Andrew Fairlie Scholarship 2023

Meet the Finalists - Rachel Bremner

Rachel Bremner, Commis Chef, The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh

Where are you originally from?

I was born in Stirling, scotland. However I did not spend a lot of time in Scotland as a kid. I grew up in the middle east in a country called Oman. Moving back to Scotland when I was ready to go to High School.

Life brought me to Glasgow in my twenties where I stay to this day with my partner, cat and my dog.

What inspired you to apply for the scholarship?

Knowing the legacy that Andrew Fairlie left behind, and having the opportunity to soak up some of the knowledge he left to those he mentored is the main draw of the scholarship.

However I love a challenge and pushing myself right out of my comfort zone. I always get so much out of making myself try something scary.

Can you give us a brief description of your career to date?

I studied at City of Glasgow College, graduating in 2022. I started my first ‘real’ chef job in The Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh in June of the same year. I worked in the larder section for just 5 months, following this I transferred to the main pastry kitchen where I have been since. Mainly working in the Afternoon tea team where we produce all the pastries served in Palm Court.

What does it mean to you to have been shortlisted for the finals of the scholarship?

I am incredibly proud and grateful to be shortlisted. I could not have done this without the support from everyone at the hotel, both past and present. I am looking forward to meeting everyone else who was shortlisted and seeing what they came up with in their interpretation of the brief.

Have you always wanted to be a chef?  What made you choose this career?

I thought I wanted to be a vet, then a gamekeeper, then settled for making coffee. Lock down, like for most people, was difficult. I needed a change. I wanted to find something that would be fulfilling, not just working for a paycheck. I decided to apply to college, for what I thought would be just to gain some confidence, and go into my own business, just baking cakes. Little did I know my life would completely change. I chose this career because I realized how exciting food could be, and it brings me such great joy allowing my creative brain to flourish.

What do you love about working as a chef?

I love that I am always learning. No matter how long you have been in the industry there always seems something new to know. From a new technique or a new way to approach a task. This makes every day interesting and exciting.

What is your favourite Scottish ingredient to work with? And why?

This changes depending on the season.

But coming out of summer means I am going to miss those beautiful Scottish strawberries. They bring back such good memories of strawberry picking with my grandfather, where they would joke about who to weigh at the end (since I ate so many), to making strawberry jam with my gran.

They are sweet, juicy and delicious as well as being so good for you.