Award-winning chef Colin, formally Head chef at Albert and Michel Roux Jnr Restaurant at Inverlochy Castle re-opened Mingary Castle with his partner, Jessica as a restaurant with rooms in May 2021. Colin’s passion for local, seasonal, and foraged ingredients helps him showcase Scotland’s natural larder. He works closely with producers, fishermen and farmers to create a sublime daily changing six-course tasting menu served in Mingary’s intimate dining room.

33-year-old Colin’s passion for hospitality stemmed from his first part-time job in his teens on the Isle of North Uist. He went to Strathclyde University to undertake a Maths and Physics degree before switching last minute to Hotel & Hospitality Management. After a year, his passion for cooking flourished and he decided to return to North Uist to take a full-time job at the place where he first began his hospitality career, Langass Lodge under the watchful eye of John Buchanan. Here he
learned a range of skills from fish preparation to butchery, and classical cookery while studying Professional Cookery at Inverness College.

He then went onto work at Loch Lomond Golf Club under Darren Harrison for a season before joining the newly built cruise ship, Seabourn Sojourn. Here he travelled from Hong Kong to Europe, experiencing new ingredients from many different countries that helped shape his style of cooking.

Colin returned to Langass Lodge as Sous Chef for three years. He helped maintain Langass Lodge’s long reputation as being one of the best restaurants in the Western Isles. It was here Colin met Jessica. With their keen interest in travel, they both decided to pack their bags and head to Australia. They then found themselves working in one of Australia’s top and long-standing restaurants The Lakehouse in Daylesford. After a short stint in New Zealand, the couple returned home, with a wealth of new knowledge and skills.

Colin took on the role of Head Chef at Arisaig House in 2018, working with local suppliers and produce grown within the kitchen garden he achieved 2 AA Rosettes within six months and maintained the Rosettes the following year. Within Colin’s first year as Head Chef at Albert and Michel Roux Jnr’s Restaurant he achieved 3 AA Rosettes.