Allen         																													MacallanAwards 



Scotland is renowned as a source for some of the world's finest food and drinks produced from the best quality, fresh, natural ingredients with winners of the annual Macallan Taste of Scotland awards being recognised for their  outstanding contribution to upholding and developing the nation's hospitality industry.

"This year the judging for the awards was very difficult because of the exceptionally high calibre of nominations received from all areas of Scotland and for all types of establishments," Comments Amanda Clark, chief executive of Taste of Scotland.

Two Scottish hotels which recently received honours at an award ceremony in Edinburgh - Kinloch House Hotel, Blairgowrie and Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomond- typify the qualities required by those at the cutting edge of culinary innovation.
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"We only select the finest Scottish raw ingredients and then the considerable talents of chef  Bill McNicholl - a master chef of Great Britain -turns them into something special."explains Charlie Shentall, owner of Kinloch House Hotel which received a commendation in the Country Lunch Award 1999 category.  With home grown vegetables, salmon from the local River Tay and the finest local game and Aberdeen Angus beef imaginatively cooked to order, Kinloch House Hotel has a loyal customer base for both its lunch menu and its AA 3-rosette dinner menu. No doubt specialities like McNicholl's "Roof Soup" featuring every type of the finest West Coast seafood including oysters and scallops topped with a pastry dome were among the reasons this family business was shortlisted out of 400 nominations by readers of the Taste of Scotland Guide or its inspectors.

The elegant Georgian Room Restaurant of Cameron House Hotel enjoys an impressive location in 108 wooded acres on the south west shore of Loch Lomond.  "We offer relaxed dining in a highly professional manner,"says Roddy Whiteford, manager. Using the finest local produce in innovative dishes to appeal to the contemporary taste, Executive Chef Peter Fleming oversees a Michelin-star restaurant which features six types of freshly baked bread every day.  The Georgian Room was highly commended in the Hotel Dining Award 1999 category and can take satisfaction in the fact that a former Cameron House chef, Jeff Bland, was in the overall winning team at No 1 Princes Street, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh.

This is the 12th year of Macallan Taste of Scotland Awards which are now considered to be among the most prestigious catering honours in Scotland.

ENDS