By Claire Warrender

A CHEF suspended by a top Fife hotel amid allegations he cooked up his CV has resigned his post.

Balbirnie House Hotel in Markinch had been investigating James Stocks’ (pictured) background following claims he was a Walter Mitty who had made up plaudits from Michelin-starred chefs.

The 24-year-old, who landed the job of head chef at Balbirnie in December, boasted that Hell’s Kitchen star Marco Pierre White helped launch his career.

He also said he had worked for Gordon Ramsay and had been head chef under Parisien three Michelin-starred chef Michel de Burgo, who supposedly described him as a genius.

Stocks’ signature restaurant was proudly launched by Balbirnie in January after an investment of tens of thousands of pounds, and the young chef said he was confident he would become the first in Scotland to hold three Michelin stars.

However, earlier this month a national newspaper revealed Stocks had “embellished” his CV and that far from endorsing him, many of the top chefs he mentioned had never even heard of him.

Balbirnie immediately suspended him and launched an investigation, although managing director Nicholas Russell stood by his chef’s culinary skills.

That faith appeared justified when he was highly commended at the Scottish Chef Awards in the Scottish Hotel Chef of the Year category recently.

But at the weekend Mr Russell announced Mr Stocks had resigned with immediate effect “for personal reasons.”

He said the split was amicable and wished James all the best for the future.

Mr Stocks could not be contacted yesterday.