Unalome by Graeme Cheevers hosted a dinner for ScotHot 2025 - a night celebrating Scotland’s finest food and drink producers and honouring its greatest poet.

Scotland’s food, drink, hospitality, retail, and tourism showcase is set to return with a celebration of local suppliers at ScotHot25, taking place at the SEC from 26th – 27th February 2025.

A highlight of this year’s event is the Scottish Regional Foods Market, in association with Scotland Food & Drink, which will provide a platform for the country’s local suppliers to showcase their produce. In addition, ScotHot25 will feature over 250 exhibitors, educational presentations, and the Scottish Culinary Championships, which includes the coveted Scottish Chef of the Year competition.

The event has been taking place for 52 years and for 50 of those years chef Neil Thomson has been involved in some capacity. I’m sat next to him at the One Michelin Starred Kelvingrove restaurant, Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, for a Burns supper that serves as an introduction to this year’s event. A Senior Lecturer in Professional Cookery at Glasgow College of Food Technology, Neil is a member of the Executive Board of Scottish Chefs and will be a judge for the culinary championships. He trained with British Railways hotels, working at Gleneagles before embarking in a career that took him to kitchens in Scotland and abroad.

Across from me is Karen, who is representing Gordon Castle’s award-winning gin, made using botanicals grown in the estate’s own eight-acre garden. I’m sipping on a gin martini and discussing their raspberry gin liqueur when Graeme appears from the kitchen wielding a haggis on a tray.

“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race! Aboon them a’ ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy of a grace, As lang ‘s my arm.” Cheevers hasn’t delivered Robert Burns’ Address to a Haggis in his restaurant before and is taking the opportunity tonight. It’s a reminder of how much food and drink is emblematic of Scotland as a country, the part it plays in the national identity as well as the Scottish economy.

As well as a spirited recital of poetry, Graeme and his brigade prepared a Burns supper feast that showed why this is one of the best restaurants in Scotland. A perfectly formed Orkney scallop paired with a smoked haddock jelly. Loch Melfort sea trout that had been whisky cured. Their own take on haggis, neeps and tatties. The showstopper herb crusted backstrap of Borders roe deer, beautifully presented. Closing with one of Scotland’s great desserts, cranachan with pistachio and raspberry, honey jelly and crème fraîche mousse. Add in some red wine and I was ready to get a Robert Burns tattoo on my arm.

A feast that showcased the finest produce from the sea and the land, it was a patriotic medley of classic flavours that fit the theme of the evening, served by staff that represent the highest standard of local hospitality.

Born and raised in Glasgow, Graeme Cheevers’ passion for cooking ignited during his early teenage years, leading him to pursue a career in the culinary arts. At 15, Graeme enrolled in a catering college, adding to his studies with part-time roles in local restaurants. His dedication and talent took him on a rapid progression through various esteemed kitchens, including The Peat Inn under Geoffrey Smeddle.

A pivotal moment came when he joined Michelin-starred chef Martin Wishart’s Loch Lomond restaurant, initially as a commis chef. Graeme was appointed head chef within two years, successfully retaining the restaurant's Michelin star for five consecutive years. He built a reputation on dishes created with the best of Scotland’s larder: roe deer from the Borders, Orkney scallops, local langoustines and lobster.

In 2018, Graeme took on the role of head chef at the Isle of Eriska Hotel, where he won a Michelin star in the 2020 guide. He opened his own venture, Unalome in June 2021, named after the Buddhist symbol representing the path to enlightenment. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star within eight months of opening.

Graeme's culinary style is a blend of modern European cuisine, influenced by Japanese techniques and classic French foundations, with a strong Scottish accent. Next month he will be invited to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery for the launch of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland where Unalome is expected to retain it’s one Michelin Star rating - Cail Bruich on Great Western Road is Glasgow’s other star.

The current verdict from the Michelin inspectors says: “This elegant spot in a period building represents local chef Graeme Cheevers' desire to create a restaurant for all occasions. His considerable culinary skills pay their respects to the finest of Scottish produce, be it Orkney scallops or North Sea cod, in dishes that display his classical leanings. There is a precision and sophistication to the cooking, and it’s well worth going for the full tasting menu and the thoughtfully considered wine pairings.”

On the Menu

Orkney scallop and smoked haddock jelly with toasted rice
Whisky cured Loch Melfort sea trout, seaweed, cucumber, herb buttermilk
Haggis neeps and tatties
Herb crusted backstrap of Borders roe deer, parsnip purée, beetroot endive, sauce ‘Grand Veneur’
Pistachio and raspberry cranachan, honey jelly and crème fraîche mousse.

Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, 36 Kelvingrove St, Finnieston, Glasgow G3 7RZ