Friday 16^th November 2018

Executive Chef Jeff Bland joined The Balmoral in June 1997. Responsible for four outlets and 25 chefs, The Balmoral was the first hotel in what would become the Rocco Forte collection.

in 2018, as Rocco Forte Hotels turned 21, Jeff celebrated his 21st anniversary at the culinary helm of one the grande dames of Britain’s hotel scene. Today, he is responsible for a brigade of 50 chefs spread over five restaurant and bar outlets including Brasserie Prince, Palm Court and Michelin-starred Number One, plus banqueting operations and In-Room dining.

His passion for using the very best seasonal produce and his pioneering dishes have not only ensured commercial success for the hotel but has helped transform the Scottish culinary scene into one that uses twists on tradition to celebrate both seasonality and locality. Flying the flag for Scottish cuisine on the global stage at every opportunity, he has demonstrated his tartan take on Scottish street food on BBC’s The Apprentice, taken part in Scotland week in New York in conjunction with Visit Scotland and more recently sent 20 sides of our own Balmoral salmon out to China that featured in his Scottish menu showcase at the Hong Kong Sevens.

Back home, he puts just as much energy into investing into his own team. Jeff can often be heard saying to his brigade “one team, one dream”, instilling a sense of loyalty and sense of pride.

After his mother commended him for his excellent scrambled egg Jeff set his sights on becoming a chef, training at Bradford Technical College in the 1970s and The Queen’s Hotel in Leeds. Having fast become a rising star of the north, he went on to become Sous Chef at Gleneagles, Executive Chef at The Caledonian and Executive Chef and Food and Beverage Manager at Cameron House, achieving his first Michelin Star there in 1995.

Today his energy is channelled into motivating and nurturing young talent. He refers to The Balmoral as ‘his finishing school for food’ and prides himself on taking apprentices and shepherding them from banqueting through pastry and finally to Number One.

Jeff is a judge at key culinary competitions including the Annual Awards of Excellence – Scotland and the Scottish Food Scholarship. He chairs the Scottish Academy of Culinary Arts and promotes awareness of food, nutrition, hygiene and cooking in schools through the Adopt-A-School programme.