Scotland Takes Silver in Culinary Olympics

A team of top Scottish chefs has served up a prize-winning menu, with Scotch Lamb PGI as its centrepiece, at the IKA World Culinary Olympics.

The team of twelve culinary professionals from across Scotland has achieved their goal of taking home a medal by winning silver in the hot kitchen category. 

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) supported the Scottish Culinary Olympic Team through its Scotch Butchers Club and Scotch Beef Club and over 800 lucky diners attended the four day event, held in Erfurt, Germany.

“The Scottish team have been flying the flag for local Scottish produce at the Culinary Olympics and we are exceptionally proud to see our talented chefs coming home with the silver medal,” said Ciara Etherson, Marketing Executive at QMS.  

“The carefully-constructed menu presented Scotch Lamb as a centrepiece and the judges were clearly very impressed with the quality of the Scotch Lamb, describing it as ‘outstanding’,” she added.

The team of eight chefs achieved their medal by competing in a cook-off against over 50 nations. 

Led by Culinary Team Director, Kevin MacGillivray, the team from Scotland covered a range of sectors in the hospitality industry. The team included Team Manager Robbie Penman of Peebles Hydro Hotel; Team Captain Orry Shand, Head Chef at the Chester Hotel; Darren Seggie, City Of Glasgow College; Craig Palmer of Chester Hotel; alongside Pastry Chefs Andrew Mackay from the Turnberry Hotel Resort and Melissa Wood from Gleneagles; with Conor Mclean from the Macdonald Russacks Hotel in hot kitchen reserve, with back up support from Gary Combie, Raeburn House Hotel, Gregor Ure, Gleneagles Hotel, Ross Murray Dumbuck House, Lauren McLoughlin, Gleneagles Hotel.

Kevin MacGillivray, Regional Executive Chef for Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, said: “I am incredibly proud of the preparation, hard work and final performance of every member of the team – it was a fantastic team effort!

“The result also pays tribute to the very high standard of food service in Scotland - it is an extremely exciting time for the Scottish Culinary team and the Federation of Chefs Scotland.”

Mr MacGillivray said the team were very fortunate to have access to fantastic, quality Scottish produce, including Scotch Lamb PGI.

The Culinary Olympics competition, which takes place every four years, was first held in Frankfurt in 1900 and is now regarded as the biggest, most traditional culinary exhibition and the Mecca for cooks and patissiers worldwide.

For more Scotch Lamb information and recipe inspiration, visit www.whambamlamb.com or visit the Scotch Kitchen on Facebook and Twitter.