John Inches only entered the world marmalade championships in 2022 on the advice of a friend.
He took home two silver medals. But when he entered again the next year, he won gold, with a recipe he’d learned years earlier from his grandmother.
For John, who died in his sleep last month at the age of 68, it was further proof that his beloved Deeside, where he grew up and lived almost his whole life, was more than able to hold its own on the global culinary stage.
From his childhood in Peterculter where he learned his love of cooking from a family of talented home cooks to the numerous successful restaurants he ran including the much-loved Faraday’s in Cults, John was a near-tireless champion of the north-east of Scotland, and specifically Deeside.
“Despite the fact he loved to travel, he was very much a home body,” says John’s cousin and life-long friend Chris Booth. “He really liked being in the north-east, and he absolutely loved Deeside.”
Young Chef of the Year win propels John into culinary career
John Beverley Inches was born on April 8, 1956, an only child to Jim and Ethella from Peterculter, both of whom worked in telecommunications at the Post Office.
John’s childhood was spent outdoors, exploring woods and playing with local children.
John went to school in Culter, but he got his cooking masterclass at home. Both his parents were accomplished home cooks, and under their guidance, John’s love for cooking took root.
His culinary career started at 16 as a live-in trainee chef at the prestigious Tulloch Lodge Hotel in Ballater.
The owners were tough taskmasters but recognised John’s talent, laying the foundation for his long professional life by entering him into the Young Chef of the Year competition at the Dorchester Hotel in London.
John took the title, and the top prize: a six-week internship at the Michelin-starred Chez Pic restaurant in France.
In France, John lived with a family who would become lifelong friends, Marie-Clot and her mother, affectionately known as Madame. The period cemented John’s love for French cuisine and culture.
Giving his customers a warm and friendly welcome
Returning to Scotland, John got his first major opportunity as head chef at Maryculter House Hotel. He transformed the restaurant into a destination, attracting diners from far and wide.
Beyond cooking, John knew how to craft unforgettable dining experiences. Customers returned not only for his food but also for his warmth, humour and storytelling.
“He was a larger-than-life character,” says Chris and knew how to entertain his customers as well as cook for them.
After Maryculter, John was headhunted to take on the challenge of revitalising the Lairhillock Inn in Netherley.
Under his leadership, the inn became a renowned destination for innovative food, good wine and a relaxed atmosphere. But John eventually wanted to build something of his own.
With the help of his father, he bought a former telephone building in Kirk Brae, Cults, transforming it into Faraday’s and winning listings year after year in the Good Food Guide.
Living in the cottage he designed behind the restaurant, John’s work at Faraday’s was a labour of love that won him a loyal fanbase.
He sold the restaurant at the start of the 2000s, eventually opening up the White Cottage outside Aboyne. It became a fine dining restaurant with one of the best professional kitchens in Scotland where John trained a new generation of young chefs.
John was well connected in Royal Deeside and it wasn’t unusual for someone to arrive at the back door of the restaurant with a deer strapped to the back of a Land Rover asking if he wanted it and could do anything with it. He would butcher it, hang it until it was ready to go on the menu.
A prescient pivot to casual dining
In 2008, when the financial crash hit the economy, John, like many in hospitality, faced the challenge of leaner years.
Showing incredible foresight, John repositioned the White Cottage into a cafe that served tea, coffee, light lunches and quality fish and chips, while also making homemade meals to enjoy at home. Dining at home with food made by a professional chef became very popular.
The pivot, Chris says, was John predicting the advent of casual dining.
“He didn’t compromise on the ingredients, and he didn’t compromise on the quality of the food or his cooking. But what he did was make his food and the experience more approachable.
“People weren’t coming for a fine-dining dinner party, they were just coming to have a nice meal, relax and enjoy the company John’s hospitality.”
During this time, many also got to enjoy his marmalade, which became even more famous after The World Marmalade Awards medals.
John was always a marmalade maker, and devoted his usual level of care and attention to it, diligently hand-slicing the rind of 50 Spanish oranges into tiny pieces and crafting the final marmalade over three days.
‘Families of different kinds became very important to him’
John returned to France last Christmas to visit his lifelong friends, Marie-Clot and her now 103-year-old mother, Madame.
“He had many families,” Chris said of John, who never married or had children. “He didn’t end up with a big family of his own but he did acquire a French family, an American family as well as an important circle of close friends and a huge number of restaurant friends.
“Families of different kinds became very important to him.”
Despite contracting COVID-19 during the France trip, which led to a three-week hospital stay in intensive care, John brushed off his health concerns with his usual humor.
It was something he had done his whole life, which was heavily impacted by Addison’s disease, a rare disorder he shared with President John F Kennedy amongst others.
“He got very tired, and at times he was in hospital,” Chris recalls.
“At his restaurant, he’d be the life and soul of the party. He might go to bed exhausted later, But he was very determined and was not going to let any difficulties stop him living his life to the full.
In the weeks leading up to his death, John had found a buyer for the White Cottage. Free from professional responsibilities, he embraced this new chapter and spent his time reconnecting with loved ones.
Chris recalls the last time he saw John was at lunch celebrating the sale of the White Cottage. He was in good spirits and looked well and had many plans for travel with friends.
A few days later, on Saturday October 12th, John went to bed and died during the night.
“He died at the top,” Chris says. “He achieved what he wanted to do [and] was finally able to retire.
“He was happy.”
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