Wild Kabn Kitchen - From the Embers

As pink dusk fades to night over the gently lapping waters of north-western Loch Fyne, swollen pinpricks of golden light twinkle from silver lanterns in the greenhouse on the Ardkinglas Estate. Mirrors throw the smudged gold around, its glow landing in the furrows and grooves of the rustic structure and smudging definition from the grapevines that dangle overhead. Handmade plates are lined up with shiny wine glasses along a table set for eight, and the air is drenched with the scent of char; rich and mellow. Wild Kabn Kitchen is ready for the evening’s guests. 

“The Wild Kabn Kitchen concept revolves around a culinary journey that explores the connection between food, fire and nature,” explains outdoor chef William Hamer, who founded the wilderness-based experiences in 2023. A typical evening starts on the loch shore, in front of Ardking Estate House, before you maze along secret pathways in the estate’s 18th-century gardens, a honeycomb of wildflowers and stone walls, the lot overlooked by the soaring conifers of the Ardkinglas woodland that create a smudged charcoal belt across the backdrop of mountains. And then it is time to dine. 

Almost the entire meal, usually five or six courses, is cooked over an open fire. William discovered fire- based outdoor cooking while living on North Uist. “On my days off from working at Langass Lodge, I would throw some ingredients in my bag and venture to the beach and build a fire,” he remembers. “But fire has always been a fascination of mine. It connects with something deep inside us – there’s a primal instinct to gaze into it and explore its wild ways. You will never have full control of it – you must work with the fire and try to understand its behaviour.”

What’s surprising is the variety of vegetables that feature in the Wild Kabn Kitchen suppers – a rainbow of produce from the estate’s garden: depending on the season, there might be wild strawberries, Jerusalem artichokes, tomatoes or courgettes. “Vegetables have a magnificent reaction to fire,” says William. He explains that cauliflower works particularly well: “I submerge it in the fire until it’s almost falling apart and a beautiful charred crust has formed around the outside, then I serve it with Scottish salted yoghurt to complement the char.” 

William trained as a chef in a countryside pub in the south of England. He went on to travel the world, “picking up kitchen jobs wherever I could,” and secured a position as stagier at the two-Michelin-starred Hisa Franko in Slovenia, cooking alongside some of the world’s top chefs. He later set up his own pop-up restaurant, The Wilder Kitchen, in the Outer Hebrides. This year he returned south, continuing with his pop- up business, but also arranging to meet the owners of Ardkinglas (which is also home to Kabn Company’s two Japandi-style luxury cabins). “Six months later, we opened the Wild Kabn Kitchen,” he smiles. 

In a nutshell, William describes the Wild Kabn Kitchen experience as “unique and romantic”: the taste of charred vegetables, the glow of the flames, the cool air prickling your skin. “Outdoor dining creates a connection with the land you are standing on,” says William. “Everything is stripped back. You feel the warmth of the food, and you gain an insight into how our ancestors ate many hundreds of years ago.”

Recipe from Wild Kabn Kitchen.

Cast Iron Cullen Skink with Trout & Wild Herbs

A rustic, fire-based version on a classic Scottish dish. Cullen Skink is a speciality from the north-east corner of Scotland, originating in Cullen, just up the coast in Moray.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1 medium white onion
½ clove of garlic
4 medium sized potatoes, diced
1 wild brown trout fillet
1 smoked haddock fillet
250ml of organic milk
60ml of organic cream
Small handful of spinach (optional)
Wild herbs (if available)
Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Prepare a fire and let it burn down until you have a bed of hot, glowing embers. 
Place an iron grill over the embers and refuel the fire to increase the heat. 

Carefully lift the cast iron onto the grill and add the butter. Whilst the butter begins to melt, finely chop the white onion and garlic. When the butter begins to sizzle, add the onions and cook until soft - around five minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for a further four minutes, stirring occasionally. Leaving the skin on, finely dice the potatoes and add them to the pan and cook for one minute before pouring in the milk. Place a lid over the cast iron pan and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Whilst the potatoes are simmering, roughly slice the trout and smoked haddock. When the potatoes are nice and soft, add the fish and cream and cook for five minutes. When the fish is beautifully soft and tender, add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with wild herbs of your choice and enjoy eating in the open air.