Great British Menu 2022 chefs: Stuart Ralston, Scotland heat

The Staff Canteen

Editor

Chef owner of Aizle and Noto Edinburgh Stuart Ralston is one of four chefs representing Scotland on Great British Menu 2022

Series 17 of the competition starts on February 1st 2022 on BBC Two at 8pm and will air every Tuesday at 8pm, every Wednesday at 9pm (as of the week commencing March 7th) and Thursday at 8pm for eight weeks.

Stuart is competing against chefs Adam Handling, Fraser Smith and Calum Montgomery in a bid to represent Scotland in the national finals, and ultimately serve a dish at the banquet celebrating the BBC's 100th anniversary. This is Stuart's second time on Great British Menu, as he took part for the first time in 2021.

Fraser was the first to leave the competition after cooking his fish course. Fraser was the first to leave the competition after cooking his fish course. Despite putting up some great dishes, Calum was next to leave the Great British Menu kitchen, leaving Adam and Stuart to face judges Tom Kerridge, Nisha Katona and Ed Gamble on Thursday 3rd March 2022.

Both chefs put up a good fight, but Adam was the one to win over the judges, letting him through to represent Scotland in the regional Finals.

Biography

Born in Glenrothes, Stuart Ralston has worked in some of the world’s most coveted culinary locations, including New York, where he spent six years and Barbados, where he worked at L’Acajou at Sandy Lane Hotel.

In April 2014, Stuart and his wife Krystal returned to Edinburgh to open Aizle, a Scottish bistro which married Stuart’s international culinary education to Scotland's finest produce.

In 2019, Stuart opened a second restaurant, Noto, a casual take on his highly-acclaimed fine dining restaurant, with an a la carte menu featuring food inspired by the chef's time in New York.

Stuart was among the first wave of chefs to cut down his restaurant's opening days to four days to improve his team's (and his own) work-life balance, a move which has since been adopted by many and which is hoped will inspire more young people to consider a career in hospitality.

Describing his food style as 'natural and organic with Japanese and Asian flavours and techniques', the chef's dishes on Great British Menu 2022 will pay tribute to 'Monarch of the Glen' as well as 'Coast,' showcasing the best of Scottish produce.

Age/DOB

Relationship status/Children

Married with two children, Sonny and Jesse

Height

5ft8"

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.