Page 28 - Homes & Interiors Scotland

THIS LIFE

butcher 30 miles from here. You might even have passed the I won’t have anything to eat all day. At the end I give the
cows in the field.’ leftovers to the staff. An hour later, after I’ve driven home, I’ll
“One of the great things about being a private chef is that be having cheese on toast and a bag of crisps at 2am.”
I can buy best of Scottish without thinking about it. In hotels Come tea time, he turns to what he calls “all the usual
and restaurants, if I want to put scallops on the menu, it’s a culprits. I like Japanese, I do a lot of Asian food, I cook
starter with three scallops and I have to charge £18. But for the everything from fresh – something like a nice curry or a good
people I work for, cost isn’t an issue. They just want the best of stir-fry. I’m not going to spend all afternoon in the kitchen. It’s
everything for their guests.” more like Ready Steady Cook half an hour before dinner.”
Home is a cottage in Strathtummel, renovated by John Even after all their years together, Kim is still in awe of
between cooking gigs. During the autumn stalking season her husband’s ability to magic up an instant feast from some
he might be away for five weeks at a time. But when he is in unpromising bits and pieces. “My wife says, ‘You open the
residence, he takes charge of the kitchen. Game pies, however, fridge and within half an hour you’ve got something that’s
are off the menu. “I like cooking and I do 95% of it at home. great. I would have to be making a shopping list, getting all the
But it’s a big myth that chefs eat really well. Most chefs have a ingredients and following a recipe.’”
terrible diet. I do make an effort, but if I’m doing a wedding Who needs recipes when you have a private chef?

“WHEN YOU’RE SITTING DOWN AT A WEDDING

YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE LIKES”

The view of Loch Tummel from
John and Kim’s cottage

HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND