
London is a world away from small town Scotland. I’m in the fortunate position of having michelin starred restaurants on my doorstep, farmers markets with head spinning varieties of fresh veg, meat and produce and an abundance of people who are passionate about food – We’re also lucky to have a great Chinatown in London where we have Yum Cha (Dim Sum) almost every weekend!
As well as being my best/worst critic, avid baker and co-author of Saltpigcanteen.com, Katie works as a merchandiser in the fashion retail business. When we first met Katie had every takeaway number on speed dial, owned 2 plates, odd bits of cutlery and a rice cooker. Since then she’s found a new love of food.
growing up
A lot of people will tell you, childhood is a great source of inspiration for cooking.
Katie’s family have setup and run a string of successful restaurants and hail from Hong Kong which this has given her a fantastic grounding in Asian cooking and the restaurant business. Living with restaurateur parents meant that dinners were eaten either in the restaurant or with an auntie and uncle. Typical Cantonese food was the order of the day throughout childhood and now, far from being bored with it Katie is passionate in the history of Chinese food, regional variations, ingredients and styles. From the elaborate sushi and sashimi of Japan to the satisfying street food of Vietnam and the traditional Cantonese food her mother makes.
For me, growing up meant mum cooking 3 different dinners. My brother and I would have one thing, Dad another – as he wasn’t keen on anything unless it was egg & chips and Mum was, and still is, a vegetarian; she experiments with a handful of this and a pinch of that and it usually comes out pretty good. I was quite a fussy eater when I was little; my younger brother, however, would eat everything. How times have changed! Little brother may be adventurous in his cooking but is now quite fussy…mushrooms are a no-go and gets a bit squeamish at the mention of tail or tongue. Now I’m eating pretty much anything going, purely out of curiosity. I want to see what the taste and texture are like, do I like it? Would others like it? What flavours would it go with?
photography
I’m beginning to branch out into photography and blogging as a way to expand and share our love of all things edible. Using a Sony Alpha a350 I will be testing, trying and tearing my hair out to get some food photography. While on the hoof I use my phone; a Sony Ericsson Satio which, btw is awful as a phone but has a decent camera and I’ve got an Ipod Touch. So I’ll apologise to restaurants now for any crap pictures I take in the beginning while I practice.
travel
Whether we’ve taken the high road or the low road, food is central to our passion for travel. We’ve both traveled to some interesting and exciting places, which we hope to keep on adding to as SaltpigCanteen.com develops. We’ve eaten some of the most fantastic food; and also ended up with some serious cases of Delhi Belly or Montezuma’s Revenge; but that’s the beauty of travel and eating foods from different cultures, you’re opening your eyes – and mouth to something different, something that your belly isn’t used to, something that could upset your tummy and have you reaching for the Imodium but, potentially, could be the best thing you have ever tasted, the most exciting and adventurous exploit of your holiday that will be told and retold upon your return home.
