At Horizons Restaurant in Pettycur Bay, the pace is relentless. Every day, the kitchen crew serves hundreds of meals – but head chef James McKay took the time to give me a lesson in making fast but delicious food.
As I arrived at the holiday park, made famous by the 2022 BBC TV show ‘Life on the Bay’, I was impressed by the stunning backdrop – a breath-taking panoramic view of the Firth of Forth.
But today, there’s no time to admire the scenery, I need to get my pinny on for a lesson in how to make one of head chef James Mackay’s latest creations: salt and pepper chilli chicken with braised rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Learning from a TV star
James, a seasoned chef who started in Fife kitchens straight from school, has been at the helm of Horizons for more than 12 years.
He’s also a familiar face on television, having starred in all three seasons of BBC’s Life on the Bay, a documentary series about the bustling hotel, holiday park, and restaurant.
“We’re going to start with the chicken,” James says, as he expertly debones a whole bird, leaving us with just breasts, drumsticks, and wings.
“It’s all about the prep. We marinate the chicken, get the rice and veg ready, and then bring it all together.”
Cooking perfect chicken
We season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, and the spicy marinade, rubbing in olive oil to enhance the flavours.
The chicken sizzles as it hits the hot pan, sealing in its juices before being transferred to the oven to roast.
“The trick,” James tells me, “is using a bit of olive oil for that intense heat on the skin.”
While the chicken roasts, we turn our attention to the rice.
James dices red onion and three types of peppers before sautéing them lightly and adding the rice.
“This gives the rice a deep, rich flavour,” he explains, adding fresh chicken stock and seasoning before covering the pan and sliding it into the oven to braise.
Keep it crunchy for stir-fried vegetables
A splash of rapeseed oil and olive oil goes into the wok, followed by the onion and peppers.
The kitchen fills with the aroma of sizzling ginger and soy sauce.
“You want to keep some crunch in the stir-fried veg,” he says. “The softness of the rice, the tenderness of the chicken, and the crunch of the veg – it’s all about balance.”
Finally, he adds sweet chili sauce to the vegetables and declares, “That’s it!
“Salt and pepper chilli chicken, ready to serve.”
A Fife culinary career
As we sit down to enjoy the dish, James reflects on his journey.
He grew up in East Wemyss and attended high school in Buckhaven before jumping straight into the culinary world.
His career began at 16 as a trainee chef at the Laurelbank in Markinch. And then things took off for the young chef at the Old Manor Hotel in Lundin Links.
“I knew this was what I wanted to do from an early age,” he says.
“My mum was the steward a local bowling club, and I used to help her in the kitchen. Then, in the Scouts, I was always the one cooking on trips.”
By the time he was 24, he had worked his way up to head chef at The Old Manor which was a two-rosette restaurant.
How did Horizons Restaurant’s salt and pepper chilli chicken taste?
The chicken fell of the bone and had just the right amount of heat from the chilli and a lovely crispy skin.
This paired nicely with the sweet chilli stir-fried vegetables, which were lovely and crunchy and full of lively flavour.
The softness of the savoury rice was a great contrast to those two elements and in all, it was a delicious, homely and satisfying meal.
I can confidently say that James’ latest creation is a winner. Will it make the spring menu? “Maybe,” he teases. “We’ll see.”
The kitchen that never sleeps
Running a restaurant of this scale is no small feat. Horizons serves everything from classics like steak pie and beer-battered fish to seasonal dishes like the one we just prepared.
The weekends are particularly intense. “In the summer, we’re doing 600 to 900 covers a day,” James says. “One Saturday last August, with three kitchens running, we hit 985 covers.
“That’s from the minute we opened to the minute we closed.”
It’s a far cry from when he first started at Horizons, when people assumed the restaurant was only for guests of the holiday park.
“One of my first goals was to change that perception, to get people coming in from outside.”
Home-cooked comfort
Despite his culinary expertise, when James is off duty, he prefers simple meals.
“When you’re working with food all day, you don’t get hungry,” he says. “But when I get home, I just want something hearty – mince and tatties, roast chicken, steak pie, lasagne.”
“At home I cook on my days off, but my 11-year-old son, Thomas thinks his mum is the better cook,” he laughs.
James’ wife, Susie, is also part of the Pettycur Bay team, managing the hotel. “We don’t see each other much,” he says, “but we make it work!”
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