Chefs from two of the North-east’s premier restaurants received high praise in the North-east of Scotland Chef and Restaurant of the Year Awards 2018.
Colin Lyall, head chef at Banchory’s Tor Na Coille Hotel, was awarded a silver award in the prestigious North East Chef of the Year competition. The hotel’s Sam Ritchie also took silver in the Pork Chef of the Year category.
The awards success follows hot on the heels of the AA’s announcement that the Tor Na Coille would receive two Rosettes to recognise its superior dining offering.
The Tor Na Coille’s sister venue – The Kildrummy Inn in Alford, itself a two AA Rosette restaurant – also celebrated success, with 18-year-old Sarah Morris being named Young Chef of the Year against tough competition.
David Littlewood, chef owner of the Tor Na Coille and The Kildrummy Inn, says, “To see our chefs being so highly recognised in the North East of Scotland Chef and Restaurant of the Year Awards is absolutely incredible. Each of them has dedicated thousands of hours to ensure they are cooking at the top of their game, and this is the proof that all their training and practice has paid off.
“I couldn’t be prouder of both our teams’ hard work and achievements over the past year. I would like to pay particular credit to Alexandria Hay, head chef at the Kildrummy Inn, who has spent a huge amount of time training Sarah since she joined us last year.
As one of the competition’s youngest competitors, this was Sarah’s first time competing and Alexandria was on hand to offer guidance at all points in the lead-up to the final.
“Tor Na Coille and The Kildrummy Inn continue to be recognised as great foodie destinations in the north east of Scotland, and we will work hard over the next year to further cement this reputation for providing exceptional casual fine dining.”
The awards – organised annually by Hospitality Training – were presented at a high-profile ceremony in the University of Aberdeen’s Elphinstone Hall, under the watchful eye of guest speaker Michael Bremner, an acclaimed chef from Aberdeenshire who won the BBC’s Great British Menu in 2017.
The 25-bedroom Tor Na Coille Hotel has been a landmark building on Royal Deeside since the reign of Queen Victoria. David and his team have worked hard to develop the hotel restaurant as a must-visit foodie destination.
More about the Tor Na Coille can be found at www.tornacoille.com. Follow the hotel on social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tornacoille, on Twitter @tcoille and on Instagram @tcoille.