Meet the Chef: Interview with Mark Donald

He has worked under some of the world’s top chefs, and now the spotlight is firmly on chef Mark Donald. His innovative cuisine served up at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant has earned him a Michelin star and, more recently, Scotland’s first in-distillery fine-dining restaurant was awarded 4 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence.

Passion, produce, provenance and a splash of playfulness are the key ingredients that run through the innovative and imaginative tasting menu served by chef Mark Donald at The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, located in the heart of the Perthshire countryside in central Scotland.

And within just seven months of the restaurant opening its doors in 2021, Glasgow-born Mark Donald proved that this is a winning formula when he was awarded a Michelin star.

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, an exclusive jewel-box dining room

Situated at the Glenturret Distillery, widely considered to be Scotland’s oldest working whisky distillery dating back to 1763 (and recently bought by the luxury French crystal house, Lalique), Donald serves his multicourse gastronomic experience in a beautiful six-table dining room overlooking the tumbling waters of River Turret and surrounded by green pastures and hilly peaks.

Donald has impeccable culinary credentials, having held positions at some of the world’s finest Michelinstarred restaurants including Noma, Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Hibiscus London and, most recently, Number One at the Balmoral in Edinburgh.

In a candid interview for Dream Escape, chef Donald tells Annabel Mackie about the wonderful Scottish produce at his fingertips, his culinary inspiration and how he likes to inject some humour into his menu.

Mark Donald

How did you feel when you heard you’d won the Michelin star?

Retaining the star (when he was at the helm at the Balmoral) was great, but this felt different and meant a lot more to me as we’d built the restaurant and concept from scratch. It felt more earned.

Do you use a lot of local produce?

I’ve made a lot of great local connections since I moved up here. My neighbour provides the honey, we get our game from Castle Game, Wagyu beef from Highland Wagyu (Bridge of Allan), fish from David Lowrie in Edinburgh, scallops from Orkney and herbs from Tomnah’a Market Garden just down the road. I use foraged mushrooms from the banks of the River Turret and wild garlic, pears and quince from my own garden.

Do you think diners are more educated now?

Absolutely. I think that it has a lot to do with all the cooking shows such as MasterChef, Great British Menu and Bake Off: The Professionals, where people are jumping through hoops to make amazing centrepieces. People are more aware of what to expect and they want to be wowed. If I was to pay £100-plus per head for a meal, I would expect it to be amazing. Not just the diners are more educated, so are the cooks. They have so much information in the palm of their hand (mobile). And I think, like me, that once they’ve worked abroad you realise that the Scottish produce you have at your fingertips is better than good. It is unmatched, sometimes. I have guys in my kitchen from Spain, France, Sardinia, Greece and when they see the langoustines and the scallops come in, they’re blown away.

Cumbrae oysters, kipper, dashi

I use foraged mushrooms from the banks of the River Turret and wild garlic, pears and quince from my own garden.

Langoustine, buttermilk, Daurenki Tsar Imperial caviar

You’ve worked for some of the world’s top chefs. Who has inspired you the most?

All of them for different reasons. When I was doing my internship at Noma in Copenhagen in 2010 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards had just made them the number one restaurant in the world. So I knew I was in a special place and chef Rene (Redzepi) had such a clear vision and definitive conceptualisation of everything he did. When I worked under Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles it was all about learning the fundamentals of cooking at a high standard, and Claude (Bosi) at Hibiscus was such a visionary of putting flavours together, even the simplest of ones.

Do you accommodate different dietaries at Glenturret?

Yes, I offer the lot. When you book, you’re asked whether you have any dietary requirements. Catering for all the dietaries when I worked at Bentley restaurant (Sydney) helped me to recalibrate my cooking, so I am now able to better cater for them.

So, guests then get the same experience?

For sure. You are paying the same amount of money, so you should. Some of the kitchens I’ve worked in, the replacement is just the meat taken off the plate. So, if you’re vegetarian, or have an allergy, you instantly feel you’re an afterthought and that is just due to lazy chefs. For me one of the reasons I pushed myself to do the dietaries is that it has unlocked a different way of cooking and allowed me to discover things that I probably wouldn’t have done. For example, I have a coeliac-friendly and egg-free ravioli on my menu.

You like to inject some humour into some of your dishes, don’t you?

I’ve always been a bit of a joker. I had a regular at Bentley who loved Glasgow and I made him a deep-fried pizza and wrapped it in newspaper! On my menu, I have added humour with the likes of the Tattie Scone, Lobster Bisque-it, The Snack a Jacques and the Sweetie Box.

The Tattie Scone, Black Truffle, Baerii Caviar.

Lobster Bisque-it

How much of a free rein were you given to create the menu?

I can do whatever I want at Glenturret. Although it’s still an 'occasion' restaurant I don’t want people to feel nervous about coming somewhere so fancy. I want people to relax and enjoy the experience. When I came here, I was very worried that it was going to be a carbon copy of the (Lalique) restaurants in France. I was given all the crystalware, the linen, the porcelain. They are stunning but I‘ve also added some of my own touches, such as the stoneware dishes I got from an Edinburgh ceramicist and the use of a barley ‘grist’ box to present a dish.

How have you incorporated The Glenturret whisky?

When I first heard about the job, I immediately thought of I’d be making shortbread and haggis bon bons! I knew, however, I needed to smash people’s expectations and mine too. So, the team and I spent time learning about the processes involved and tasting the whiskies.

We then played around with the sugary barley water and realised it could taste like treacle, so that’s what we put on the malted barley loaf we serve. We’ve also made a barley soya sauce in aged peat-smoked whisky barrels, a barley miso to marinate meats and fish, and whisky is used in some of the puddings.

10 Years Old Peat Smoked Whisky Caramels

Is a second star your next goal?

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. It would be nice but it’s not the only reason I get out of bed in the morning. I get out of bed as I love to cook. I think the reason why Michelin is so revered is that it seems to be peerless and fair.

In an industry where you put in so much and get so little back, having this affirmation and confirmation of what you are doing is right is so important. It’s the food Oscars. It’s great to win, especially when the guys in kitchen are slogging it out for 17 hours a day. I don’t want to make achieving a second star my only mission, as I think that’s dangerous. You can go down a dark road when the Guide comes out and you don’t get it. I’ve worked for two-star chefs, I’ve cooked for them and run their kitchen, so I would be lying if I said I didn’t want the accolade but it’s not the reason why I cook.

What advice would you give young chefs?

Become a carpenter (laughs)! No, I think of the many times when I was a junior in kitchens and I had wild ideas of things I wanted to do. I wanted to be better the whole time. It’s good to be driven and I think you should always dream big.

The Glenturret Lalique bar, where the intricate cocktail list ranges from revisited classics to eclectic creations

The Glenturret Lalique, Restuarant

Snowcapped peaks and the green pastures of the glorious Perthshire countryside set the scene for my arrival to The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant.

Bypassing the cluster of whitewashed stone whiskey-processing warehouses at Glenturret Distillery, I made my way to the elegant dining room, where my eyes were immediately drawn to the two eye-catching Lalique maple leaf chandeliers.

A welcome Glenn Fizz cocktail was slightly sweet due to addition of sweet cicely that is foraged from the surrounding woodland. Foraging is an integral element to Donald’s dishes, and wild garlic, morels and edible flowers all made an appearance.

The ocean was very well presented on the tasting menu with notable mentions being the Spoot, the local name for an Orcadian razor clam, and the langoustine ceviche with a rich sauce of green matcha tea and cucumber juice. Committed carnivores won’t be disappointed either, with the satisfying tranches of tender Sika deer beautifully matched with a hay-smoked celeriac and tart quince deserving special mention.

Other standout dishes were the Blood Orange amuse-bouche stuffed with Crowdie cream cheese, which I was encouraged to eat whole to benefit from the entire flavour and textual experience. And the Scallop Kedgeree, a meaty barbecued scallop that sat on a bed of Thai Kaffir lime-leaf-flavoured curry rice that packed a punch.

Last, but certainly not least, were the puddings. With a nod to Asia, the Crème Fraiche Sherbet with pomelo and local honey deserved praise for its unusual Eastmeets-West combination, while the layers of the Maracaibo Mille-Feuille infused with Green Coffee and Glenturret Triple Wood were delicate but richly flavoured.

Leave room for The Sweet Box, a bespoke mahogany box with secret compartments stuffed full of whisky-infused chocolate and delectable confetti-coloured edible creations.

Review by Annabel Mackie