What was your first industry job?
A bistro in the east end of Glasgow called Tibo – a great place that gave me the opportunity to kick start my career.
If you weren’t in kitchens, what would you do?
Probably manufacturing, I worked a few factories including a Michelin tyres one before I came into kitchens.
What industry figure do you most admire, and why?
Too many amazing chefs out there, but would have to say Ferran and Albert Adria, had the chance to meet them a few years ago and eat in a few of the places around Barcelona and the food was just mind blowing. Would have loved to eat at El Bulli back in the day but I think what they did there has opened up a whole new aspect of cooking for chefs now.
What’s your pet hate in the kitchen?
Lateness.
What’s the oddest thing a customer has said to you?
“We got pregnant on our last visit to you” – a lovely, sweet couple who created a literal food baby
Sum up your cooking style in a single sentence…
Local, seasonal produce cooked with love and butter .
What’s the worst review you’ve ever had?
Been quite lucky in the fact we haven’t had any bad reviews since we started in August, but there was one customer that just didn’t like the napkins and felt the need to leave a review about it.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Find yourself somewhere you’re going to learn, bring a pen and notepad and become a sponge for knowledge. Push yourself hard but remember to take down time, seen far too many people burn out.
Which single item of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Probably our Konro Grill, we cook a lot of our meet and fish on it and you get such a great flavour.
What would you choose to eat for your last meal?
Spaghetti carbonara, I pretty much lived off the stuff when working in Italy and my co-worker Andre made the best. I’d have that for sure.
À la carte or tasting menu?
Tasting menu, hands down. I think in the right hands its a great way to experience in full what a restaurant is capable of and showcasing the best of what’s in season and local.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had in a restaurant?
There was an impromptu visit as a solo diner to a restaurant called Osteria Tre Gobbi in Bergamo, Italy, a few years ago, never heard of the place before but opted for a chefs choice tasting menu and was absolutely blown away. If it wasn’t so far away I’d be there regularly.
What’s your favourite fast food joint?
Bargain bucket from KFC… with a tin of caviar, bliss! No such joy to have any fast food joints on the island here, though.
MasterChef or Great British Menu?
I’d probably say MasterChef, always nice to see some new, lesser known talent coming through and pushing themselves further.
What’s the most overrated food?
I don’t think I could give a definitive answer to that one, but people who garnish with things for purely aesthetical reasons without adding any flavour to the dish is a bit of bug barer of mine.
You’re restaurant dictator for a day – what would you ban?
Customers clicking fingers at FOH staff.
Who would your dream dinner party guests be?
Gareth Ward from Ynyshir, Mark Donald from the Glenturret Lalique and Rasmus Munk from the Alchemist, love what these guys are doing and would be great to pick their brains over dinner.
What’s your earliest food memory?
Probably Sunday dinners at my gran and granddad’s house, proper homemade steak pie with stewed butchers sausages through it, was proper hearty and still think of that a lot.
Twitter or Instagram?
Instagram. I never really got into Twitter, but I think Instagram has been a great platform for chefs of all levels to interact with each other and share their ideas.
What’s the closest you’ve ever come to death?
I was hit by the side of a bus once in London. I don’t remember much after it, but was a good few fractures and stitches involved. Thankfully, it could have been a lot worse, but always a little wary of them now.
Where do you go when you want to let your hair down?
I’m quite lucky in the fact there’s so much open space around here in the Isle of Mull, I’ll take myself on a walk along the coastal paths or through the fields at the Glengorm estate where we get a lot of our produce from just up the road and wonder through with the cows and lambs surrounding. Long walks, though, usually end up with a well deserved dram down at one of the local bars.
What’s your tipple of choice?
Ledaig 10 year old. Great local dram from the distillery at the end of the street.
What’s your favourite food and drink pairing?
Charcuterie and negroni, could have lunch like that any day of the week.
What do you consider to be your signature dish?
We change our dishes a lot but there’s one that seems to keep making a reappearance in some form or other. Hand-dived scallop, which we cook over the BBQ, with fennel jam, chilli emulsion, vermouth and white chocolate espuma and finished with a smoked dehydrated scallop roe.
