Price is right for Dalmahoy as talented chef joins hotel and country club

A leading Scottish Chef has joined the newly-refurbished Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club on the outskirts of Edinburgh as its new Executive Head Chef.

Bruce Price has cooked all over the world from Australia to Switzerland, China and Taiwan, since his early days in his native New Zealand.

During his time in Scotland, where he’s won the highly acclaimed ‘Scottish Chef of the Year’ title three times over, Price has worked for The Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, Apex Hotels, and was Executive Head Chef at Crieff Hydro Hotel for six years.

Price said: “I’m very much looking forward to settling in at Dalmahoy and getting to know my team here. I’m passionate about good ingredients used well. I’m all about using and sourcing Scottish produce in my menus, an ethos which Dalmahoy also shares, so I felt we would be a good match. The hotel’s Pentland Restaurant menu celebrates Scotland’s larder – and, indeed, even one very close to home – the hotel’s own herb garden, which I’m excited about getting involved with.

“My first job will be to look at menu planning for the season ahead. I’ll be complementing excellent Scottish produce with some international influences I’ve picked up on my travels and cooking in other countries. Expect to see some innovations like a Kiwi Burger on the specials in The Brasserie!”

The new Executive Chef has been deaf since birth, something which he’s never allowed to hold him back. “I have never, ever let my deafness restrict my ambition to become a great chef,” he added. “I have never seen it as a disadvantage.”

“While the day’s business is written out on a whiteboard every morning, communication in the kitchen is mostly verbal, with me lip-reading and staff quickly learning to understand my spoken instructions. It’s a slightly different way of working for the team here, but I’m sure it won’t be long before my new team and I get to know each other.”

Price will be responsible for a 24-strong kitchen team across Dalmahoy’s Pentland Restaurant, the James Braid Bar and Brasserie, a lounge which serves snacks and afternoon tea, private dining areas as well as the hotel’s conference, weddings and events catering offering.

An authentically Scottish culinary hotspot, overlooking the golf course and acres of parkland with views over to Edinburgh Castle, the Pentland Restaurant is Dalmahoy’s signature dining restaurant and makes for a memorable experience.

Alistair Kinchin, General Manager at the independently-branded Dalmahoy said: “We’re really pleased to welcome Bruce to our team here at Dalmahoy. We’ve worked hard to cement our culinary reputation in Edinburgh, and as a three-time Scottish Chef of the Year, it’s a real coup to have enticed Bruce to join us. Bruce’s stewardship heralds exciting times ahead for Dalmahoy as a food destination.”

Dalmahoy prides itself on providing a diverse food offering for every occasion. As well as the signature Pentland Restaurant, informal dining for all the family can be found in The Brasserie, a relaxed, all-day dining venue. With natural daylight flooding through large windows and sweeping vistas, it’s a great space to have a coffee, spot of lunch or bite to eat in the evening.

For a relaxing treat with loved ones, afternoon tea is served in the Pentland Restaurant with sweeping views or in the relaxing Douglas Lounge. Named after the family who own the estate, picture roaring fires, elegant furnishings and sprawling countryside. Dalmahoy recently introduced a special afternoon tea for children – currently going down a storm with families.

Set amidst a thousand acres of parkland on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Dalmahoy is a four-star hotel and country club with an original 18th century baronial-style manor at its heart.

www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk