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It requires massive commitment, energy and skill to serve up freshly prepared, quality dishes, in huge numbers, twelve hours per day, seven days per week and twleve months per year!
Our kitchen team achieve this and more. We don't cut corners. Everything is prepared fresh in our kitchen, from our homemade granola at breakfast to our seafood, which is delivered daily and our desserts which are made entirely in house by our pastry chef.
This menu offer a larger choice,a wide range of exciting dishes for seafood and meat lovers and an excellent selection for our vegetarian and vegan customers - always focussed on quality Scottish produce. In addition to this, the team have taken account of all reviews and customer feedback and this has played a huge role in the creation of our Dinner Menu for Winter 2023/24. Notably with the exciting return of a long time customer favourite - our Slowly Braised Beef Cheeks and the return our practically famous Steak Pie to it's very original recipe (the feedback has been phenomenal)!
We spend some time in the kitchen to catch some snaps of our chefs behind the scenes...
Head Chef Craig Thomson
Craig started his career at Stones Bar and Grill, working from 2000-2006. Here he learnt the fundamentals of cheffing and how a kitchen operates. He rose to Chef de Partie before moving on to the then 1 AA rosette Saint Jude’s in Glasgow.
Time there led to working at Boxwood Café by Gordon Ramsay as Junior Sous Chef. This experience honed his skills in cooking, kitchen politics and ergonomics.
As Craig described, "I learned how to become a better manager and to understand it’s not just about the food and cooking but equally important are the people behind the food, their own experiences and how to get that on to a plate".
Following a spell at Cameron House at Loch Lomond, Craig branched out into his own venue, Weirs Bistro, quickly gaining an AA Rosette and the number one spot on Trip Advisor for his area. His knowledge of Scottish cuisine underpinned by Classic French brought an excellent food experience to his region. His gastronomic journey took a twist when he started a family and commitments were pulled back to concentrate on this.
Craig arrived at The George in 2023. His resolute energy and dedication has led him to the top of the George kitchen. The Clark Family welcome him to the George Hotel and believe he has all the required chef attributes to develop the kitchen and food standards even higher.
Craig’s intentions are to develop the members of a solid settled team using as local as possible ingredients and produce. The emphasis is Scottish with influences from around the world. We are excited to have him with us, we think you will be too. Welcome Craig and best of luck in the new menu launch.
Sous Chef Piotr Olszak
Piotr, the Sous Chef at The George Hotel's started in The George Hotel kitchen 12 years ago. Hailing from Poland, he brought his long term partner Kasia on a journey to our small town on the West Coast of Scotland. They also brought limited English, another challenge, then add the local accent!
Piotr started in The George kitchen as a kitchen porter in 2012. In this position he learned how a larger commercial kitchen works as well as the language while displaying a very cool temperament with an appetite for hard work.
It has been a steady and studious journey for Piotr. He cut his cloth through the Blue Period of 'Les Tricolores'. Piotr brings hearty Polish cooking to the West Coast, an in-depth knowledge of The George to the role of Sous Chef and a thorough understanding of how to produce fantastic food with finesse.
The Clark Family have been delighted to witness Piotr’s elevation and would like to thank him for his dedication.
Our Winter 23/24
Dinner Menu
Our a la carte dinner menu for Winter 2023/24 boasts a blend of our award winning restaurant’s classic signature dishes with a number of exciting new options. Serving you venison stalked on the hills around Inveraray, shellfish from our Boat Caol na Mara on Loch Fyne and seafood from our Argyll neighbours at Loch Fyne Oysters, 42 day hung Scotch Beef steak on the grill, scallops fae Tarbert. It reflects The George, Argyll, Scotland and the experience and continuity of Piotr and the big energy and ideas from our talented new Head Chef Craig.
