These are the Andrew Fairlie scholarship finalists

Six young chefs have been selected to take part in the finals of the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship in the competition's inaugural year.

Spearheaded by HIT Scotland with support from the Scottish Government and Gleneagles Hotel, the competition will reward the country's most ambitious and talented young chefs. The winning scholar will be given the chance to cook an in an international kitchen of their choice, at the Culinary Institute of America and at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles.

Abbie Clunie, chef de partie at Craig Millar @ 16 West End in Anstruther, Peter Meechan of Gleneagles, Emma-Rose Milligan of Chez Roux at Inverlochy Castle, Jake Hassall of the Pompadour in Edinburgh, Joseph Harte of Douneside House in Aberdeenshire and Ryan McCutcheon of Greywalls Hotel and Chez Roux in Edinburgh will partake in the finals on October 24th.

Their skills will be judged by Tom Kerridge, Sat Bains, Masterchef winner Gary McLean, as well as Stephen McLaughlin and Lorna McNee of Restaurant Andrew Fairlie.

Stephen McLaughlin, who joined Andrew at Gleneagles in 1994 and worked alongside the chef for 17 years, said the finalists “were selected for their understanding of the ethos of Andrew Fairlie’s culinary traditions; the essence of this included how they talked about themselves and their culinary ambitions, and how they created their menu.”

“It was fantastic to see so many chefs in Scotland with such an obvious passion for food and an appetite for learning. It wasn’t an easy decision, however the final six are all there on merit."

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