Chef and restaurateur Gordon Watson, whose hugely successful Angus restaurant bears his name, has died at the age of 69.
Founded by Gordon and his wife, Maria, in 1986, the restaurant in Inverkeilor, between Arbroath and Montrose, has become a by-word for high standards of food and hospitality.
Son Garry, himself a multi-award winner, joined his parents in 1994 and latterly took the lead in the kitchen, working closely with his father.
Amongst many other accolades, Gordon’s achieved five gold stars from Visit Scotland, three AA rosettes for culinary excellence and was Scottish Restaurant of the Year in 2012.
Born on November 17 1946 in Dundee, Gordon grew up in the Hawkhill area and attended Logie School. His ambition was to be a chef but at 15, he started as a page boy at the Royal British Hotel in Dundee
Told he was too small and slight to work safely in a hotel kitchen, he gained wide experience front-of-house, including as a commis waiter at Laing’s in Dundee and at Greystanes Hotel, where he became good friends with the actress Jill Gascoine and her husband, who ran it at that time.
Much of his time off was spent in the kitchen, learning from top chefs.
As a much-in-demand maitre d’hotel, he worked at the Angus Hotel in Dundee, at the Invercarse and at the Lunan Bay Hotel for four years.
He always wanted to open his own restaurant and driving through Inverkeilor to work at Lunan Bay, he spotted the Victorian property which eventually became Gordon’s.