Andrew Fairlie Scholarship 2025
Meet the Finalists - Fraser Hobday
Senior Sous Chef, Entier
Where are you from originally, where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Originally, I was born in Luton, and we lived in Bedfordshire. We moved up to Scotland when I was three, to a farmhouse on an estate called Rickarton just outside the coastal town of Stonehaven. I spent the next 22 years living with my family until I moved out to another small coastal town called Portlethen, just slightly south of Aberdeen where I currently stay with my wife and daughter.
What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?
Education and progression. Knowing the size and meaning of the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship through working closely with former employee of Andrews Fairlie’s, Orry Shand and previous scholar Andrew Clark enlightened me that this was what I wanted to dedicate my time to achieving, allowing me the potential opportunity to stagier at extremely reputable Michelin star restaurants and an educational trip to enhance my food knowledge. Having the chance to present my dishes in front of this year’s judges, is something I am extremely grateful for.
Have you always wanted to be a chef, what made you choose this career?
Yes, my passion for food and cookery have always been very strong. Cooking at home alongside my mum from a young age using fresh produce from the garden and foraging from the woodlands ignited my desire to follow a career as a professional chef so it felt very natural for me to choose this path.
What do you love about working as a chef?
I love working with new and fresh ingredients, allowing me to practise preparation and cooking techniques that will bolster my skill set and knowledge. Another reason, in my current role, we provide roughly 1000 meals a day to local nurseries. Ensuring the children and the future of Aberdeen and shire have a varied and nutritious meal for their lunch gives me great satisfaction daily. I am extremely passionate about the nutrition of my daughter, and she inspires me every day to take the same mentality to work.
What is your favourite ingredient to work with and why?
Simple. High quality, fresh free-range eggs, whole, whites or yolks. So versatile and can be used in many dishes I enjoy making. Whether that be for breakfast, scrambled, poached, fried or omelette. Used for baking, many desserts, a crème anglaise, maybe a fresh emulsion or even in some Yorkshire puddings for a Sunday roast. My favourite way to utilise them are in a batch of fresh pasta at home when cooking for family.
What are your hopes for your future career as a chef?
I feel this is just the beginning of my journey. After competing and winning NECOTY it has driven me to continue and progress myself down the competition route for now. Being reliable and consistent as possible in my current role is very important to me, but additionally with this comes the need to further educate myself, get out of my comfort zone and grow. This requires me to complete stages, travel on as many educational trips as possible and eat in places that inspire me. One day, I hope this leads to opening my own hospitality venue.