A 19-year-old Shirley Spear sat in a charming old restaurant that she and her then-boyfriend had discovered whilst backpacking on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Enchanted by the simple fare and fairytale location, Shirley was compelled to eat there again the next night. But perhaps it was something stronger that drew her to this restaurant again. For, little did she know, ten years later she would leave her PR job in London, and move with her husband and two young children to the remote Scottish island to purchase that very same restaurant, The Three Chimneys. With no professional cooking experience to speak of, and with her husband working front of house, Shirley set about building the tiny locale into a gourmet nook that would showcase the best of Scottish cuisine whilst still maintaining the warmth and hospitality of homecooking. Twenty-five years later, The Three Chimneys has twice been named amongst the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, with food critics the world over lauding its food creations.Moving to a remote location and starting a restaurant with no experience is quite a risk. What inspired you to take such a risk?
We didn’t really choose such a remote place on purpose. I had originally come to The Three Chimneys when I was 19 and was on holiday in Skye, and even that was a chance discovery. Years later, sitting at my kitchen table in Croydon in South London just before I was planning to go back to work after having children, I decided that I wanted to move back to Scotland and let the kids grow up where it was fresher and brighter and out of the city. We had no idea what we could do for employment if we did that, but because I loved cooking we decided we’d try to run a restaurant. My mother, who was living back in Scotland, was very enthusiastic about the whole idea. And as mums do, she sent me cuttings from the Scottish newspapers of the typical properties we could buy, none of which we could afford and all of which needed to be completely redone. Then I got in contact with some of the big commercial estate agents and found out through one that The Three Chimneys was for sale. I said to my husband, Eddie, ‘That’s it! That’s where we have to go’. The only reason I knew about it was because I’d been there 10 years before! I think all we really wanted to do was start something very simple that would be the kind of place we’d like to discover if we were on holiday ourselves, that served genuine good food that was fresh and homemade. I had a real mission in my heart to promote Scotland’s amazing culinary heritage, which really wasn’t being done in those days.
Can you describe how you felt that first day you opened the restaurant?
It was a total disaster! We knew absolutely nothing about running a restaurant. Eddie took a course on the basics of bookkeeping and that sort of thing, while I practised recipes on the large cooker on a scale that I hadn’t ever done before. It was really about learning as we went along. We still weren’t ready the day we opened and we had 16 people booked in for dinner that night, which we thought was manageable – it was just me in the kitchen and Eddie doing front of house. But we ended up doing 32 covers because all the people in the village came along to support us! We were so disorganised that night that I don’t know why anybody ever came back!
What is it that you think sets the restaurant apart from others?
I think from those very shaky beginnings I realised that I had to get my act together. Immediately we reviewed our goals and grew from there. I continually taught myself as I went along. One thing that stuck out right from the word go was that people loved what we were serving and they loved it for all the reasons I wanted them to – because it was good homemade food served in a stylish way that was fresh and tasted great. We still run that through everything we do today, from the freshness and source of the ingredients to the genuine way in which we use them. It was very difficult being in such a remote place as Skye and building up trade. We realised that we had to turn our worst marketing ingredient into our best one. We had to turn our remote location into something that was worth coming to find. I think it is quite unusual these days for a restaurant to stay at the top for as long as it has, but I think it’s testament to the fact that we’ve never tried to grow too big, or splash out, but we have built The Three Chimneys brand into a very strong and well-known one.
What has been your greatest challenge?
Professionally, it’s been really being recognised as something special. Scotland isn’t generally recognised by the rest of the UK as having great restaurants, but in truth London can’t compete with the fresh ingredients and local produce that we have at our disposal every single day. Our biggest struggle has been to make the business a success in terms of money.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Nobody believed we could do it – that we could aim for a five-star grading and charge the kind of five-star prices that we needed to charge in order to survive, and to pay the kind of salaries we needed to get top staff. But it was a rip-roaring success and we defied all the laws of gravity in making it so. At the same time, we’re still quite small and we still look after people on a very personal level. And now I know people aspire to be like us and to have similar standards and I think that’s a great achievement. I also work very hard in the background making government realise how important tourism is as an industry to the country’s economy, and helping Scotland to get the recognition it deserves in terms of food and restaurants. That’s been another great achievement for me.
What has made you not give up?
Well, I’m quite an up-and-down personality, which I think a lot of artistic people are, and I’ve had lots of times when I’ve been absolutely depressed and thought ‘I can’t go on, it’s too hard’. But I think, at the end of the day, the most important things in my life are my children, and my husband, who has never, ever given up on me. They are the reasons I’ve never given up.
What advice would you give to young chefs looking to emulate your success?
Learn your craft seriously and well from the very start and take advantage of the great training that is available these days, working with fantastic chefs to develop your skills. Don’t try to run your own business too soon or to become a Michelin-starred chef within the first two or three years. Cooking isn’t something you learn overnight. You have to learn about flavours, textures and ingredients over time and nothing you cook will ever be the same twice. Running your own business brings with it lots of extra pressures that you might not imagine and so you have to take it one step at a time. Remember that you’re not cooking for yourself, but rather for your customers. You should become a chef only if you truly want to give to other people. No restaurant is as good as its chef alone – you need great front-of-house people out there serving your food.
Why do you care?
I’ve always had a passion for Scotland and for good Scottish things. But you don’t have to be egotistical about promoting it – you just need to be loving and giving and pass it on. If you love your job, then it’s a huge bonus.
Who inspires you?
Young people are my inspiration, especially in hospitality. I love watching them grow up and want to be important in the world. I want to give them all the encouragement that I can.
What inspires you?
A glass of wine and putting my feet up! I’m also inspired now because I have more freedom to do what I want to do with my own life. I can now plan to actually do some home-cooking again and cook just for my family.
Where do you find peace in life?
I love driving from the north-west of Scotland down to Edinburgh in the south-east. I absolutely love the scenery – it doesn’t matter what the season is or what the weather is like – it’s just beautiful. I love hills, trees, wildflowers and the sea, and I love just being amongst them all.
What are your words of wisdom?
Love your surroundings, take each day as it comes and find the best in people all around you.
Interview by Mikki Brammer
