How male midwife delivered a top-class restaurant
Career change sees Tony and business partner peter scoop taste of Grampian award
Published:
A MIDWIFE who turned his hobby of cooking into a career was last night celebrating as his Deeside eatery was named Taste of Grampian Restaurant of the Year.
Tony Fuell received the Press and Journal and EatScotland-sponsored-award for the Auld Kirk restaurant in Ballater’s Braemar Road that he and business partner Peter Graydon took over in 2006.
The pair left it to the 11th hour to enter the contest, submitting their entry 17 minutes before the closing date at midnight on February 18.
Commendations were awarded to the Buchan Braes Hotel at Boddam and Eat On The Green at Udny Green.
The presentations were made at the Grampian Food Forum Innovation Awards, held at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa in Aberdeen.
Mr Fuell and Mr Graydon have since turned their acquisition from what was a small hotel into a restaurant with rooms where the emphasis is on the quality of food it serves.
The refurbishment has seen antique pew ends from a church at Alford, special lighting and religious artefacts installed in the restaurant that was praised by the judge, a leading food critic and restaurant reviewer.
Mr Fuell was for 24 years a midwife, latterly the head of midwifery education at York University of York. He also ran an outside catering company as a hobby. Mr Graydon’s background is in hospitality management.
Mr Fuell said: “Two-and-a-half years ago I decided to make my hobby my main career. Since we’ve had the Auld Kirk we’ve really turned the place around. It has been extensively refurbished and we’ve been awarded an AA rosette for our food. We hope to get a second later this year. We also have a four star rating from the AA and VisitScotland.”
Mr Fuell said the restaurant had been fortunate in avoiding the fallout from the credit crunch, which has seen many establishments suffer as consumers opt to eat at home rather than dine out.
He said: “We are still as busy. The main reason is that we are very lucky in that throughout the year 60% of our business comes from local residents. This Saturday is already fully booked.”
The menu at the Auld Kirk focuses on seasonal, local produce with five or six starters, main courses and desserts, all prepared in the kitchen under the chef team led by Mr Fuell.
The food is traditionally Scottish but with a contemporary feel. There were seven restaurants shortlisted for the competition.
The judge, who visits anon-ymously, said his task was becoming more difficult due to the continually improving standards of the entrants.
He said: “This is excellent news for the inhabitants of Grampian, and for the region’s visitors, but a bit of a headache for me. The result this year is almost literally a ‘knife-edge’ decision. But overall the Auld Kirk at Ballater won because of its strong championship of fresh local produce, clear provenance of raw materials, and imaginative use of traditional and seasonal ingredients.”
As well as a winner’s plaque, the accolade includes £1,000 to spend on local produce at Taste of Grampian and a free stand at the event, which will be held at the Thainstone Centre, Inverurie, on June 6
The award also includes substantial publicity in the P&J’s Your Life supplement.
