For Perthshire head chef Craig Jackson, being sacked from his first job at 17 was “one of the best things that ever happened” to him.
Now 43, Craig is the head chef of Murrayshall country estate, and has been awarded the prestigious accolade of a Master Chef of Great Britain.
The award recognises his hard work in the culinary scene, and he will go on to run masterclasses for budding student and apprentice chefs.
Humble chef Craig was pleased to achieve this award after working for 26 years in the kitchen.
“I got sacked from my first job,” admits Craig. “I was going out and sleeping in all the time.
“Eventually, they told me not to come back. But it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
“It was the best learning curve, getting sacked.”
Staying humble key to Murrayshall head chef’s Master Chef success
That learning curve encouraged Craig to dive into working in the kitchen, fully committed this time round.
Since then, he has worked his way up to head chef, and now runs the hotel kitchen, feeding guests in the restaurant, clubhouse, afternoon teas, weddings and events.
For Craig, it’s about keeping his focus on the food. Neither this award, nor the title of head chef, has gone to his head.
He says: “I get fed up of working with chefs with massive egos, who think they’re too good to cook burgers.
“I don’t actually really like chefs,” he laughs.
“Obviously I like my team. But there’s that group… I just prefer to stay away from it.”
While the Murrayshall country estate head chef is pleased about the award, he seems surprised to have been awarded it, despite his years of dedication.
“It’s nice to get that bit of appreciation and to know that you’re doing something right,” says Craig.
“And it’s nice for the guys in the kitchen to know I’m not just teaching them cowboy antics,” he laughs.
“Hopefully we’ve got a good reputation within the industry and people recognise what we’re doing.
“Maybe we’re not famous, but we’re okay with that.”
Master Chef Craig’s advice
Craig has learned some lessons along the way, though he says: “100% I wouldn’t do a thing differently.”
For younger chefs, he advises: “Soak it in and learn as much as you can.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re working. You could be working somewhere really good, or somewhere pretty poor.
“You can still learn lessons from anywhere you go.”
However, the biggest piece of advice he would have for young chefs is not to burn the candle at both ends.
“When I was a chef de partie, you’re all in. I didn’t even think twice about working 80-90 hours a week.
“You think ‘yes, I’ve done 90 hours!’. You almost try to do more hours than other people, which is totally not right.
We’re not sending people into space or doing brain surgery.”
Craig Jackson, head chef at Murrayshall country house hotel.
“We make sure that we only limit our guys to 45 hours a week. And we ensure they have a good work life balance.”
The Covid-19 pandemic, says Craig, put things into perspective for him.
“I’ve wasted too much time getting angry or stressed, taking it home,” he says.
“We’re not sending people into space or doing brain surgery.
“As much as we want to put out the best food as we can, and people are spending their hard-earned money to get it, it’s only food at the end of the day.
“When we saw what people went through during Covid, coming back and getting stressed or angry over a slightly overcooked potato or a mushy tomato? It’s just not worth it.
“Plus, what I do comes down the ladder.
“So if I start banging things about and start losing my head, that doesn’t send a good message to anybody underneath us.”
Craig will give back to aspiring young chefs
As part of the The Master Chefs of Great Britain, Craig will be part of masterclasses for aspiring student and apprentice chefs.
“Giving back is a big part of it. It’s up to me to give back that knowledge,” says Craig.
“It doesn’t have to be youth, we could employ someone older than me. But we would still spend the same amount of time developing them as we would with a young adult.
“I’m going to enjoy that.”
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