After years in the restaurant business, including owning the renowned Playfair’s in St Andrews, chef Duncan McLachlan has traded bricks and mortar for wheels and fire.
His new venture, Ember, a live-fire kitchen on wheels, has found its first home at Craigtoun Country Park, bringing a unique and smoky twist to the Fife food truck scene.
Duncan launched Ember in December 2024, a seemingly unusual choice for a food truck debut in the chilly months.
A food truck in winter?
“The unit was ready in November, and I didn’t want to wait,” he says. “I wanted to get going and start ironing out the creases that come with any new business.”
While December weather isn’t the most welcoming for food truck ventures, Duncan sees it as a chance to find his rhythm.
“It’s been a slow start, but it’s given us time to get comfortable and work out the kinks,” he explains.
Duncan’s culinary journey includes running Playfair’s, a much-loved St Andrews institution.
Selling the restaurant and hotel in 2022 was bittersweet as it had been in the family for so long.
From Playfair’s to the park
“It was hard to let go of Playfair’s,” he admits. “But the timing was right, and I knew it was for the best.”
One of the benefits of leaving the restaurant world behind is that Duncan can now connect more directly with customers.
“At Playfair’s, I was hidden away in the kitchen a lot, and I didn’t like that as much. I wanted to be out front, talking to people, and I’m really enjoying that with Ember,” he says.
After parting ways with Playfair’s, Duncan worked with Masterchef winner and restaurateur Jamie Scott. However, the pull to create something of his own again proved irresistible.
The idea for Ember began to simmer, and Duncan set his sights on a food truck that could focus on the smoky, charred flavours of live-fire cooking.
What’s on the menu?
“I wanted to do something different in the food truck market, as it’s quite saturated with similar products,” he says.
The menu at Ember is inspired by Duncan’s love of grilling and bold flavours.
A highlight is the pizza dough sandwich, a twist on traditional calzones called a panuozzo (£7-£13.50), where the dough remains open like a sandwich and is filled with grilled meats and vegetables.
Other offerings include burgers (£11), steaks (£14), grilled chicken thigh (£12.50) and plans for seafood additions in the warmer months.
The spicy guajillo chicken has been a huge hit and I was impressed to see lovely veggie options such as dirty beets and baked sweet potato with delicious toppings.
Plans for seafood specials
“We want to keep things fresh and change up the menu, especially in the summer with some local seafood,” Duncan says.
Families are already embracing Ember’s hearty, shareable dishes. “The sandwiches are big, so we’re seeing people order a few and share them, which is really nice,” Duncan says.
Joining Duncan in this fiery venture is Josh Whiteley, a former colleague from Playfair’s.
“I first hired Josh when he was 14,” Duncan says. “It’s great to have someone I know and trust to help me build this.”
Where can you find Ember?
For now, Ember operates every Sunday at Craigtoun Country Park. While the schedule is modest, Duncan has plans to expand as the weather improves.
“We’ll definitely be here more often in the Easter and summer holidays,” he says.
Craigtoun, with its playgrounds and family-friendly atmosphere, provides an ideal backdrop for Ember.
Duncan has built a strong relationship with the park’s directors, which helped secure the pitch.
“It’s a great spot. Families come here to enjoy the park, and having good food available adds to the experience,” he says.
Duncan, who is a father to two young children, also plans to take Ember on the road for events.
“We’re working with event organisers to fill the calendar. When we’re not doing events, Craigtoun will be our base,” he says.
Taste Test
It was freezing Sunday when we visited Ember – in fact we weren’t sure they would be open and Duncan wasn’t sure anyone would turn up.
However it turned out to be one of his busiest days and they ended up selling out of some items.
After a few weeks of festive overindulgence, we tried to keep our choices healthy and went for the dirty beets pizza dough sandwich (£8), baked sweet potato (£4.50) and seasoned fries (£3.50).
Ok not that healthy, but the thought was there!
Our panuozzo was filled with coal-baked beetroot, deliciously garlicky babaganoush, creamy feta, crispy shallots and pickled red onion for a dash of freshness.
The dough was soft and perfectly blistered with tasty charred bits and despite looking like a heavy meal, it was surprisingly light.
The filling was the perfect combination of flavours and very easy to eat while wandering around the beautiful park.
The baked sweet potato was a revelation. I’ve always wanted to enjoy this dish but have never had it cooked right.
Duncan’s version was cosy deliciousness on a plate.
The potato was soft enough to pull apart with a fork and the toppings of cumin, crunchy pumpkin seeds, sesame seed butter and fresh coriander were phenomenal.
It was sweet, savoury, sharp, salty, a bit of spice. Who knew a sweet potato could be so wonderful.
The seasoned fried were also perfect, really crispy on the outside with plenty soft tattie on the inside with a lovely heat to the seasoning. Ideal for a cosy chomp while exploring the park.
With a chef of Duncan’s calibre at the helm, Ember is elevating the food truck experience with top quality, delicious produce and an innovative menu.
For visitors to Craigtoun Country Park, Sundays just got a whole lot tastier.
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