You’re Invera treatat Pam’s place
Scot lands prestigious UK-wide honour just four years after opening tiny lochside restaurant
A SCOT has been named UK chef of the year by the prestigious Good Food Guide.
Pam Brunton, who runs Inver in Argyll with her partner Rob, makes the bread as well as the butter, picks the herbs and flowers for the salads and comes up with the ideas for the Nordic-inspired menus that have won rave reviews since the tiny lochside restaurant opened in 2015.
Customers drive for miles to enjoy her raw take on fish and chips, a strawberry and flaxseed mousse or pig’s blood brioche buns with a raw scallop in the middle.
Pam, originally from Carnoustie in Angus, said: “Being quite removed from the big city community, an award like this feels like you’ve been given a place at the table.
“I have so much respect for previous winners and for the honesty and integrity of The Good Food Guide’s judgment criteria, making it a very resonant compliment indeed.
“Being a chef in your own restaurant can feel a little like being trapped in a strange little world of your own creating, so it is also nice to be reminded that others share that world with you, and even like being there too.”
Good Food Guide editor Elizabeth Carter said: “Although perfectly attuned to the Scottish context and natural larder on her doorstep, chef Pam Brunton is adept at weaving in wider geographic or historic influences with a high level of ambition and individuality.”
Inver, on the banks of Loch Fyne, is one of seven Scottish restaurants in the Good Food Guide’s Top 50.
The top scoring Scottish entry is Andrew Fairlie, at No12. Fairlie died at the start of the year but the staff have carried on his great work in the restaurant, which is part of the Gleneagles Hotel.
Other high scorers include The Peat Inn, Fife, at No23 and The Kitchin in Leith, Edinburgh, at No25. Restaurant Martin Wishart and Castle Terrace, also both in the capital, come in at No46 and No50. The guide is compiled from reader feedback and anonymous inspections by a team of experts. Number 16 in Glasgow was named best local restaurant in Scotland. Owner Joel Pomfret said: “Our focus has always been to provide customers with the very best dining experience by offering quality food and friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere, so we are extremely proud.”