Published by Birlinn Press
Cast your mind back to 2009 when the P&J carried a story about an Argyll fisherman, John Lamont, who along with his Canadian wife, Carla, planned to open their own restaurant on their seven acre croft at Bruach Mor, near Fionnphort, on Mull.
Having put their plan into action, they worked hard to create a restaurant which is as self-sufficient as possible. Ninth Wave, is now regarded as one of the top destination restaurants in Scotland and the holder of numerous awards.
Carla writes in a beautifully descriptive way about the beauty of Mull and the fabulous produce that can be found on a traditional Highland croft in the Inner Hebrides and tells with great humour, the story of how they came to be running a restaurant at all.
A trained chef, she’d come to Scotland for work and ended up working at the Argyll Hotel in Iona. A mad-keen fan of the game of pool, she discovered her nearest pool table was on Mull.
In search of a game, she bumped into fellow pool fan, fisherman John Lamont, and despite describing him as “the dirtiest fellow I’d ever seen” his sparkling eyes and wit soon won her over.
The book is part biography, part travelogue, part love story and part cookbook as it’s packed with a selection of mouth-watering recipes such as Spiced Inverlussa Mussels with Bay Garden Carrots and White Chocolate and Wild Flower Ganache.
There’s plenty of how-to articles explaining, for example, how to properly eat half a lobster, and lots of information about local produce and producers.
Much more than a recipe book, it’s the sort of book you’ll dip into time and time again, and possibly inspire you to organise a visit to Mull.