MEET THE MAKERS

Meet the Chef: Interview with Mark Donald

He has worked under some of the world’s top chefs, and now the spotlight is firmly on chef Mark Donald. His innovative cuisine served up at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant has earned him a Michelin star, and, more recently, Scotland’s first in-distillery fine-dining restaurant was awarded 4 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.

Passion, produce, provenance and a splash of playfulness are the key ingredients that run through the innovative and imaginative tasting menu served by chef Mark Donald at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, located in the heart of the Perthshire countryside in central Scotland.

And within just seven months of the restaurant opening its doors in 2021, Glasgow-born Mark Donald proved that this is a winning formula when he was awarded a Michelin star. 

Situated at the Glenturret Distillery, widely considered to be Scotland’s oldest working whisky distillery dating back to 1763 (and recently bought by the luxury French crystal house, Lalique), Donald serves his multicourse gastronomic experience in a beautiful six-table dining room overlooking the tumbling waters of River Turret and surrounded by green pastures and hilly peaks.

Donald has impeccable culinary credentials, having held positions at some of the world’s finest Michelin-starred restaurants including Noma, Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Hibiscus London and, most recently, Number One at the Balmoral in Edinburgh. 

In a candid interview for Dream Escape, chef Donald tells Annabel Mackie about the wonderful Scottish produce at his fingertips, his culinary inspiration and how he likes to inject some humour into his menu. 

How did you feel when you heard you’d won the Michelin star?

Retaining the star (when he was at the helm at the Balmoral) was great, but this felt different and meant a lot more to me as we’d built the restaurant and concept from scratch. It felt more earned.

Do you use a lot of local produce?

I’ve made a lot of great local connections since I moved up here. My neighbour provides the honey, we get our game from Castle Game, Wagyu beef from Highland Wagyu (Bridge of Allan), fish from David Lowrie in Edinburgh, scallops from Orkney and herbs from Tomnah’a Market Garden just down the road. I use foraged mushrooms from the banks of the River Turret and wild garlic, pears and quince from my own garden. 

Do you think diners are more educated now?

Absolutely. I think it has a lot to do with all the cooking shows, such as MasterChef, Great British Menu, and Bake Off: The Professionals, where people are jumping through hoops to make amazing centrepieces. People are more aware of what to expect, and they want to be wowed. If I was to pay £100-plus per head for a meal, I would expect it to be amazing. Not only are the diners more educated; so are the cooks. They have so much information in the palm of their hand (mobile). And I think, like me, that once they’ve worked abroad, you realise that the Scottish produce you have at your fingertips is better than good. It is unmatched, sometimes. I have guys in my kitchen from Spain, France, Sardinia, Greece and when they see the langoustines and the scallops come in, they’re blown away.  

You’ve worked for some of the world’s top chefs. Who has inspired you the most? 

All of them for different reasons. When I was doing my internship at Noma in Copenhagen in 2010 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards had just made them the number one restaurant in the world. So I knew I was in a special place and chef Rene (Redzepi) had such a clear vision and definitive conceptualisation of everything he did. When I worked under Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles it was all about learning the fundamentals of cooking at a high standard, and Claude (Bosi) at Hibiscus was such a visionary of putting flavours together, even the simplest of ones.  

Do you accommodate different dietary requirements at Glenturret?

Yes, I offer the lot. When you book, you’re asked whether you have any dietary requirements. Catering for all the dietary requirements when I worked at Bentley restaurant (Sydney) helped me to recalibrate my cooking, so I am now able to better cater for them.

So, guests then get the same experience?

For sure. You are paying the same amount of money, so you should. Some of the kitchens I’ve worked in, the replacement is just the meat taken off the plate. So, if you’re vegetarian, or have an allergy, you instantly feel you’re an afterthought, and that is just due to lazy chefs. For me, one of the reasons I pushed myself to do the dietary requirements is that it has unlocked a different way of cooking and allowed me to discover things that I probably wouldn’t have done. For example, I have a coeliac-friendly and egg-free ravioli on my menu. 

You like to inject some humour into some of your dishes, don’t you?

I’ve always been a bit of a joker. I had a regular at Bentley who loved Glasgow, and I made him a deep-fried pizza and wrapped it in newspaper!  On my menu, I have added humour with the likes of the Tattie Scone, Lobster Bisque-it, The Snack a Jacques and the Sweetie Box.

How much of a free rein were you given to create the menu?

I can do whatever I want at Glenturret. Although it’s still an ‘occasion’ restaurant, I don’t want people to feel nervous about coming somewhere so fancy. I want people to relax and enjoy the experience. When I came here, I was very worried that it was going to be a carbon copy of the (Lalique) restaurants in France. I was given all the crystalware, the linen, the porcelain. They are stunning, but I’ve also added some of my own touches, such as the stoneware dishes I got from an Edinburgh ceramicist and the use of a barley ‘grist’ box to present a dish. 

How have you incorporated The Glenturret whisky?

When I first heard about the job, I immediately thought I’d be making shortbread and haggis bonbons!  I knew, however, I needed to smash people’s expectations and mine too. So, the team and I spent time learning about the processes involved and tasting the whiskies. 

We then played around with the sugary barley water and realised it could taste like treacle, so that’s what we put on the malted barley loaf we serve.  We’ve also made a barley soya sauce in aged peat-smoked whisky barrels, a barley miso to marinate meats and fish, and whisky is used in some of the puddings. 

Is a second star your next goal?

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. It would be nice, but it’s not the only reason I get out of bed in the morning. I get out of bed because I love to cook. I think the reason why Michelin is so revered is that it seems to be peerless and fair. 

In an industry where you put in so much and get so little back, having this affirmation and confirmation that what you are doing is right is so important. It’s the food Oscars. It’s great to win, especially when the guys in the kitchen are slogging it out for 17 hours a day. I don’t want to make achieving a second star my only mission, as I think that’s dangerous.  You can go down a dark road when the Guide comes out, and you don’t get it. I’ve worked for two-star chefs; I’ve cooked for them and run their kitchen, so I would be lying if I said I didn’t want the accolade, but it’s not the reason why I cook. 

What advice would you give young chefs?

Become a carpenter (laughs)! No, I think of the many times when I was a junior in kitchens, and I had wild ideas of things I wanted to do.  I wanted to be better the whole time. It’s good to be driven, and I think you should always dream big. 

IMAGE CREDITS: Courtesy of Mark Donald and The Glenturret Lalique

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