Ghillie Basan has worn many hats. Formerly an Istanbul-based foreign correspondent, then a broadcaster for the BBC, the Cordon Bleu -certified chef has written more than 40 cookbooks. A Scotswoman raised in East Africa, with a degree in social anthropology from Edinburgh University, Basan has lived a colorful life.
That varied background shows in her large, remote home in the Scottish Highlands, where the walls are adorned with obscure knick-knacks from around the world alongside stacks of books. Travelers can enjoy a meal there cooked by Basan, as part of her Mezze on the Move experiences. The dishes are about as eclectic as Basan’s past: following an appetizer of peat-smoked salmon and local whiskey tastings, a superb Malay-style spicy soup with roasted eggplant.
Her home overlooks the green-rounded Cairngorm Mountains, an expansive view that reminds her of Africa. But it’s no retirement Basan enjoys there; she keeps very busy. Alongside raising a son and daughter, she gives talks, runs cookery workshops and wilderness retreats, and writes. Her numerous books, which she travels widely to research, have been nominated for the Glenfiddich, Guild of Food Writers, and Cordon Bleu awards. The latest entry is Spirits & Spice, a photo-heavy cookbook cum memoir about her life in the Highlands.
Over tea in the kitchen, Penta spoke with Basan, 57, about some of her favorite things around the world.
My favorite neighborhood in the world is… the old part of Istanbul. I love the markets, the food, the smells, the little old cobbled streets. Things are still done traditionally, people roasting chestnuts and selling wares out in the street, everyone very friendly and always the sound of the muezzin calling people to prayer. I really like how it echoes across the Golden Horn.
The one thing in my kitchen I can’t live without is… my mortar and pestle, which I have many of. Each is special; they’re used for different things. Once I use one for something very strong in flavor, then I have to keep using it for that. I have one for harissa (a North African chili paste), one for garlic, et cetera. I have to use a mortar and pestle because I love to work the oils and get the proper flavor.
If I were to buy a piece of art, it would be by… Wassily Kaninski, a mildly modern artist. Though my degree was in social anthropology, I studied the history of art at university for two years. There are many periods of history I love the paintings in. But I think Kaninski is full of color and vibrancy. It’s abstract, a little bit like Picasso.
The best book I’ve read in the last year is… Ivory, Apes and Peacocks by Alan Root. I met him as a child when we lived in Africa. We all know David Attenborough. Root was ahead of his time. It’s a fascinating book because he was a maverick. He was making documentary films before they were fashionable. He did a fascinating film on the life inside of a baobab tree, and another one on the life inside a termite hill. He had to adapt his cameras to do this. He’s had so many near accidents. He flew his own plane.
A passion of mine that few people know about is… elephant conservation. I’m a huge supporter of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Save the Elephants. The Trust saves orphan elephants, rears them, and releases them into the wild. One of their first was called Elanor. I met her. When I was a child, we were driving once in Tsavo, Kenya. We stopped to talk to some Africans walking in the bush with some elephants. Elanor stuck her trunk through the window. I touched it and was so surprised it was so hairy. From that age on, I loved them. I find them fascinating to watch; so clever. They’re wonderful mothers. Baby elephants are the most pampered little creatures.
The one trip I’ve taken that I would love to do again… Namibia. I recently went there with my son. We had gone to get him acquainted with a bushman community so he could go back year after year to live with them and make a film. We took bush planes to the Skeleton Coast, to a lovely place where the color of the tents was the color of the rocks, and even from the sky you could barely make out the camp. They’re so many seals there; the sharks are just waiting in the water.
The next destination on my travel itinerary is… I haven’t got one planned, but I really want to go to Central and South America. I’m at a stage where I’ve been writing lots of books, running cookery workshops, working with whiskey, and giving talks that are supposed to be inspiring. But I’m feeling the need to be inspired. I want to go to a part of the world I haven’t been to and that’s a part I haven’t been. Probably first, Patagonia.
The thing that gets me up in the morning is… the fact that I live in a relatively wild landscape, I always hear the birds and the weather. I have so many windows in my house. My bed faces east and I get the morning sun. So the combination of light, birds, and weather gets me up. I love the weather in Scotland and the light. A day is never boring.
The restaurant in my hometown that I love to take a visitor is… everybody comes to me. I do culinary experiences with whiskey here. I get people from all over the world. A lot of Americans actually. The special thing about it is they’re in my home. I don’t dress it up. There’s no staff—it’s me, or my kids if they’re home. One thing I’ve found in travel is that one of the most memorable things from a trip is the hospitality you receive.
A person who inspired me to do what I do is… Sir David Attenborough. When I graduated, I didn’t know what to do with my anthropology degree, but I knew I wanted to make documentary films. I was down in London teaching English courses to get me traveling. I wrote to David Attenborough, because he’d just come out with his first series, Planet Earth. We were all mesmerized. I wished I could do something like that but with people. I wrote a letter, found his address and sent it. He wrote back! He suggested that I get myself abroad and get into television as a journalist, then cross back into the BBC at a high level. That way I’d be able to get into documentaries. That’s what I did, though the only thing I didn’t do was get into television. Recently, I called him to ask about my son. He remembered our exchange and gave some advice to my son. A lovely man.
If I could have a drink with anybody, anywhere, it would be… the late King Hussein of Jordan. I cooked for him once in London. I thought I almost killed him. It was such a disastrous meal. There was no work station. It was pheasant, which I had never done before. I was 17, doing a Cordon Bleu course before university. It was at the house of a personal friend of King Hussein’s. But I didn’t kill him; he loved the meal. He came into the kitchen and asked what I’d popped in the gravy because it was so delicious. He had no idea I’d sloshed in wine.
2020-01-01 12:00:00Z
https://www.barrons.com/articles/worldwise-international-cookbook-author-and-chef-ghillie-basans-favorite-things-01577880000
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