Edinburgh chef Mark Greenaway wins top award for cookbook

Perceptions was named best cookbook in the world at an event in China.

The restaurateur, who has appeared on programmes including The Great British Bake Off and runs an eponymous restaurant on Edinburgh's Castle Street, won the accolade at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for his book, Perceptions.

Food writers from more than 200 countries competed for the top place in a string of categories, including books aimed at new cooks and those focusing on specialist international cuisines. The awards, known as the food industry Oscars, took place in the Chinese city of Yantai.

Mr Greenaway, who travelled to China to be presented with his award, said: "When writing a cookbook, winning awards is the furthest thing from your mind. I really just wanted to write the best cookbook I knew I could. It was such a long journey to get to where I am, and find myself lucky enough to be in the position to write a special cookbook for Scotland.

"When you consider the title, I really couldn't have wished for better subject matter, as it has been my feeling for many years now that the perception of Scottish food does need to change. We do such an amazing job of promoting produce all over the world, and I felt it was way overdue that we show the world what we do with it."

The book, which was published by Relish Publications a year ago and includes a foreword from crime novelist Ian Rankin, was created over a six-month period with all of the photographs taken in the private dining room at Mr Greenaway’s Edinburgh restaurant. It also features profiles of local producers used by Mr Greenaway’s restaurant.

The chef, who began his career 20 years ago, has also starred in a BBC2 documentary series called Teen Canteen, in which students from Linlithgow Academy in Scotland set out to start up a healthy take-away business.