Iain Nicholson named head chef at the Machrie hotel

Iain Nicholson has been appointed head chef at 18 Restaurant and Bar at the Machrie hotel on Scotland’s Inner Hebrides.

Scottish-born Nicholson honed his skills as sous chef at Albert Roux’s Scottish and London restaurants, including two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche, and gained experience in the US and France.

He was working as head chef at the Vie Montagne restaurant in Verbier, Switzerland, when the pandemic hit, after which he returned to Scotland and retrained as a tree surgeon. Nicholson is an experienced forager and runs Nobadfoodlab.org, a website designed to educate about Scotland’s natural larder and as a forum for him to develop and share new dishes.

At the Machrie, Nicholson’s menu will use almost exclusively Scottish ingredients sourced from farmers, fisherman and crofters within a few miles of the hotel. He will also make the most of the island’s seafood and game with dishes designed to be as sustainable as possible.

Nicholson said: “The pandemic provided me with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try something new, but I am delighted to be back in the kitchen to start my new journey with the Machrie. Cooking, and the creativity that comes with it, will always be my life’s passion and I have exciting plans in the pipeline.

“My aim is to put the Machrie on the food map, providing diners with an exclusively Scottish experience as possible. I want guests to be able to close their eyes, taste my food and know exactly where they are, and I look forward to achieving this as the Machrie.”

The Machrie is operated by Campbell Gray Hotels.