The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship offers an ‘exceptional culinary education’ for the next generation of cheffing talent. It offers an invaluable opportunity for chefs looking to gain first-hand experience within some of the world's most renowned establishments.

Launched in 2019 by the late Andrew Fairlie, the scholarship is provided in partnership with HIT Scotland, an industry charity Andrew was closely associated with. Now in its fifth year, the Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is supported by HIT Scotland, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Perth College UHI and The Gleneagles Hotel.

Last year, two winners were awarded the prestigious scholarship. Lecturer of Culinary Arts at City of Glasgow College Darren Seggie and Rachel Bremner, commis pastry chef at The Balmoral, were selected for the ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to advance their culinary horizons.

An all-star panel of the country’s finest chefs will judge the 2024 competition including Stephen McLaughlin, Tom Kerridge, Sat Bains and Gary Maclean.

The winner of this year’s Andrew Fairlie Scholarship will be taken on a two day educational trip to France with Grande Cuisine, gain hands-on experience at the two star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles and undertake a stage at the three star Core by Clare Smyth in London. Held over two years, these educational experiences will inspire the scholar’s professional development and knowledge.

McLaughlin, head chef at Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, commented: “The Andrew Fairlie Scholarship is Scotland’s finest chef scholarship. It is a true chance to showcase your talent and passion, along with the opportunity to help yourself be guided and nurtured into being as good a chef as you want to be. 

“The prizes for this year’s scholarship recipient are some of the best educational and development driven learning experiences in the world. Be mindful in your application to stay true to yourself and to pull from all your resources to make sure that your application is as polished as it can be. Only the very best applicants will make it to finals day. Good luck chefs and happy cooking.”

The applicants will need to showcase their creativity and expertise by designing an autumnal sharing dish for four people, made from a short saddle of Scotch lamb. Those awarded a finals day place will be asked to recreate the recipe in real-time for the judges, along with some other culinary challenges which will be revealed on the day.

Applications close on 22nd September. Interested candidates can find more information about the application process on the HIT Scotland website here.