Steven Anderson, East Coast Cured, Edinburgh

From illicit home brewing in his teenage bedroom to converting the eaves of his family home into a makeshift curing chamber, Gordon meets an unstoppable maker in this month’s podcast: Steven Anderson of East Coast Cured. Having fallen in love with charcuterie in the South of France, this former brewer and distiller wondered why no one in Scotland was curing the nation’s world class meats to compete with continental makers.Alongside his wife Susie, he took the leap and founded his Leith based business in 2017, driven by a passion for experimentation, flavour and wanting to ‘be the guy on the workshop floor playing around with recipes.’It turns out that, despite his early curing methods sounding ‘bonkers’, even to Gordon, the two have so much in common when it comes to skills, provenance and being really serious about the product they make (but making sure to have some fun along the way).  And they enjoy digging into a hamper of East Coast Cured treats and Gordon’s store of anCnoc at the distillery, for a tasting session which Gordon declares is as good as Christmas! Porcini and truffle salami with Peatheart whisky? It’s a smoke explosion that gets Gordon’s tastebuds tingling and provides listeners with some gift inspiration for the festive season.