We speak to Ken Loades, Owner of Ghillies Kitchen, bespoke event caterers in the Highlands, to find out about his career, popular dishes, and favourite ingredients.
Hi Ken! Tell us about your background?
Hi! I started as a Commis Chef in the prestigious Culloden House Hotel in Inverness. I then went to college at the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland, where I graduated with honours, following which I worked in Australia for a year before returning and helping a friend open a hotel in Inverness. I moved to Edinburgh where I opened a restaurant on the Royal Mile before moving back to Inverness to develop a company caned Cru Holdings with a friend, which had 11 venues under it. After 16 years, last October I took over Ghillies Kitchen from a chef who was actually my Head Chef back when I was a Commis Chef.
How did you get into cooking in the first place?
I didn’t love school, so cooking was an option to get out of that. But I always watched my mum and grandparents in the kitchen. My grandfather was famous for cooking a bit of rabbit casserole. I think eating rabbit at the age of six, that sparked my interest in food from an early age.
What dishes are trending for corporate events?
There’s one that’s been very popular this year, an individual beef wellington with a mushroom dhal, wrapped in wild garlic weeds. I also do a Cullen Skink risotto which is pretty popular. That’s a traditional Scottish soup made of smoked haddock, potato, and leeks, so I took those ingredients and developed it into a creamy risotto, which tends to be a crowd pleaser.
I specialise in seafood and game, so we’re doing a lot of seafood boards. Events have gone away from the more traditional sit down, three course menu to more family-style sharing boards. We get fresh seafood here daily; beautiful big langoustines and lobsters and oysters, all that sort of good stuff.
Do you have a favourite ingredient?
I cook with garlic a lot. And because we’re based in Scotland, I’ve tried to incorporate whisky into most of my dishes. I’ve taken a great liking to Bruadar Single Malt. I call it a dessert whisky because it’s infused with honey.
What’s the most memorable event you’ve catered for so far?
I was lucky enough to cook for Prince Charles and Princess Diana when I was in Australia.
Outside of work, what’s your passion?
I’m part of the DYW, which is Developing the Young Workforce. And I’m working with Quality Meat Scotland as well, to try and train up kids and get them interested in catering and food production. I think that hospitality needs as much help as it can get to get new blood into it. We’ve all heard the problems that everyone has had over the last few years with staffing, so we really need to encourage young people to come into the industry.