Loch Duart appoints first Scottish food ambassador

The role is intended to bridge the gap between sales and the culinary community, with Evans’s experience as a chef supporting the marketing of Loch Duart’s salmon. The company says the food ambassador role is a first in the Scottish salmon farming industry, and possibly the Scottish seafood sector.

Originally from Devon, Evans is now based in Edinburgh and has worked as a chef across the UK and Europe.

Alban Denton, managing director of Loch Duart, said: “Rather than recruit a sales manager, Loch Duart needs a chef who can discuss the cooking qualities of our salmon with other chefs on their own terms. Our staff rear fabulous tasting salmon and it’s our job to share our understanding of the best cooking qualities and flavours of Loch Duart salmon.”

Blind tasting

Evans’s induction involves all aspects of farming including salmon husbandry, taking sea bed samples and joining the fish biologist teams in the health checks and flesh quality checks. He will use his chef’s experience to refine its blind tasting procedures as the business regularly “tastes” its salmon and compares it to other salmon on the market. Evans also has an internal education role within Loch Duart with tastings and cooking demonstrations, to explain the impact of Loch Duart’s farming methodology on the taste and eating qualities of its salmon.

Evans said: “To be chosen as Loch Duart’s first Scottish food ambassador is a huge honour. I’m looking forward to sharing with Loch Duart staff, chefs, restaurants, hotels and culinary communities what makes Loch Duart salmon such an extraordinary tasting, premium product. You can expect everything from new blind tasting sessions to short videos where I share some of the best ways to prepare and enjoy the salmon. It’s a dream job and I’m looking forward to working with the fantastic team at Loch Duart.”