National Chef of the Year - Orry Shand

We are incredibly proud to announce our Executive Chef, Orry Shand, has won the prestigious title of National Chef of the Year at The Craft Guild of Chefs competition in London.

The National Chef of the Year competition is known for its intense challenge, with only the best, most innovative and creative chefs getting a shot at the title. Facing fierce competition from the nine other talented finalists, Orry rose to the challenge and impressed a panel of top-tier judges including Matt Abé, chef-patron at three Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Orry’s love of cooking began in Home Economics classes in school, and from here his obsession with watching chefs and cooking shows, especially Chef Gary Rhodes grew. Driven by his genuine love of food and fascination with the art of cooking, Orry has turned this love into a fulfilling and rewarding career. Orry began his culinary career at the age of 14 as a commis chef in a local restaurant. He later moved to Edinburgh to work at the Michelin-starred Number One Restaurant at The Balmoral Hotel. A few years on, he went on to work at the two Michelin-starred Restaurant Andrew Fairlie. Returning to Aberdeen, he joined the opening team at The Chester Hotel before becoming part of the Entier family in 2017. As Executive Chef, Orry oversees the production and retail kitchen, caters for private dinners and events in the Aberdeenshire area, and is a mentor to young chefs coming into the industry through Entier's award-winning Fresh Olive apprenticeship programme.

From the countless hours of intense preparation to the pressure of competing against some of the best chefs in the country, Orry’s focus, attention to detail, and creativity set him apart and allowed him to deliver standout dishes that earned him the title.

Orry’s National Chef of the Year menu was inspired by dishes he loves to eat, featuring ingredients he enjoys cooking with. His starter was North Sea turbot, paired with a smoked scallop mousse, as this is one of his favourite fish to both cook and eat.

For the main course, he prepared Lumina lamb loin, roasted with haggis-style spices, and served over a bed of smoking pine, heather, gorse, and bay leaf, all of which grow near the sheep fields at his home. The dish was finished with a lamb sauce made from 17-year-old Glen Garioch whisky.

For dessert, it was a sprayed mousse of Manjari Valrhona chocolate, paired with Alphonso mango and a warm miso and yuzu caramel sauce. Orry’s love of chocolate and tropical fruit came through in this dish, with the rich Manjari chocolate mousse perfectly complemented by the Alphonso mango.

This prestigious accolade places Chef Orry among the industry’s elite, with previous winners including Gordon Ramsay, Alyn Williams and Mark Sargeant. Matt Abé and the panel of judges praised Orry and commented he had “set a new standard in The National Chef of the Year Competition” stating that his dishes were executed to almost perfection, with pinpoint accuracy, visually stunning dishes and he came with a clear plan to win.

What an incredible achievement! All the hard work has truly paid off, Well done Chef, you've earned it.