Meet the team: Lucy MacLellan

Each month, E-News will introduce you to a member of our Soil Association Scotland and Food for Life Scotland teams. This month, Menu and Catering Skills Officer Lucy MacLellan shares Midlothian’s Food for Life journey and why good food matters.

Q1. What is your name and your job title?

LM: My name is Lucy MacLellan and I am one of the Menu and Catering Skills Officers here at Food for Life Scotland.

Q2. When did you join Food for Life Scotland?

LM: I joined in May 2022. It was an odd time to start a job, at the end of the pandemic, but everyone was so supportive and welcoming. The team really made a difference. It took me a wee while to get my head around the wealth of information in the role, which I like because it shows how much thought has gone into the programme.

Since there, we’ve worked with so many local authorities and public sector sites. A recent highlight would be the BaxterStorey education sites, Glasgow Caledonian University and City of Glasgow College, coming on board.  Getting them over the line was tricky as it was a new area to work in, but we got there in the end. Supporting Midlothian Council to gain the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) Bronze award has been a big highlight for me, too, as I worked with them right from scratch. There’s been so many nice moments, from the demo days we did to try out new recipes, to meeting the caterers and head cooks to discuss the FFLSH standards. It’s been really rewarding.

Q3. What is one of your favourite things about working at Soil Association/Food for Life Scotland?

LW: The level of knowledge we have in the team. We have so many experts in different areas of the food and farming system. It feels like every day I learn something new.

I really enjoy working with caterers across Scotland, too, because of their wealth of knowledge for both their role and the area. We work across so many different local authorities, so it’s brilliant to be able to speak to people working on the ground, to see if there are any challenges we can help with.

Q4. Discuss your journey with sustainability/the environment. Why is this important to you? 

LM: I’m really passionate about reducing food waste. Growing up, I had such a challenging relationship with food, and I missed out on the joy of food and cooking. The general diet in the UK and Scotland can also lead to that loss of joy; we don’t always eat the best we can, when we can. Reducing food waste can also mean reducing hunger.

Q4. Discuss your journey with sustainability/the environment. Why is this important to you? 

LM: I’m really passionate about reducing food waste. Growing up, I had such a challenging relationship with food, and I missed out on the joy of food and cooking. The general diet in the UK and Scotland can also lead to that loss of joy; we don’t always eat the best we can, when we can. Reducing food waste can also mean reducing hunger.

Q5. Can you walk us through a day in your life?

LM: A typical week might include training sessions with local authorities and public sector sites, either in person or online, or supporting award holders through their FFLSH inspections. With our Give Peas A Chance! project with Aberdeen City Council, we spent sessions developing recipes for the new dishes which was really exciting.

Q6. What is your favourite dish to cook? 

LM: I like to make sweet potato, halloumi and spinach curry, which is a big favourite. It’s super easy to make and ideal for living in Scotland in any season.

Q7. What is a recipe book you always go back to, and why? 

LM: We have a few recipe books at home, but so often I will just search online, especially when we have random ingredients in the fridge that I’m looking to use up. One of the sites I’ll go back to is the BBC, as I like their soda bread recipe. Another website I use is called Spruce Eats and they have 16,000+ recipes which step-by-step photos which I quite like, because you can see how each stage should look.

Q8. What do you do to relax?

LM: Going on walks and listening to music as I go really helps me switch off. When you get a nice day in Scotland, you want to take advantage of it and for me, that’s going on long walks. I also do yoga when I feel like slowing down.

Q10. What one thing do you want people to know about your job?

LM: I’d like people to be more aware of the support the Food for Life Scotland team offer. Whether it’s developing a recipe, menu or brand new product or idea, someone in the team will be able to help. As Food for Life Served Here award holders, there’s a raft of help, knowledge and information on the team and we’d love to help more where we can!