I was served by Scotland's best young chefs and waiters at Gleneagles - and what I saw was amazing

Last year, the global hospitality competition Young Chef Young Waiter and Young Mixologist (YYY) came to Scotland for the first time in its 44-year history.

This month, it returned, with the young hopefuls from Scotland being judged on their mixology, waiter and cheffing by industry experts. The winner of each category - waiter, mixologist and chef - will be invited to the competition’s world finals in Singapore in November, competing against winners from 11 other countries.

Designed to encourage young talent into the hospitality industry, YYY champions both front and back-of-house roles and the talent and passion that goes into them, by facilitating access and learning opportunities for young chefs and waiters, with some of the industry’s most respected figures.

The judging panel is made up of industry experts, including Adam Handling, chef/owner of Adam Handling Restaurants, Simon King, operations director of the Wolseley Hospitality Group, and Paul Robinson, chief creative officer of NEFT Vodka.

I was delighted to head along to the Gleneagles Hotel to be one of the ‘customers’ these talented young people would serve lunch to, while being judged on their skills.

Our team consisted of Alastair Danskin from Gleneagles Townhouse, Anya Garrow from The Gleneagles Hotel and chef William Rocks from Tigh An Truish, who you might have seen on MasterChef. I was with some of the team from Champagne Piaff, who have partnered with the competition for the second year.

The Scottish part of the Young Chef Young Waiter competition took place at Gleneagles

Laura Head, business development director at Champagne PIAFF, and one of the mixologist judges, said it was important to support new talent.

She said: “At Champagne PIAFF we are delighted to support the Young Chef Young Waiter Young Mixologist Scotland, a country we hold close to our hearts. As a contemporary, forward thinking Champagne house, we believe that it is important to support the new, up-and-coming talent who share our same values, shining a light on their skills, creativity and passion for the hospitality industry. We raise a glass to their future success and the extraordinary journeys ahead.”

After a welcome drink of a seasonal and vibrantly coloured paloma, and a venison crack snack, we sat down to a three-course lunch that included a Loch Fyne salmon starter, venison and bramble main, and hot chocolate pudding. The food and service was excellent. And everything from the wine choice to our table decoration had been thoughtfully considered by our team.

If it wasn’t for the branded aprons and roaming judges asking us to do things like drop our napkins, I can honestly say that you would never know these young professionals were competing for this accolade. Professional, but warm, any nerves seemed under control and they served us all impeccably.

After the lunch service, the winners were announced at a reception at Gleneagles that night. They are waiter Alex Prince, from The Gleneagles Hotel, mixologist Quinn Fisher, from The Pot Still in Glasgow, and chef Nathan Strachan, from Unalome by Graeme Cheevers. They will be heading off to Singapore to compete with winners from other regions and I wish them all the best.

If nothing else, all of these young professionals are testament to their respective specialisms and show that hospitality can be a career that takes you far, rather than just a stop-gap.

The winners of the 2024 YYY will be announced in November.