The Wilder Kitchen: Bringing Open-Fire Cooking to Scotland's Wild Landscapes

In the heart of Scotland’s wild landscapes, where rugged coastlines meet ancient forests, chef and outdoor cooking specialist William Hamer is redefining what it means to dine outdoors. Rooted in simplicity, nature, and the primal joy of cooking over fire, William’s culinary journey began on the windswept beaches of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. What started as intimate, open-fire supper clubs has since evolved into immersive dining experiences that celebrate Scotland’s raw beauty, seasonal ingredients, and communal spirit. We sat down with William to learn more about the inspiration behind his work, the challenges of cooking in the wild, and why fire, food, and landscape are at the heart of everything he creates.

I grew up between South Wales and the South of England, with Scotland always a topic of conversation. Inevitably, I would gravitate towards Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons National Park) when craving the mountains, before eventually looking further north to Scotland in my early twenties. Our first trip to Scotland was a beautiful experience and inspired my move to the Outer Hebrides in 2022, where my love for Scotland deepened and became my closest sense of home.

After moving to the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, I began to explore the island’s wild landscapes and vast, isolated beaches. One day, I came across a group of wild swimmers eating fish and chips on the beach and thought how wonderful it would have been to cook that meal for them, right there on the sand. So I started cooking over fire wherever I found myself on the island - usually in between shifts at the hunting lodge. Eventually, I decided to host a supper club on Clachan Sands, one of the island’s best beaches, and found that people naturally gravitated toward the experience. As we ate and watched the sun set over the Hebridean islands, I knew I wanted to cook this way whenever I could. That’s when The Wilder Kitchen truly began - both as a brand and as a mindset.

After those beautiful suppers on the beach, I began looking to move back to mainland Scotland to build a platform. I decided a 3–5 year project would be the right approach to grow a brand that celebrated food, fire, and nature. I reached out to Kabn to explore the potential for a collaboration. We wandered through the estate gardens, just a short distance from the off-grid cabins, and came across an old Victorian greenhouse- abandoned, yet alive with fig trees and grapevines. It was there that we decided to begin a small project of supper clubs and private dinners.

We soon established a reputation for creating culinary experiences in wild spaces and went on to collaborate with William Grant & Sons for the launch of their new whisky, Wildmoor. The brief was to host a wild lunch and dinner in two separate valleys within the Alladale Wilderness Reserve. The weather was harsh and the elements were against us. On top of that, we had to create a wild yet refined tasting menu - cooked entirely over fire. In the middle of the Scottish wilderness, there we were: inside a custom-built glasshouse, surrounded by mountains, hanging fish over open flames and cooking a six-course menu late into the night. The logistics of operating in such remote locations were tough. Communication naturally broke down - there was no signal to be found - so we focused on the team, trusted the brief, and did what needed to be done. It’s still the wildest event we’ve ever delivered.

Starting a culinary experience tucked away behind thick forest and beside the loch was a challenge, and getting the word out took time and patience. I always wanted the focus to be on the food, and I believed that if it was honest and done well, people would eventually follow. Trusting that was difficult in the beginning, but I stayed true to what I was doing - and the experience grew from there.

I think we all gravitate towards fire in one way or another. Barbecue is ingrained in cultures across the world - you’re outside, in the open air, cooking in a way that’s been done for thousands of years. Fire draws you in and demands your attention, making you present in the moment- and that’s what makes it special.

A good set of cast iron pans should be the starting point for anyone wanting to cook outdoors. They’re compact, approachable, and can achieve results similar to large grills and hanging frames. You learn to care for the pans and treat them well - and in return, they’ll last a lifetime. Another wonderful tool is a thin wallpaper scraper. It allows you to lift food off the cast iron without disturbing the char too much. It’s also excellent for clearing planchas and iron grills.

Scotland’s hospitality community is vast, and support comes from all corners of the country. Thanks to social media, much of that support and collaboration comes from discovering and being inspired by other people’s projects. For my own brand, this has been an incredibly positive experience. Our audience connects with the philosophy behind what we do - open-fire cooking, rooted in nature and simplicity. Through working with the incredible photographer Bill Baillie, we’re able to share that message in an honest, authentic way which I think resonates deeply with people.

Absolutely - I try not to take it for granted out here on the West Coast. We’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by green, open spaces, and they continuously inspire both my work and my personal life. It’s a subtle inspiration, but when you find yourself away - whether for work or travel, you realise just how beautiful, wild, and inspiring the Scottish countryside truly is, and how important that connection to nature is for the soul.

The fires grow ever bigger now, and more and more people come to enjoy my food- and I’m incredibly grateful for that. But you can’t beat the beginning. Those innocent moments during the supper clubs on the beach in North Uist - when I had very little idea where it would lead - were pure joy: simply being outdoors and cooking on fire. I still feel that same joy today when I cook and look around the glasshouse, seeing all the smiling faces of people eating and drinking into the night.

I’d like to say that I switch off entirely, leaving all thoughts of food and cooking behind—but honestly, I don’t. I cook in my home kitchen, drink coffee outside, and read through recipe books I’ve read a hundred times before, always searching for new inspiration and this makes me happy. Of course, I’ll stroll and swim to clear my mind, but I think I recharge by diving deeper into food and all its joys and wonders!

Wild Kabn Kitchen has been a beautiful journey so far and I never look too far into the future. I’m sure new projects will appear on the horizon at some point and I look forward to creating more beautiful experiences in different locations - we’ll just have to wait and see where.

We really hope you enjoyed reading our article with William. Follow his journey by checking out his Instagram, @wilderkitchen, or by heading to his site: wildkabnkitchen.com.