Andrew Fairlie, who has died aged 55 after suffering from a brain tumour, is credited with leading the transformation of Scotland’s culinary scene and inspiring a generation of chefs to follow in his footsteps. In 2001, he opened Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, in Perthshire, which in 2006 became the only establishment in Scotland to be awarded two Michelin stars. Fairlie was the antithesis of the high profile television chef. His watchword was to “let the cooking do the talking” and he was more interested in providing young chefs with the same opportunities from which he had benefited than in boosting his own profile or maximising commercial opportunities. His style was calm and courteous with an unfailing eye for detail. The great and good of Scotland coveted the outstanding experience that Fairlie guaranteed as well as the personal attention he brought to the tables. In 2005, he cooked for world leaders when the G8 summit came to Gleneagles and in 2014 for the Ryder Cup golf teams. However, Fairlie was equally at home with the many for whom a visit to his restaurant was a one-off experience, truly believing that serving them was a privilege. As the former Gleneagles general manager Peter Lederer said: “They looked at the bill, blinked and then invariably agreed it was worth every penny.” Fairlie’s career began as a schoolboy waiter at the Station hotel, Perth. He later recalled the “tarragon moment” that shaped his future: “One Saturday afternoon, I nicked a spoonful of beef chasseur. ‘Oh my God,’ I thought, ‘what the hell is that?’ I went straight into the kitchen and asked the chef who explained I was tasting fresh tarragon.” He knew then what he wanted to do. “I sat my last exam and started work in the kitchen the next day.” He followed the head chef Keith Podmore to Boodle’s club in London and in 1984 became the inaugural winner of the Roux scholarship at the age of 20. As part of the prize, he spent three months working under the three-Michelin-starred chef Michel Guérard at Les Prés d’Eugénie, in south-west France. This was a highly influential period in the development of Fairlie’s cooking and it also instilled in him a love of fresh, local ingredients, which remained a hallmark. There followed a two-year stint at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, where the learning process left deep distaste for the macho kitchen culture there, which he described as “brutal, horrible, violent”. He travelled extensively and his early career included posts in Africa and Australia before two seasons as chef de cuisine on the Royal Scotsman train and a spell at Hotel Disneyland in Paris, where he set up the fine-dining restaurant. In 1994, he returned to Scotland as head chef at Ken McCulloch’s townhouse hotel One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow, where he won his first Michelin star. After seven highly successful years there, he wanted to run his own restaurant and the opportunity presented itself through an old friend, Alan Hill, by then food and beverage director at the Gleneagles hotel. This great Perthshire institution wanted something transformational to challenge generally negative perceptions of Scottish hotel food. The idea – then quite innovative – emerged of Fairlie operating his own restaurant within the hotel. Lederer recalled: “We carved out the space and he designed his own kitchen. It was a classic win-win.” With 50 covers, the Fairlie restaurant was small enough to be intimate within the overall grandeur of Gleneagles, an atmosphere enhanced by his personal care and amiability. The food owed much to his French training, without bending to gimmick or extremes. As the Guardian food writer Matthew Fort put it: “It is classic and French in technique and tenor, structure and saucing, but it has a distinctive, precise character that comes from balance and restraint.” Fairlie achieved his first Michelin star at Gleneagles in 2002; when the restaurant received its second four years later, it became one the few in the UK to hold that status. Other accolades included the AA Chefs’ Chef of the Year, in 2006, Chef of the Year at the inaugural Scottish Restaurant Awards in 2008 and a Relais & Chateau grand chef in 2011. Fairlie was born in Perth, one of the five children of Jim, an economics lecturer, and Kay, who worked in a shoe shop. He went to school at Perth Academy, leaving at 15 to start his culinary career. In the 1980s, Fairlie’s father was deputy leader of the Scottish National party, and at the time of the Scottish referendum in 2014 Fairlie himself was an adviser to the pro-independence campaign. In 2005 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and underwent major surgery. In spite of his health challenges and the intermittent need for treatment, he continued to work until last November. He was married first to Ashley, with whom he had two daughters, Ilona and Leah; the marriage ended in divorce. His partner from 2008 was Kate White; they married last year. He is survived by Kate, his daughters, two stepdaughters, Kitty and Rosie, his parents and siblings.<doc-sep>Something went wrong - please try again later. Thank you for signing up to our Food and Drink Newsletter. For brilliant recipes, the best of local produce, fresh ideas and insight, subscribe to our weekly Food and Drink Newsletter. With the sad news of the death of Andrew Fairlie, Menu editor Caroline Lindsay looks at the life and legacy of the iconic Gleneagles chef. Everyone on The Menu was saddened to hear of the death of Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie. His eponymous Restaurant Andrew Fairlie is the only two Michelin star restaurant in Scotland and one of only 15 in the UK – so he leaves behind a fantastic legacy. But more importantly, he was passionate about local and seasonal food – something that working in France for five years brought home to him – and was an inspiration to everyone he worked with and cooked for. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for a feature a few years ago – he was chatty, charming and funny, recounting tales from his Perthshire childhood and revealing how his career began. It was in 1978, when Andrew was 15, that a school pal told him the Station Hotel in Perth was looking for waiting staff. “I had an appointment to meet a Mr Charles, the maitre d’hotel, one day after school,” Andrew recalled. “Mr Charles was French; he stood well over six feet tall and looked absolutely immaculate in his dinner suit. “He asked me if I had black trousers and black shoes, told me to get my hair cut and report to him the next day at 5pm – my interview lasted a minute.” Sneaking a taste of some leftover sauce on a roast beef chausseur dish literally stopped the young Andrew in his tracks. “There was something in there I had never tasted before – it was fresh tarragon – and it was as if I had just discovered the meaning of life. And that was the moment I knew I wanted to be a chef!” Over the years he cooked for many famous names including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Van Morrison but, he revealed, a particular highlight was back in 2005 when Gleneagles hosted the G8 summit. “We cooked the summit dinner and the Queen’s state banquet,” he said. “I remember looking into the room and thinking: ‘I shall probably never cook for an audience quite like that again.’”<doc-sep>Kate Fairlie and his daughters, Ilona and Leah, on behalf of the family, said: "We are utterly heartbroken that Andrew has gone but are so thankful we had this extraordinary man in our lives.<doc-sep>
Renowned chef Andrew Fairlie has died after a long battle with a brain tumour. The 55-year-old, who appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals, stepped down from his two Michelin-starred restaurant in November after announcing his terminal diagnosis. Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at the luxury Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire is the only one in Scotland with two Michelin stars. Image: Andrew Fairlie (R) with Heston Blumenthal Tributes poured in following his death, with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying "it was a privilege to know him". She added: "I'm so sorry to hear that Andrew Fairlie has died. My deepest condolences to his family. "Andrew is gone far too soon, but his achievements will always be remembered and his legacy will inspire the next generation of world class chefs." I’m so sorry to hear that Andrew Fairlie has died. My deepest condolences to his family. Andrew is gone far too soon, but his achievements will always be remembered and his legacy will inspire the next generation of world class chefs. It was a privilege to know him. https://t.co/9pslZYukKl — Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 22, 2019 Fairlie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2005 and had received chemotherapy and radiotherapy. After undergoing surgery, he was told last June that no further treatment was available. In a statement following his death, his wife, Kate Fairlie, and his daughters, Ilona and Leah, said they were "utterly heartbroken" but also "so thankful we had this extraordinary man in our lives". "He was a beautifully kind, generous loving son, father, husband, brother and friend, and enriched the lives of anybody lucky enough to meet him," they said. Image: Andrew Fairlie was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2005 "He has taught us so many lessons in life, not least to be kind. "He worked incredibly hard and his favourite thing to do was to create magic for us in the kitchen at home. "We will miss his calm, wonderful spirit, his cheeky sense of humour and his loving nature." Fairlie cooked for the Queen and 44 world leaders during the G8 summit in 2005 and was crowned chef of the year at the 2018 Food and Travel Magazine Reader Awards. He opened his own restaurant within the Gleneagles Hotel in 2001 and received its first Michelin star eight months later. A second one followed in 2006. A private funeral will take place and later this year a memorial service will be held at the Gleneagles Hotel.