We chatted to our favourite ladies Sam & Shauna of Hang Fire Kitchen about their new series. Their enthusiastic approach not just to their cooking but their genuine lust for life, positive attitudes and their bottomless energy is a perfect remedy in these unsettling times. This Monday is the launch of their third series, we chatted to them about what we can expect over the coming weeks.
Since that influential trip across America’s Deep South you went on together in 2012, you’ve opened a multi award-winning restaurant, had a series on the BBC, and released a bestselling cookbook. Was any of that conceivable in your minds when you first embarked on that Thelma & Louise-style road trip?
Ha ha, no, not at all. We may have taken a few more pics and videos had we known! We were on a mission to really understand the roots of ‘Slow and Low BBQ’ . We thought it may be remiss of us to start thinking about a food business that isn’t from the UK without really exploring it in its native land. It really is the secret of how we have achieved authenticity. And really wasn’t about eating in BBQ restaurants and ticking them off a long list, it’s living in a community and talking to people about how the food they love has influenced them.
Would you say travelling can have that sort of life-changing effect on everybody?
Certainly in our case, yes. Shauna and I once took a trip from China to Colombia in South America which took 18months. We love to backpack and were both born with wanderlust. There’s a whole world of people, food and stories to experience and it definitely enriches you as a person to learn from them and share knowledge.
The third series of your TV show Sam and Shauna’s Big Cook Out is out on June 1st. What can viewers expect from the new series?
This show scratches that itch we have of food, people, community and their individual stories. You can expect more innovative ways of cooking meat and veg outdoors, you’ll meet real heroes who volunteer their time for the betterment of their community; from a community garden with multicultural users and volunteers, trilingual Chinese community in North Wales that speak far better Welsh than us, the volunteer fire service men and women of Aberystwyth that risk their lives for us on a daily basis, and an inspiring team of volunteers that, despite all odds, help young people with physical disabilities learn to surf in Caswell Bay with adapted surf boards.
We filmed this last year and it’s unbelievable how our world has changed since then. Watching it back actually brings a joyful tear to our eyes. It’s so positive and hopeful and we hope people feel the same way watching it.
In the first episode you visit Vetch in Swansea and make a pizza oven – can you explain what ‘puddling clay’ is and was the build as daunting as it sounds?
Oh, the puddling! Well, getting the right consistency of clay to sand is hugely important when building a pizza oven. You have to thoroughly mix both together, and evenly, for the clay oven to have good heat insulation – and what better way than getting some music on, rolling up your jeans and dancing on it – why not! Though we will tell you, it took us, and the Vetch volunteers, about 5hrs to puddle a batch of clay (and there were two batches, you’ll find out why on 1st June!
Do you have a favourite episode/moment from the new series?
We definitely have moments from all four episodes that we’ll never forget. Visiting the goat farm in the Cothi Valley was probably one of the funniest moments of the series. Let’s just say these inquisitive furries had no idea of personal space or that our microphones and cameras weren’t part of their lunch. It was chaos! By contrast, we loved the serenity of the Vetch Community gardens. It felt like we were on holiday. We both were incredibly moved by the dedication of the volunteer fire service in Aberystwyth. They RUN towards burning buildings – so brave! And seeing the boundless joy on the young peoples faces when they’re surfing in Caswell Bay. Something we’ll never forget.
You’re known for putting a uniquely Welsh spin on American BBQ and soul food. What would you say are the big similarities and differences between Welsh and American cooking? Are they closer than we might think?
Food, in general, travels with people. We’re more migratory now that we have ever been, and our cuisines migrate with us too. Any one of us can make anything from a Burmese Curry to Poke bowls to Persian kebabs with the help of the internet. But what makes Welsh cuisine unique, is our ecosystem or ‘terroir’. This is why it’s important, where possible, to buy from local producers, farmers, cheese makers, charcoal makers, bakers and butchers etc. Gower Salt Marsh lamb is a great example of this. We meet these producers in the Caswell Bay episode. The flavour of the Salt Marsh Lamb is unique to that area and only made possible due the specific salt mashes that they live and graze on. We’re so lucky in Wales to have such an incredible ecosystem that defines Welsh produce and makes it World class.
In your last interview with us, Shauna said she learnt “how to run a restaurant from watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and a business from watching Dragons’ Den”. Are there any things you’ve learnt on the job that you could pass on as advice to young chefs/entrepreneurs?
It’s perfectly normal to feel a certain amount of fear starting a business as it can not only take great financial commitment but emotional dedication too. To grow as a person, whether it’s in business or your career, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. There’s a certain amount of calculated risk we can take that can pay off. Do your research, make sure you have a social media presence and you’re engaging with customers and peers. Try to be authentic and open as a business and don’t worry if you feel people are ‘jumping on your bandwagon’, just stay in your own lane and focus on what you’re doing. There is a lot of ‘white noise’ out there. Tune it out and focus. You have set a goal and you can get there.
Finally, this is an important lesson: Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and help, we field enquiries from people on a daily basis and happily answer them. We certainly ask our peers regularly for advice as we don’t always know the answers.
You never stop learning and growing
that’s the fun part of being your own boss.
What was it like appearing on Saturday Kitchen Live recently? How do you keep your cool when cooking live in front of the nation?
Actually Matt Tebbutt, the presenter, and the whole Saturday Kitchen crew are incredibly reassuring and encouraging. It’s pretty much like making an episode of the TV show. It’s all unscripted and off the cuff. I think we’re used to thinking on our feet. We love what we do, so we can talk, and cook, for hours!
You’ve described Barry as being like “the Welsh Riviera”. What would be your essential itinerary for a first-time visitor to the town?
A perfect day in the ‘Welsh Rivera’ would start by exploring the beautiful Porthkerry Park in morning. It’s where forest meets the sea and has a fantastic viaduct bridge that’s still in use by local trains. Then head to the seafront and have yourself some delicious fish and chips and a cup of tea for lunch. You can walk it off on the beautiful Blue Flag beaches from Whitmore to Jackson Bay for a couple of hours. Then you walk along the new link route which leads you from Barry Island to our beautiful Pumphouse, an 1883 Grade II listed building in the old docklands. There you’ll stop for some award-winning BBQ, beers and shots of moonshine at Hang Fire!
What’s your top lockdown playlist or boxset binge?
Oh well, where do we start. We are boxset junkies anyway, further fuelled by being in lockdown. There’s probably not much we haven’t seen – we’re not ashamed to say! It’s all about the escapism at the moment, so we’re watching anything that the polar opposite to the current situation. Excuse this absolutely shameless plug, but we’d just heard that the BBC are putting all three seasons of Sam and Shauna’s Big Cookout on iPlayer – so there’s something to binge on. Have snack to hand though, you’ll definitely be hungry watching it!
Sam and Shaunas Big Cook Out
BBC One Wales 8.35pm
Monday June 1st
Words: Jasper Haze