Former MasterChef winner is Scotland’s first national chef

Passion: Advocate for ‘fresh, nutritious locally sourced food’ wants to promote benefits of good produce to the nation’s diet

A former winner of the BBC’s MasterChef programme has been appointed to a new role by the Scottish Government.

Gary Maclean has been named as Scotland’s first national chef.

Mr Maclean, a senior chef lecturer at the City of Glasgow College, was the winner of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2016.

His new role will see him tasked with helping to take forward plans to make Scotland a “good food nation” and deliver a Government commitment to promote locally sourced and produced food and drink.

He will also demonstrate ways of cooking fresh ingredients at events and via social media, as well as highlighting the benefits of good food on physical and mental wellbeing.

Mr Maclean said: “As a passionate advocate for cooking fresh, nutritious and locally sourced food, I am absolutely delighted to be appointed Scotland’s first national chef.

“I’m sure my passion for education will also help to promote the benefits that Scottish produce can have on a healthy diet and will help to change our relationship with locally sourced and produced food.”

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Scotland’s food and drink sector is a global success story and one of the main contributors to our economy.

“We want to build upon this success by becoming a world leading good food nation where nutritious, fresh and environmentally sustainable food is a key part of what makes people proud of their country and Gary will play a leading role in delivering this ambition.”

Picture: PA. Gary Maclean is Scotland’s national chef.