Chef Geoffrey Smeddle on why he is selling up the renowned Michelin-starred Peat Inn
It’s a milestone for this venue, and change is afoot
According to head chef and owner of The Peat Inn, Geoffrey Smeddle, 55, there’s a rumour that he was eating in another Michelin star restaurant, when he got the phone call to say that he’d bagged his own star. The reality was much less glamorous.
He was actually in Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth, with his two tiny infants in tow.
“I was eating a sandwich in the canteen and trying to stop my children from spraying food all over the place,” he says.
According to him, the late and great chef Paul Kitching of 21212 had received a Michelin Guide by accident a day early - back when it was still available in print in most regions - and the news was leaked. Rather than an official from the publication, it was a friend who told Smeddle. The next day, to his excitement, it was properly announced.
“Once you get that call, it’s a whirlwind. The phone doesn't stop ringing,” he says. “It’s well-wishers saying congratulations, and suddenly there’s a spotlight on you and you have to be ready for that. It’s a moment that’s very vivid in my mind.”
Thankfully, Smeddle was prepared for all of it.
That was way back in January 2010, and he’s retained the accolade annually for what must be Scotland’s most famous restaurant with rooms, which he still runs with his ex wife, Katherine.
The duo took over the Fife property in 2006, from proprietor, the late David Wilson, who’d operated the place for 35 years and also had a Michelin star.
Thus, this is their 20th year at the helm.
Its secret is simple - a warm welcome, elegant 50-cover dining rooms, and an indulgent menu featuring produce including East Neuk crab, Anster cheese and Cairngorm venison.
This formula has attracted regular customers, some of whom have been visiting them since back in Wilson’s day.
An anniversary like this is an incredible achievement, in an age when everyone is looking for the newest and hippest opening.
However, Glasgow-based Smeddle was rather affected by hitting this vintage.
“It’s a milestone that you see coming down the track,” says Smeddle, who was head chef of Glasgow’s Etain in the early Noughties. “It was a strange feeling. One that I can’t escape was bewilderment. Where has the time gone? And sometimes I’m talking to guests, and they’ll say ‘Gosh, you must’ve been here for ten years now’, and I tell them that it’s actually 20, and they almost fall off their chairs in shock. I made sure that we all took a moment to pause, look back and think about what we’ve achieved, and also to thank the wonderful people that have worked here.”
Many of The Peat Inn’s alumni, under Smeddle or Wilson, have gone on to glittering careers.
They include Graeme Cheevers, who has the Michelin-starred Unalome in Glasgow, Scott Smith formerly of Fhior and now owner of Blank Plate Creative, and Tristan Farmer, head chef at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Zen in Singapore.
And there are many others who stay in touch with the influential Smeddle.
“I didn’t set out to have that rapport, but it’s just something that’s come about because of the way we go about things,” says the chef. “These people want to stay in touch, and former employees want to keep me abreast of what’s going on, and there is trust, guidance and advice that they can come back to.”
He’s a youthful 55, but he is still considered an elder statesman of Scottish food. After 20 years, Smeddle definitely notices that shift in how he’s perceived.
“There’s a funny point where as a young chef, you’re on these lists in magazines and articles on exciting chefs to watch and restaurants to go to, then you suddenly become referred to as someone who’s part of the establishment,” he says. “People often refer to The Peat Inn as an institution.”
Still, he has very much moved with the times.
It might have white linen tablecloths, but The Peat Inn is not stuffy. The restaurant has been refreshed and refurbished through the years, and the menu has more global influences than it might have had two decades ago, back when fusion cooking was seen as a flash in the pan.
How does Smeddle think the Scottish food scene has changed since 2006?
“Oh goodness. Well, profoundly is the short answer,” he says. “It’s never been a secret that Scotland has always had wonderful ingredients - our game, our beef, wild mushrooms, summer fruits, and of course all the seafood. Scotland is very blessed. That’s always been in the background. What’s changed is the explosion of good restaurants. As I’m talking to you today, I’m in Glasgow, and there are groups like Scoop who have Margo, Ox & Finch and Ka Pao. They’re a huge success with very accessible pricing.”
Perhaps this is a hint of what’s to come from Smeddle, who says that his proudest moments have been winning that star but also getting a glowing review from food critic Jay Rayner.
After all, change is coming, as it turns out that The Peat Inn has been up for sale since last year. That’s because the 20 year anniversary triggered an epiphany.
“It had been brewing in my mind for a while, and perhaps that comes down to knowing the anniversary was coming. In a nutshell, I woke up one morning and thought it was always my dream as a young chef to open my own restaurant that has a Michelin star, and when I realised I’ve had 20 years of doing that, I thought I still feel young and energetic and able to take on something new and different,” he says. “There’s been a lot of interest, but I’m quite determined to make sure it goes into the right hands for the right reasons. I will continue to run it with the same conviction and focus as always while I’m here.”
The new owners will bag a building that’s served as a coaching inn, hotel or restaurant for 250 years. The surrounding village was built with the inn at its heart, as if it was a church, so the area is also called Peat Inn. No pressure.
Apart from some travel, Smeddle isn’t quite sure about what’s next for him, once the keys and kitchen have been handed over to the next proprietor.
“I don’t 100 per cent know, and I find it hard to focus on what will come next as my mind is still focused on the day-to-day at The Peat Inn, but I’ll take a short break, then start exploring what will come next,” he says. “ I would be very open to doing something very different. I don’t envisage being boots on the ground in a restaurant kitchen. I would think it’ll be a slightly different role, but I will be open to consider everything. It’s quite an exciting chapter.”
Until then, it’s business as usual at this wonderful Scottish institution.
Read more: “I returned to my favourite Edinburgh Michelin-star restaurant and it's still so enchanting”
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