Three reasons why we believe seasonal ingredients are best.

Why we always use seasonal produce.

At Dulse, we always aim to use seasonal produce in all our dishes. Chef Dean Banks, Chef Dan Ashmore and the team work closely with our suppliers to bring you the best of what Scotland’s larder offers, with every ingredient delivered fresh daily.

With our dishes, we do things a little different to most. Here, we champion one hero ingredient in all of them, and then compliment this with a small number of seasonal ingredients. Our dishes are uncomplicated, with each letting the delicious seasonal ingredients do the talking.

Dean and the team constantly strive to use seasonal produce in all our cooking, and when you look at the benefits of using these ingredients, you’ll wonder why you ever used something that wasn’t in season before. We strongly believe that when you use something at its peak (or in season), that makes for a better culinary experience.

Our kitchen team spend a lot of time curating our menus that change oh so often, and the key reason for the frequent changes is the seasonality of the ingredients. We are proud to say that we include the best of what Scotland has to offer in all our dishes, and the extra time spent on our menus is rewarded by how delicious the dishes genuinely are.

Let’s look at the four key reasons why we think using seasonal produce is best.

The best quality food with delicious flavours

Probably the main reason why anyone would use seasonal produce in any form of cooking, and it just makes sense. It should come as no surprise that when you eat ingredients that are in season, it just tastes better. 

Thinking about this in more detail. Suppose someone tries to grow something out with its natural environment and uses pesticides and chemicals to aid growth. In this case, it will never taste as good as produce allowed to flourish and grow naturally. We feel that you will always be able to tell the difference.

Mother Nature should always be allowed to do her thing. Only then will you get the best quality and most delicious ingredients possible.

Sustainability

At Dulse, we always strive to be as sustainable as possible. Everything, down to our lobsters, vegetables, and even our butter, is as eco-friendly as it could possibly be.

All our ingredients are sourced locally, ensuring they don’t have too far to travel in order to reach us. This helps to reduce as many carbon emissions as possible when being delivered to us daily. We also look to minimise food waste wherever feasible, with each ingredient used as much as possible. Take our butter, for example; we often flavour them with ingredients used in cooking other dishes. This offers a delicious variety of butters (with our famous £5 loaf) while reducing food waste. 

When looking at seasonal produce and its impact on sustainability. These ingredients will tend to be available locally and in abundance. If you are using ingredients that aren’t in season, they can often be imported from all corners of the world. This creates a significantly higher need for modes of transport that burn fossil fuels. Cutting this stage out ensures you will use local suppliers – keeping you, them, and the planet happy.

You can avoid nasty pesticides and chemicals

Any food grown out of its natural setting will usually require some assistance to do this. Sadly, this help often comes in the form of chemicals and pesticides. Naturally, seasonal produce is always the way to go.

While this may not be entirely avoidable for some food items required when cooking throughout the year, it is helpful to be mindful of any ingredients’ seasonality, aiming to minimise their consumption where possible. It is also beneficial to note that eating organic food helps with this.

If you would like to join us and enjoy all the delicious seasonal dishes prepared by Chef Dean Banks and the team, then you can reserve your table here.