Andrew Fairlie

Running the only two-Michelin-star restaurant in Scotland, situated within the luxury Gleneagles hotel, this chef has to keep his ideas fresh. He tells Anthea Gerrie where he goes – and eats – for inspiration

What’s your favourite thing about cooking in Scotland?

We are so spoiled for fresh fish and shellfish here. My lobster gently smoked over whisky chips and served in its shell has become a signature dish. Seaweed has become my favourite ingredient since I visited Japan and we actually have many of the same varieties in Scotland. We make our own seaweed salt and I like to sprinkle dried kombu on braised ox cheeks.

Where do you travel for new ideas?

I find the food of northern Spain inspirational: everything from the simple but superb pintxos of San Sebastián to the food of innovative chefs like Eneko Atxa at Azurmendi azurmendi.biz outside Bilabo. I also look to Paris. I worked there after training with Michel Guérard michelguerard.com in Gascony. The French do haute cuisine better than anyone else. Every year I go with my restaurant manager and head chef to see what they’re doing in Paris, and I also keep an eye on what’s happening in New York.

Where do you eat for pleasure?

Paris tops the list again. I go to restaurants like L’Astrance astrancerestaurant.com or Pierre Gagnaire pierre-gagnaire.com for a special occasion. But I also have a secret little bolthole in northern Spain: Kaia-Kaipe in Getaria (http://www.kaia-kaipe.com/) where I was first taken by a winemaker. I also love to eat in Umbria; no one does simple food better than the Italians.

What makes a good restaurant for you?

Service is every bit as important as the food. I want all our guests to relax and have a good time. I also want them to feel surprised, inspired. Having a gastronomic experience does not mean fussy food. I’m trying to make mine simpler, taking the best products I can get and serving them as naturally as I can.

What’s your first order at the bar?

I like a glass of Krug, but my favourite tipple is red wine, ideally a Bordeaux. My favourite bar in Glasgow is The Ben Nevis (http://www.ben-nevis-inn.co.uk/) – I used to go there every night when I lived in the city, and I’ll always go in when I’m back. It offers an amazing selection of whiskies and a great set of characters – you’ll find everyone there from Ewan McGregor to an expert kilt-maker.

Whose brains do you pick for ideas?

I get together with a group of chef pals from all over Britain once or twice a year: Sat Bains, who I met through The Roux Scholarship, Claude Bosi, Daniel Clifford, Tom Kerridge and Glynn Purnell. I dislike hotel bars; we’ll do our drinking over a long lunch or dinner. Last time we went to Arbutus.

What piece of kit can’t you live without?

Besides of course my knives, it would have to be my Thermomix; it can practically replace a commis chef. It’s so precise for everything from making a crème anglaise to tempering chocolate.