Noel Brown lives with his partner, Jenna, their four year old son Archie, Arlo the dog and Maisie the cat, in the old fishing village of Gourdon. There, he and his business partner Ewen Lovie own The Quayside restaurant and fish and chip shop, which has just been shortlisted in the final three in the UK for Newcomer of the Year in the fish and chip industry.
‘If I’m not in the kitchen working with our chef Joseph Hart, I’ll be pretending to be a superhero, playing Paw Patrol or watching Disney. Archie sets the agenda, but I love a great meal and great wine shared with Jenna and friends too.
‘The Quayside is about sustainability and the best ingredients. Our own batter recipe gives our fish just the right crunch and coating. We cook our chips in beef dripping for that authentic taste and we offer things you wouldn’t expect from a chippy, like side salads, sweet potato fries, grilled fish, lobster, mussels, whitebait, and langoustines.
‘If I could have dinner with anyone, I’d choose Rick Stein, Elon Musk, and Danny Baker because he is just plain entertaining. To eat? It’s got to be fish and chips with mushy peas with loads of salt and vinegar!’
Quayside’s Fabulous Fish Pie
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)
Pinch of chopped parsley
1 x lemon-quartered Pinch of chopped mint
FOR THE FILLING
200g haddock cut into 1” thick pieces
200g salmon cut into 1” thick pieces/cubes
100g hot smoked salmon
50g prawns
100g garden peas
50ml white wine
800g mashed potatoes, the creamier the better
FOR THE SAUCE
40g flour
40g butter
1 bay leaf
100g smoked haddock (natural not dyed)
200ml fish stock
200ml double cream
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD To make the sauce: Melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Add the fish stock, cream and garlic and mix thoroughly. Add the smoked haddock and the bay leaf. Stir and reduce by one third over a medium heat until the sauce develops a thick velvety texture. Remove bay leaf, season to taste.
To make the filling: Add a little vegetable oil to a large, hot frying pan. Add the salmon, haddock and wine. Seal the fish leaving the centre on the rare side. Add the prawns, hot smoked salmon, 50g of peas and heat through. Finally mix the sauce and filling to your preferred texture.
Decant the hot filling into a pie dish. Don’t fill the dish right to the top as you now need to add the hot mash topping. Keep it nice and rustic and for the little extra luxury touch brush with a little melted butter. Pop in the oven or under the grill till browned on top. Serve with a wedge of lemon, a sprinkle of parsley, and hot minted garden peas.