Andrew Fairlie Scholarship 2020/21

Meet the Finalists - Amy Stephenson

Amy Stephenson, Chef de Partie, The Torridon

Where are you from originally? 

I was born in a small town in the south of England near Bedford but I spent my teenage years in West Yorkshire, and that’s where I’d call home. 

What inspired you to apply for the scholarship? 

The owners of The Torridon, in particular Rohaise, suggested I apply. Rohaise always encourages staff to further themselves both within their career and as people. I would never have applied for something like this if she hadn’t pushed me and if I didn’t have the support of a fantastic head chef who is keen to see me develop, but after researching it and seeing what it has to offer, I’m really excited to be in the final now and proud to be representing the hotel and what we do.  

Can you give us a brief description of your career to date? 

My first serious kitchen job was an apprenticeship at Adam Reid at The French in Manchester, I learnt a lot there and left as CDP eventually. Since then, I’ve worked in a few other places but where I am now is the next real step forward in my career. 

What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship? 

I’m very thankful to have been given the opportunity to test my skills and knowledge, and be in with a shot of stageing at some fantastic places. I’m proud to be representing The Torridon as a finalist. 

Growing up, did you always want to be a chef? 

I never thought I would be a chef until high school. I always wanted to go to university and do something academic, until I started a weekend job as a kitchen porter in the local pub. It wasn’t what I’d call a “gastropub” but the food there was really good and the kitchen began to feel like home to me. Doing my work experience there I learnt a lot from the chef, I could see how passionate he was and after he leant me some cookery books I found I had that same passion too. That’s when I decided I wanted to be a cook.

What do you love about working as a chef? 

I love the feeling of accomplishment after a day of mise en place, the satisfaction after a good service, and the rush during a busy one! When everyone in the kitchen team is working in harmony (with the front of house too) it’s a great feeling. 

What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why? 

Fish. The Scottish seas provide world-class seafood and shellfish that’s really inspiring to work with. It helps that we have great fish suppliers too who we keep in contact with to find out what the best fish that day is. 

How has Covid-19 impacted you and your career, and how have you overcome this? What have you been doing during lockdown to keep your skills and knowledge fresh? 

During the first lockdown some animals from our farm (a few cows and four pigs) were sent to slaughter – it was really interesting learning how to butcher down a whole animal, and nice to be able to take time over doing it properly. I wouldn’t say coronavirus has impacted me negatively in the short term but in the long term I think there will be a very detrimental impact on the hospitality industry as a whole, and I can’t say what that means for my career yet but it definitely won’t help.