Priya Nair, winner of last year's Roux Scholarship, has been appointed head chef of The Strathearn — the flagship restaurant at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire.
The appointment, confirmed by Gleneagles this morning, marks the culmination of an extraordinary twelve months for Nair, 29, who staged at three-Michelin-star Mirazur in France following her scholarship win before returning to the UK.
"Gleneagles is one of those names that means something in every corner of the hospitality world," said Nair. "To be given the responsibility of The Strathearn at this stage of my career is something I could never have predicted. I feel incredibly ready."
Career to Date
Nair trained at Westminster Kingsway College before joining the team at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles — the late Andrew Fairlie's two-Michelin-star restaurant, which closed in 2019 following his death. She subsequently worked at Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant 1890 and most recently as sous chef at The Kitchin in Leith.
Her Roux Scholarship entry, a dish of Orkney scallop with compressed cucumber, dill oil and a buttermilk consommé, was described by the judging panel as "technically flawless and conceptually assured."
The Strathearn
The Strathearn is Gleneagles' grand dining room, a 120-cover restaurant that has been a cornerstone of the hotel's food and beverage offering since the 1920s. Recent years have seen it focus on celebrating Scottish produce — a direction Nair intends to continue and deepen.
"Scotland's larder is extraordinary, and I don't think we've come close to exhausting what's possible with it," she said. "Expect to see ingredients and producers I've been obsessing over for years."
General manager Conor O'Leary said: "Priya is one of the most exciting chefs working in the UK right now. Her technical precision, her creativity, and her deep connection to Scottish produce make her the ideal person to lead The Strathearn into its next chapter."
Nair takes up her new position on 1 April.