What’s your favourite ingredient and why?
I don’t have one specific ingredient, but I really like small things that elevate the mundane – rock salt on slices of tomato, a squeeze of lime into a stir fry, some finely sliced spring onions with new potatoes. With Champagne it’s the same. The growers we work with use an array of innovative techniques both in the vineyards and cellar that just add an extra dimension to their wines.
Do you have a guilty food pleasure?
As a Fife lad my go-to choice of unhealthy, but deeply satisfying, dish has to be fish and chips.
Tell us about your first food memory?
I don’t know if it’s my first memory, but my mother, who is Swedish, used to make these incredibly rich little cubes of dark chocolate with (I think) a touch of liquorice. As a child they were something I always looked forward to.
What’s your favourite Scottish restaurant, deli or cafe?
I don’t know if I have an out-and-out favourite but The Cellar, Killiecrankie House and The Glenturret Lalique are a few of my go-to places.
Starter or pudding?
I’d go for a starter, preferably something like scallops.
What would be your last supper?
It’d probably be something to do with fish. I’m very keen on seafood. I especially like ceviche and oysters – something really fresh and beautiful.
Do you have any food hates and why?
There is nothing I really hate, but I'm not big on condiments in general. I find them all a bit too overbearing. I prefer the flavours of the ingredients and seasoning on their own rather than with a dollop of something intense on the side.
What starters, main and dessert would be served at your dream dinner party and who would you invite?
We’d have a menu consisting of scallops, roast lamb and lemon tart for dessert. I’d have to invite my wonderful wife of course and just a few friends from both Scotland and the Champagne region, as well as Michael Broadbent, Richard Juhlin and William Kelley for an unparalleled discussion on all things wine. Finally, I'd invite my mother; she died over 20 years ago, so I think she'd be surprised to see where I am today.
What's your favourite geographical foodie destination?
Champagne of course. In particular, I love restaurants like L’Assiette Champenoise by Arnaud, or Le Parc at Domaine Les Crayeres, as they not only offer incredible cuisine paired with some of the region’s famous effervescent produce, but the chefs and team always make time to talk with patrons. That may be a small thing but it definitely makes for a less formal and more convivial dining experience.
For more information on Sip Champagnes and its latest releases, go to www.sipchampagnes.com.
Crawford was recently awarded the UK's Champagne Retailer of the Year in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022, just two years after launching the company along with his business partner, Daniel Blatchford.
