Scottish mum’s seaweed is a hit with celebrity chefs

It started as an idea on a walk along a Scots beach turning soggy seaweed into a culinary delight.

And when Fiona Houston put her life savings where her mouth was she admits people thought she was “a complete nutcase”.

Now the mum-of-two, who insists seaweed on chips is a winner, is having the last laugh.

M&S put the marine treat on its shelves at the end of last month, a major expansion is under way and the amazing rise of her business is being featured on a BBC documentary this week.

“Just three years ago people reckoned I was crazy and were so sceptical,” Fiona, 48, told The Sunday Post.

“But that’s all changed now. There is a multi-billion pound market worldwide and we’re building a food brand that Scotland can be proud of.”

Fiona was showing the beauties of the East Neuk of Fife to a Chinese friend who’d come to stay when the seed of an idea for founding her company, Mara, began to take root.

“The tide was out and when she saw all the seaweed she asked why we didn’t eat it.

“In China alone seaweed is a $16 billion-a-year industry and across China, Japan and Korea people eat it daily. We have this incredible resource but it just wasn’t being used.”

Fiona and business partner Xa Milne put £100,000 of their own money into setting up the business.

“It was a huge risk,” admits Fiona, who was brought up in Gretna Green where her family run the Blacksmith’s Shop.

“It was all of our savings. But as people have taken us increasingly seriously we’ve taken on investment and are in the process of taking in another half-million pounds.

“We reckoned that people in Britain just didn’t understand seaweed and what to do with it.

“So the traditional dulse seaweed we use is packaged as an easy-to-use flake.

“It has a smokey flavour and you sprinkle it on your food just like you would parsley or sea salt.

“It’s delicious on your fish, pizza, pasta and is beautiful sprinkled on your chips.”

The taste and the reputation as a superfood have won over some of Britain’s most famous chefs.

It was featured on Saturday Kitchen with James Martin recently, is on the menu at Skye’s Michelin-starred Three Chimneys and even charmed Great British Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood.

“This time last year we did our first big product launch at Harrods Food Hall,” added Fiona. “Now we’ve just launched in M&S after they actually came to us.

“So what we started off foraging in a very small way, is now scaling up to supply big customers.

“I know the whole thing sounds quirky, but this is something really healthy you can have on your table every day.”

The company was a finalist this week at the BBC Food and Farming Awards.

And it is in the second episode of three-part documentary series How Scotland Works on Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Two Scotland.