A 19th century coastal hotel has welcomed a new head chef from a Michelin Star restaurant in Edinburgh.
Celebrated chef Tyler King was recently appointed head chef at Knockinaam Lodge in Dumfries & Galloway, bringing experience from some of Scotland's leading kitchens - including a One Michelin Star establishment - to the five-star coastal hotel.
Mr King joined Knockinaam Lodge from Edinburgh restaurant Condita, where he was head chef and retained the restaurant's Michelin Star during his tenure. 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.
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The appointment marks a new chapter for Knockinaam Lodge's kitchen, with Mr King set to develop 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.
Of his new role, Mr King said: “I chose to move to Knockinaam Lodge for multiple reasons, a few being the vast history the building holds combined with the amount of potential that I could see within Knockinaam, as well as I felt that we had aligned ambitions.
“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"
Under Mr King's 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. Priced at £135 per person, the tasting menu will be available with optional wine pairings selected to complement each course, drawing from Knockinaam's extensive wine list.
When it comes to developing the news menus Mr King is keen to use as much local produce as possible, and some learnings from Condita. He said: “Our main focus on developing dishes and menus are to hone in on the abundance of great local produce as well as the produce we have on our grounds and showcase that as best as possible.
“My personal style of cooking won't change too much from what it was at Condita. I plan to continue to build and evolve from what I’ve been doing in the past. At the heart of it has always been incredible Scottish produce and then just putting my own spin on things using global and classical techniques.”
Knockinaam Lodge is no stranger to Michelin. It held a Star for years, and it is a recommended hotel in the Guide. To many, Mr King's move could signal a desire to achieve that Star again, something he’s not ruling out.
He said: “Knockinaam Lodge held a star for just over two decades. It has an incredible culinary history and if we could bring the star back to the lodge it would be fantastic, but our primary focus is to develop and continue to improve the overall experience.”
Retaining Condita’s Michelin Star was a learning experience for Mr King said: “The main thing that it taught me was the amount of dedication it took to consistently produce at a One Michelin Star level. Despite what's going on behind the scenes - you could be a whole team down - and still the food has to go out at the standard it would if you had a full team behind you.”
Fife born Tyler 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 as head chef, where he retained the restaurant's Michelin star throughout his two and a half year tenure.
While the move out of a city seems like a big one, it’s a return to Mr King’s childhood and coastal setting that he enjoys. He said: “As much as I love the city, I grew up in the East Neuk so I'm not unfamiliar with being in a small village. I love being on the coast and being more rural for a multitude of different reasons, one of which is feeling much closer to the produce we use in the kitchen.”
Callum McCann, general manager at Knockinaam Lodge, said of Mr King’s appointment: “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.”