When did you first realise that you had a talent for cooking?
Probably when I was at the Roux Scholarship – up until then I was cooking without actually realising I had a talent – so when I won the competition I thought I must be pretty good. 

Did winning transform your career?
Totally. I had just finished my apprenticeship and had applied to work in France, I think I wrote about 30 letters to various small restaurants. I didn’t even approach the three-Michelin-starred-restaurants, to get access to those before winning the scholarship was near impossible, so it was completely career changing for me.

How did you find your training under Michel Guérard in France?
As my prize Michel Roux chose Michel Guérard’s kitchen for me; training with him was very tough, though it was inspirational. Technically I believe I was very good but to be immersed in French culture under such an intimidating chef was a shock.

Did his training influence your style of cooking?
I think with Guérard it was the simplicity of what he did that had a real influence on my cooking. I still try to keep things as simple as I can now. I remember at certain points of the year a lot of the produce being used was Scottish, so I knew I could cook the same way back at home.

After, you worked at a number of restaurants including One Devonshire Gardens, were you pleased to return to Scotland?
Yes I was. I had the choice at that point because my first daughter was at the age to start school. After a short while in France I had developed the ambition that I wanted to be Scotland’s most successful chef with a two or three-Michelin-starred restaurant, so we chose to come back and I worked in Glasgow, it was great. That was my first real head chef job where I was overseeing the staff, the budgets, everything.

How did it feel to get a Michelin star within your first year at One Devonshire Gardens?
We got it almost immediately. I was over the moon, but was actually quite surprised too – I didn’t think that we had established the kitchen yet, I thought we had a long way to go. It was great for the guys though, they were working so hard and it was a fantastic incentive.

What led you to open your restaurant at Gleneagles?
Gleneagles approached me and said they were in the middle of a rethink, and suggested that if I was thinking of making a move I should give them a call first because there was an opportunity to open an independent restaurant within the hotel. I went up to see them straight away on the Wednesday and by Friday we had agreed I would move to Gleneagles, it all happened very quickly.

You’ve been at your restaurant for nearly 10 years, and signed a deal for another 10 years in February this year. Was it an easy decision stay put?
I have had a lot of offers, but Gleneagles just fits perfectly with me, it secures me for the next 10 years and I’m settled here. There was a great offer from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to open restaurants over there, but I would have had to spend a lot of time away from my family, which I really didn’t want to do. I think I’ve got the perfect work-life balance here, and that counts for a lot as far as I’m concerned.

Do you think it’s important that named chefs stay closely involved in their restaurants?
I think it’s crucial. There are very, very few chefs who are able to operate their restaurants remotely. There’s Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon, concept restaurants that work very well, but I think if you have a restaurant with your name on the door you should be there. Your staff expects you to be there as well.

Has the style of food at your restaurant stayed the same over the years?
I think it has evolved over the years, so it’s fantastic that we are still picking up awards 10 years on. The menu hasn’t dramatically changed but I think as technology progresses different food styles evolve, and we’re embracing that. You get used to using the same ingredients but I think dishes are lighter and a lot more adventurous now.

You invested in a gas-free kitchen earlier this year, was it strange to use at first?
It probably took me a year to pluck up the courage to decide to get rid of the old kitchen. I looked at all the equipment to see how it worked before I took the plunge. I think it was the right thing to do. It is a much cleaner kitchen now, it’s cooler and less expensive to run. The new electric equipment has enabled us to do things that we could never have done with gas.

Do you think it is important for customers to know where their food has come from?
Hugely, and I think it has become much more of an issue for them too. When we first opened Foot and Mouth Disease was happening, so people were terrified of what was in their food and where it came from, so we decided to make it clear. It’s become such a cliché now, but it wasn’t a marketing thing then, we just wanted to give the customers the security of knowledge. We are exceptionally lucky where we are in Perthshire; we have a fantastic relationship with our suppliers and regularly visit their farms.

What’s your favourite dish to cook?
In winter it has to be lamb. Yesterday I cooked a whole shoulder of lamb with potatoes and onions and big bunches of herbs and slow cooked it overnight – that’s my ideal Sunday lunch.

What sacrifices have you had to make for your career?
The obvious one is a social life when I was growing up, also time with my children when they came along – I’ve missed a lot of family time, even my brother’s wedding. I used to work over Christmas but I found it really tough so I now never work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and I close the restaurant every Sunday and Bank Holiday. Family time is a precious thing.

Is there anything you wish you had known before you entered the food industry? 
I didn’t expect it to be so difficult. I was very lucky that the kitchen I started in wasn’t a tough working environment, I had a great head chef who was very civilised and there was no shouting and screaming, so the aggressiveness of Hotel De Crillon’s kitchen was a shock for me. I didn’t like that part of the industry. No-one can prepare you for how tough it is, but at the same time it’s as tough or easy as you want to make it – if you want to succeed you have to work very, very hard. If I didn’t think I was going to make it to the very top I would have probably stopped, it’s not an industry where I’d want to be halfway up the ladder; it’s too brutal and hard.