Ronay Island venison the star ingredient in winning menu at Scottish Chef of the Year Awards 2025
David Millar, executive chef at luxury events venue Carlowrie Castle, took home the title of Scottish Chef of the Year 2025 in February, with Ronay Island venison central to his winning menu.
Inspired by Scotland’s natural and built landscapes, Chef Millar’s winning menu was named Anam na Tirè, which in Gaelic translates as “the soul of the land”. His love for the land was evidenced throughout all four dishes and had a strong theme relating to the cycle of life and total sustainability, including a main course of sustainably sourced venison from Ronay Island with a potato scone, celeriac and bramble sauce.
Chef Millar said: “To win the Scottish Chef of the Year is the result of years of hard work, months of planning, and hours and hours of run-throughs. Within the chef community it’s a very prestigious honour and I’m over the moon to take the title. To have the judges eat my food that I was happy with was massive for me, I have zero regrets.’’
The Scottish Culinary Championships were judged by an esteemed panel, including previous winners of the award and Michelin starred chefs, Lorna Macnee, Kevin Macgullivery, Orry Shand, Ross Sneddon and Stevie MacLaughlin. In winning this award, Millar joins an elite group of top chefs who have each made a significant impact on Scotland’s food scene.
Ronay Island venison is sustainably sourced, and deer stalking is a vital part of the land management programme to ensure biodiversity can thrive on the island.
As executive chef at the distinguished Carlowrie Castle, Millar oversees all meals for the venue’s busy calendar of luxury weddings, corporate events, and private stays. As the first and only B Corp certified castle in the world, Carlowrie Castle has exceptionally high standards of social and environmental practices, including using seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients, many of which are grown on the Carlowrie estate.
Carlowrie Castle and Ronay Island are both part of Carlowrie Group, a collection of diverse businesses and charities that put positive impact at the heart of all that they do.
