42 | CHEF FOCUS
Meet Alan Clarke, Head Chef at Maryculter House I signed up for a professional cookery course when I was 16 or 17. At 21, I joined Ardoe House where I was the runner up in the group’s global competition for young chefs. I worked at Skye’s The Three Chimneys, before heading back to the Ardoe and then moving to Maryculter House Hotel. When I’m not in the kitchen, Finley, our baby, and our new house keep me busy, though I still like to get out and about when time allows. At Maryculter House, we change the menus every three or four weeks to make the most of
Maryculter House, South Deeside Road, Aberdeen Tel: 01224 732124 maryculterhouse.com
seasonal produce. We have six starters, six main courses and six desserts, each of which involves a lot of different elements. As a chef, I’m always interested in food. Some of the best I’ve ever eaten would be from Michael Smith, of Loch Bay in Skye. His Orbost skink is amazing, though the weirdest thing I’ve tried was during a blind taste test. Let’s just say you’ll never find dried crispy spiders on the menu here!
