Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels appoints group executive chef

Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels has appointed Ross Bootland as group executive chef to oversee the culinary teams at each of its hotels, including Crieff Hydro and Peebles Hydro.

Bootland will mainly be based in Crieff but will regularly visit the properties in the Borders, Dundee and Glencoe, with a focus on recruitment and continuing to build a training programme to nurture upcoming talent.

He previously worked on cruise ships, including as executive chef de cuisine for Seabourn Cruise Line and executive sous chef at Royal Caribbean International. Before that, he was head chef at the Dakota Leeds, cluster executive chef for Macdonald Hotels and executive chef of De Vere Mottram Hall in Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Bootland said: “I am delighted to join Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels. They have approached me on a few occasions but this felt like the right time to make the move and I’m enjoying having a better work-life balance being located closer to my family at home, rather than spending months at sea.

“Recruitment has been very challenging across the industry so one of my main objectives will be to hire some fantastic talent into chef vacancies we have across the group. I want to create a friendly and supportive culture across all of the kitchens in our hotels and will be looking at ways we can invest in our team’s development.

“While the head chefs at each of the hotels will continue to be responsible for creating their own menus, I will be on-hand to develop concepts that fit the personalities of each of the hotels. I’m already working on exciting ideas with the team and would love for us to work towards putting one or two of our restaurants forward for AA rosette awards.”

Stephen Leckie, chief executive of Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, added: “We are very pleased to have Ross at the helm as group executive chef.

“His fantastic ambition and drive to nurture a fantastic working environment will really help take our restaurants to the next level and attract talented chefs who are looking for the opportunity to hone their craft and create exciting a wonderful dining experience for guests.”