Page 148 - Country Homes & Interiors (August 2019)

my FAvo UR iT E viE w
As a child, Billy
would go crabbing
from the wall of
Cellardyke harbour
Myfavourite view...
Cellardyke harbour
in fife, Scotland
Chef Billy Boyter grew up on the coast of Fife, and still lives and works near his
home town. He tells us why the view of this harbour is so special to him...
My restaurant is only five minutes away
from where I grew up, in a town called
Cellardyke in Fife. The house I lived in
as a child had views from the living
room onto the water. On a nice day
when the sea was flat, there was
nothing better than looking out and
seeing the Isle of May just off the coast.
And on a blustery day, I’d sit by our
coal fire, feeling cosy, watching the
waves smashing over the harbour wall.
This part of Fife is a good spot for
fishing, so as well as anglers casting
their lines from the harbour wall,
there are a lot of small peel boats.
Growing up, we used to go down in
the summer with a little crab line,
drop it off the edge of the harbour
and pull up crabs for fun before
throwing them back in. I’m from a
family of fishermen, so I do still try to
fish. It’s a bit harder now finding the
146 COuNTry HOmES & INTErIOrS
time with a restaurant and a family,
but when I can I’ll nip away for a
morning and fish off the harbour at
Cellardyke or just off the rocks at low
tide. The last time I was out I caught
a pollock, which I had for my tea that
night, simply grilled with some garlic
and a bit of butter on it. Perfection.
It’s also a really popular area for
sea kayaks – a lot of people paddle
across to the Isle of may but I’ve not
been brave enough to venture that
far! But this year I went out a few
hundred metres off the shore with a
fishing line, then just drifted along
with the tide trying to catch some
fish. There was a yacht a lot further
out than me and I could hear people
cheering and clapping and I turned
around and there was a pod of
dolphins in between us – they must
have been out trying to catch the fish
as well! That was quite amazing.
during the summer you get a lot of
dolphins and porpoises coming in
and, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a wee
glimpse, and this was definitely the
best view I’ve ever got of them.
In a way, the coast means
everything to me. I’ve always lived by
the sea and it’s an important part of
my life; I couldn’t really imagine
being away from it. I’m so lucky to be
based where I am. I can basically go
from being in the kitchen – a really
busy, stressful environment – and FEATURE THEA BABINGTON-STITT PhoTogRAPh (CEllAdykE HArBOur)
within two minutes I can be out along
the coast away from everything. It’s
such a relaxing place to be. I love it POrrIdGE PICTurE lIBrAry/AlAmy STOCk PHOTO
in all conditions; it’s forever changing
and that’s what I love about it.
Billy is the chef patron of Michelin-
starred restaurant The Cellar.
thecellaranstruther.co.uk