Port Appin hotel welcomes new head chef

michael-leathley-pierhouse-hotel-and-seafood-restaurant

THE Pierhouse Hotel & Seafood Restaurant in Argyll has appointed a new head chef.

Michael Leathley, who has lived and worked in Scotland for five years, will head up the AA Rosette awarded kitchen in Port Appin.

The 37-year-old former sous-chef of A’Challtainn Fish Restaurant in Glasgow has worked in kitchens in London, Aberdeen and Glasgow and is best known for his cooking style that “brings the outside in” and celebrates ingredients from the land and sea.

Michael, who is originally from North Shields, comes from a long line of fishermen – his grandfather was a day boat fisherman on the River Tyne.

Leathley said: “Cooking at The Pierhouse is a real celebration of the natural environment we’re lucky to have around us.

“From the lobster creels at the end of our very own pier, to the finest wild hill venison from Lochaber, our dishes respect the abundance of local produce and the people who dedicate their lives to working on the land and sea to bring us the finest produce.

“I enjoy letting the food speak for itself using classic, simple techniques. The real luxury in cooking these days is making use of what’s here, right now.

“It’s a joy to use produce that’s in season, available locally, with known quality and provenance, sourced wherever possible from within 50 miles of the hotel.”