SHIRLEY SPEAR, OWNER, THREE CHIMNEYS RESTAURANT

Shirley Spear and her husband Eddie have run The Three Chimneys at Colbost, in remote north west Skye, for twenty-four years. The couple moved to the island from Croydon, Surrey, with their two children, Steven and Lindsay then aged 5 and 3. Shirley, an exiled Scot, working in London, had met and married Eddie there. By 1984, with two very young children and an older step-daughter about to leave school, the couple decided to make the break from city life. Although they had absolutely no training or experience in the restaurant business, they had dreams of owning their own small ‘bistro’ proud to serve traditional Scottish dishes. They discovered The Three Chimneys was for sale and decided it was the perfect setting to establish this, despite the risk of its remote location. Shirley is a completely self-taught chef. She was born in Peebles in the Scottish Borders and grew up in Edinburgh. Her passion for cooking and Scottish food stems from childhood and her love of restaurants grew while she followed her career in PR in London during the late seventies and early eighties. She is delighted to have played a leading role in the burgeoning Scottish restaurant scene over two decades.

Since moving to the island, Shirley's reputation has grown to have a worldwide following. In 2002 and 2003, Restaurant magazine placed The Three Chimneys on their "definitive list" of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The Three Chimneys was the only Scottish restaurant included. With this accolade, plus a string of top restaurant awards behind her dating back to 1990, Shirley became renowned for her use of Skye's abundant supply of seafood. She became famous for using as much fresh, seasonal, local produce as possible from Skye and the Highlands.

In 1999, The Scottish Chefs Association presented Shirley with their "Special Award" in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Scottish cuisine. In November, she was presented with both the tourism industry’s prestigious Scottish Thistle Award 2002 for Individual Excellence and the Glenfiddich ‘Spirit of Scotland’ Award for Food. Shirley is well known for her views on the importance of promoting Scotland's culinary heritage; views which she often has been asked to express in the Press and on Radio. Throughout the year 2000, she wrote a series of food articles for The Saturday Herald Magazine, which was widely followed. Shirley then published her own best-selling book, The Three Chimneys, which has been revised and reprinted recently. This is a collection of culinary essays on Scottish food and includes the story of her life as a self-taught chef and restaurateur in Skye, plus favourite recipes and beautiful photographs.

Shirley has become well-known in Scotland for her pride in all things Scottish and has fought hard to have the Scottish food and restaurant scene recognised for the enormous importance it plays in the country’s vital Tourism Industry. In more recent years, since handing over the kitchen reins to her Head Chef, Michael Smith, Shirley has devoted more time towards helping to improve the status of the Tourism Industry in Scotland. She has joined in the concerted effort being made towards wider use and knowledge of fresh Scottish ingredients and the growing number of local food initiatives aimed at achieving this. Improving skills and training for young Scots, encouraging them to join the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, is another issue very close to her heart.

In May 1999, Shirley and Eddie expanded their business by building six bedroom suites in The House Over-By. Graded 5-stars by VisitScotland and the AA, the rooms are stylish and elegant, with spectacular sea-views across Loch Dunvegan. The Three Chimneys has grown from strength-to-strength over the past few years, winning more awards, accolades, Press, food and travel guide reviews worldwide, including a recent article by Frank Bruni, restaurant critic of the New York Times, who described the restaurant as “the French Laundry of Scotland” after Thomas Keller’s world-renowned Californian eatery. Many have pronounced the Restaurant with Rooms as unsurpassed in the Highlands - a combination of excellent food and wine with superb comfort, great service and welcoming hospitality. The Three Chimneys has held 3 AA red rosettes for outstanding food for nine consecutive years and is currently listed as an ‘Inspector’s Choice’ placing it in the top 10% of the UK’s best places to eat and stay. The restaurant also holds the prestigious EatScotland Gold Award. In October 2008, Restaurant magazine placed The Three Chimneys on their list of the Top 100 UK Restaurants.