Knockinaam Lodge in Dumfries & Galloway has appointed Tyler King as Head Chef, bringing experience from Michelin-starred restaurants and leading Scottish kitchens to the five-star coastal hotel.
King joins the Portpatrick property from Condita in Edinburgh, where he served as Head Chef and led the restaurant while it retained its Michelin star in both the 2025 and 2026 guides.
At Knockinaam, he will take responsibility for its three AA Rosette restaurant and develop the hotel’s food offer around seasonal Scottish ingredients and producers from the surrounding region.
The restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu will change regularly according to the produce available from local suppliers and the surrounding land and coastline.
The menu will also be available with optional wine pairings selected from Knockinaam’s cellar.
The hotel currently lists more than 300 wines, with its wine programme shortlisted for the final stage of the 2025–26 AA Wine Award and recognised with the AA’s Notable Wine List designation.
Local sourcing will remain central to the kitchen’s direction.
King plans to work with producers including BoTree, Vanilla Labs, Shh’annu Lamb, Kirkwood Farm and Loch Ryan Wild Venison, alongside local creel fishermen.
The menus will draw particularly on produce from the Rhins of Galloway, the Solway Firth and the wider south-west of Scotland.
King said: “I am really excited to be joining Knockinaam Lodge and to have the opportunity to work with the incredible produce and producers here in Galloway.
“The setting is a huge part of what makes this place special, and I want the menu to reflect that.
“I’m looking forward to creating menus that change often and make the most of what is available each day to give guests a real sense of where they are.”
Fife-born King began his professional career at Malmaison Dundee before developing his experience at kitchens including Rockliffe Hall, Castle Terrace in Edinburgh and Number One at The Balmoral.
He subsequently moved to Germany and worked as Senior Sous Chef at Michelin-starred Prism under Gal Ben Moshe, where his experience included preservation and fermentation techniques.
After returning to Scotland, King helped launch Bridge 15 at The Bridge Inn in Ratho, developing menus around Scottish produce before later moving into the Head Chef position at Condita.
He recently confirmed his departure from Condita after approximately two and a half years.
His arrival at Knockinaam follows the departure of long-serving Head Chef Tony Pierce, who stepped down earlier this year after 32 years at the hotel.
Pierce oversaw one of the most significant periods in Knockinaam’s culinary history, with the restaurant holding a Michelin star for more than two decades during his tenure.
Callum McCann, General Manager at Knockinaam Lodge, said: “It is great to have Tyler join the team at Knockinaam.
“He has such a strong background in Scottish cooking and a real understanding of the produce we have around us, so he is the perfect fit for the hotel.
“Knockinaam has always had a real focus on food and has a long history of being recognised for what we do in the kitchen, including holding a Michelin star for more than two decades.
“Having Tyler join us is a really exciting moment for us and we are looking forward to seeing where he takes the kitchen and welcoming guests to experience his cooking.”
Knockinaam Lodge is a 19th-century country house hotel overlooking a private cove on Scotland’s south-west coast. The property currently has ten rooms and suites and is included in the Michelin Guide’s hotel selection.
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