][1]This 5pm Dining blog scribbler has just returned from a fortnight’s holiday to find an inbox stuffed with juicy nuggets of food news which we will be dropping into the blog over the next few days.
Tuck in:
First up, we were astonished to learn that Marco Pierre White is to open his first Scottish restaurant in Dumfries. The pioneering and formerly mercurial chef is to open a branch of Wheeler’s of St James’s in the Aston Hotel in Dumfries.
Country house hotel
Much like Albert Roux who has opened restaurants in Inverness, Muirfield and Lochinver, MPW has eschewed the bright lights of Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen to make his mark in Scotland’s country house hotel market.
Chefs trained by Marco and his team, in one of his existing Michelin star restaurants, will aim to serve honest, high quality food at affordable prices at Wheeler’s of St. James’s Dumfries.
Marco Pierre White in Scotland
Marco Pierre White said: ‘A Scottish location for the Wheeler’s brand is something I’ve been interested in for some time, but it had to be just right. The brand’s signature is elegant restaurants with a comfortable dining experience, which the new location will allow for perfectly. Our menus offer seasonal produce, sourced locally wherever possible, and Scotland has a magnificent larder for our chefs to choose from.’
The new restaurant will launch of the 28th of November.