Hi all my name is Eilidh and I'm the Chef/founder of Làn Blast. I fell in love with cooking when I was around 9 or 10 years old. We had been watching a Gàidhlig educational video in class where there was a man who only ate chips and a woman who only ate lettuce until one day they realised how unhealthy this was and that variety was necessary and so they made a tuna pasta. For some inexplicable reason I was desperate then to try and make a tomato pasta and I begged mum to help me when I went home. Well mum was only too happy to help so we made it and I loved it, and mum took it as her opportunity to start teaching me to cook there after. My love of cooking was born and my experimentation begun and then another crucial thing happened. Some locals may remember him but a man named Ali Abbasi came over to Lewis to launch his new curry recipe book and learn some Gàidhlig. I remember being intrigued by his red recipe book and decided to give making a curry a go around the age of 14, and was surprisingly good at it. My family would often ask me to make one on special occasions and from there I just loved cooking for people, and in fact it's one of my intense special interests. I have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and I can be very particular with what I like to eat. I've always found it awkward asking for adjustments to my orders when eating out, so one of my passions is catering to as many people as I can. I don't want anyone to feel awkward about asking for an adjustment, but I can't promise I'll be able to meet everyone's needs (yes I know that one hurt me too). I've tried to explain the menu as much as possible where adjustments can be made but don't hesitate to ask regardless. I hope to see you soon and I REALLY hope you enjoy your meal.
The name Làn Blast means full of taste/flavour in Gàidhlig with Làn = full and Blast = taste/flavour. So there is probably a couple of spelling enthusiasts struggling with my use of a t instead of a d at the end of blast, but I will put forth the two reasons why I did so:
In any case I hope my spelling doesn't put you off and the food speaks for itself, enjoy.
You can rest assured that wherever possible we source our meet from our local butcher MacLeod & MacLeod, and our prawns from Grillburger. Wherever possible we also use mutton from my parents' croft, and herbs fresh from the garden. We think local food is the best tasting and I hope once you try the food you will agree too.