A top chef behind one of the best restaurants in the country is delighted to be making his debut in this year's Great British Menu.
Isle of Skye-based chef Calum Montgomery has described being one of only four Scots to appear on the BBC Two show as an honour and one of the most exciting episodes in his career.
The 32-year-old, who is chef patron of the multi-award-winning Edinbane Lodge, will showcase the best of the island's ingredients when he goes to battle in the kitchen.
In just under four years, Calum has built up a reputation of being one of the country's highest rated chefs with a string of awards to his name at the fine dining establishment on the island.
The 5-star AA rated Edinbane Lodge on Skye is listed in the Michelin Guide, Good Food Guide and holds 3AA Rosettes. The Skye native was most recently awarded a 5/5 cooking score by the prestigious Harden’s Restaurant Guide.
Describing the experience as one which will "live with him forever", the young chef admitted he found it strange to have a camera inches away from his face as he prepared his specially designed dishes.
He said: "It’s an incredible honour for me to appear on the show.
"I’ve never done anything like this before, so it was a nerve-wracking experience to walk into the bright lights and have cameras following my every move. The pressure is real and it's not like your average day in the kitchen.
"I’m looking forward to competing against the very best chefs in the country. I have watched the show for years and the standard is unreal.
"My food ethos has always been to use the best of Skye produce available and I’ve kept that same mentality when designing my menu for the show."
This year's brief is a celebration of 100 years of British broadcasting, a task which Montgomery felt was a perfect challenge for him.
It took the dad of one down memory lane as he paid tribute to some of his favourite TV moments, one of which included a certain Scottish sporting icon - more of which will be revealed on the show.
Calum said: "I’ve picked shows and moments that I’ve grown up watching and I have a personal connection to.
"The cat is out of the bag now after filming took place in 2021.
"It was a chaotic time in amongst peak season at Edinbane Lodge to go back and forth for filming.
"There’s a lot of props and I wanted to use real Skye produce - so what you don’t see in the show is me struggling through Glasgow airport with 135kg of luggage."
Calum Montgomery’s heat starts Tuesday 1 st March at 8pm on BBC Two.
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