Six of the UK’s top chefs will head north this winter as Aberdeen’s popular fine dining food festival makes its return.
Signature Food Festival, which is organised by the team at The Chester Hotel, will welcome a star-studded line-up of Michelin-starred chefs through its doors including Marco Pierre White and Richard Corrigan.
Returning this November for a fortnight from Friday November 5 to Sunday November 21, world-class chefs including Atul Kochhar, Daniel Clifford, Glynn Purnell, Richard Corrigan and Phil Howard will cook up a storm and showcase their signature dishes at the Queens Road-based hotel.
The Chester Hotel’s executive chef Kevin Dalglish is also included in the line-up of talent who, between them, hold 12 Michelin stars and 23 AA Rosettes.
Glynn Purnell returns for his third appearance while Atul Kochhar, the first Michelin-starred Indian chef, is back for his second. Great British Menu winners and mentors Phil Howard and Daniel Clifford, who both made their debut at the 2019 event, will also return, too.
Marco Pierre White will kick off the event with the first of two dinners and lunch. In 1994 at the age of 32 he became the first, and the youngest at the time, British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.
With 13 events this year, the 2021 celebration of culinary creativity and gastronomy will be the biggest to date.
Aberdeen as a gourmet destination
Signature is the brainchild of Graham and Gillian Wood, owners of The Chester Hotel and passionate foodies.
The duo established the festival to showcase Aberdeen as a gourmet destination and highlight the exceptional produce that can be found on his city’s doorstep, all while raising funds for local children’s charities.
In the four years it has been running, the festival has so far raised £500K for good causes in the north-east of Scotland.
Graham Wood said: “With such an exceptional line-up for this year’s festival, the calibre of chefs Signature continues to attract, shows just how much this festival has grown in such a short time.
“And it also reflects the appetite there is for fine dining and an appreciation of the outstanding ingredients and produce that can be readily sourced in the north-east of Scotland.
“With sublime food, sometimes less is more, and with Signature, we wanted to create more than just a foodie event, but an occasion where simplicity, creativity and quality shine through.
“The six guest chefs we have onboard this year now means that we can take that vision to another level, serving our guests exquisite, surprising and diverse menus, using locally sourced ingredients and all within an intimate setting. And to be able to use Signature as a way to help put Aberdeen on the culinary map as a must-visit destination at the same time as raising money for local charities is a source of huge, personal pride.”
Sell-out success
Critically-acclaimed British comedian and Strictly Come Dancing star, Chris Ramsey, will be hot footing his way to the hotel to entertain guests at the finale of Signature 2021 – the highly-anticipated Sunday lunch.
In 2019, the Signature Food Festival tickets sold out within days of going on sale, with some events selling out within the hour.
Tickets for the event which raises money for children’s charities across the north-east will go on sale on Monday June 14.
Tickets for the Sunday Lunch will also go on sale on June 14 priced at £150.