Michelin-starred chef Tyler King has been appointed head chef at Dumfries & Galloway’s five-star coastal hotel Knockinaam Lodge.
King joins Knockinaam from Edinburgh restaurant Condita, where he was head chef and retained the restaurant’s Michelin star during his two-and-a-half year tenure.
The Fife-born chef began his career in 2014 at Malmaison Dundee before going to work at Rockcliffe Hall, Castle Terrace in Edinburgh and Number One at the Balmoral.
In 2020, he moved to Germany to work as senior sous chef at Michelin-starred Prism under Gal Ben Moshe, where he developed a particular interest in preservation and fermentation.
Returning to Scotland in 2021, Tyler helped launch Bridge 15 before joining Condita.
At Knockinaam, he will lead the hotel’s three AA Rosette restaurant, bringing his ‘experience and passion for seasonal Scottish produce’ to the kitchen, with a focus on ingredients from the surrounding land and coastline.
Beginning a new chapter for Knockinaam kitchen, King has been tasked with developing a dining experience that reflects the character and location of the hotel while retaining the style and sense of place that guests have come to expect.
Under his direction, the restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu will change often allowing the kitchen to make the most of the best seasonal produce available from local producers and suppliers.
That tasting menu will be available with optional wine pairings selected to complement each course, drawing from Knockinaam’s extensive wine list.
King will also introduce a new three-course lunch menu, afternoon teas, and a lounge menu, with dishes changing regularly according to the seasons.
Working closely with local producers and suppliers, including BoTree, Vanilla Labs, Shh’annu Lamb, Kirkwood Farm, Loch Ryan Wild Venison, and local creel fishermen, King aims to shape the menus around the produce of the Rhins of Galloway, the Solway Firth and the wider south-west of Scotland.
He said: “I am really excited to be joining Knockinaam Lodge and to have the opportunity to work with the incredible produce and producers here in Galloway.
“The setting is a huge part of what makes this place special, and I want the menu to reflect that. I’m looking forward to creating menus that change often and make the most of what is available each day to give guests a real sense of where they are”
General manager at Knockinaam Lodge, Callum McCann, said: “It is great to have Tyler join the team at Knockinaam. He has such a strong background in Scottish cooking and a real understanding of the produce we have around us, so he is the perfect fit for the hotel.
“Knockinaam has always had a real focus on food and has a long history of being recognised for what we do in the kitchen, including holding a Michelin star for more than two decades.
“Having Tyler join us is a really exciting moment for us and we are looking forward to seeing where he takes the kitchen and welcoming guests to experience his cooking.”
