Michelin-starred chef Tyler King has been appointed head chef at Knockinaam Lodge in Dumfries & Galloway bringing experience from some of Scotland’s leading kitchens to the five-star coastal hotel

Tyler joins Knockinaam Lodge from Edinburgh restaurant Condita, where he was head chef and retained the restaurant’s Michelin star during his tenure. At Knockinaam, he will lead the hotel’s three AA Rosette restaurant, bringing his experience and passion for seasonal Scottish produce to the kitchen, with a focus on ingredients from the surrounding land and coastline.

The appointment marks a new chapter for Knockinaam Lodge’s kitchen, with Tyler set to develop a dining experience that reflects the character and location of the hotel while retaining the style and sense of place that guests have come to expect. Under King’s direction, the restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu will change often allowing the kitchen to make the most of the best seasonal produce available from local producers and suppliers. Priced at £135 per person, the tasting menu will be available with optional wine pairings selected to complement each course, drawing from Knockinaam’s extensive wine list.

King will introduce a new three-course lunch menu, priced at £40 per person, with optional additional courses and a cheese course. Afternoon Tea will be available at £40 per person, or £60 for Champagne Afternoon Tea, while a new Lounge Menu will be served from 12-4pm, with dishes changing regularly according to the seasons and availability of local produce.

Michelin-starred chef Tyler King

A focus on local and seasonal produce has been a consistent thread throughout Tyler’s career, and that same commitment will continue at Knockinaam. Working closely with local producers and suppliers, examples including BoTree, Vanilla Labs, Shh’annu Lamb, Kirkwood Farm, Loch Ryan Wild Venison, and local creel fishermen, Tyler will shape the menus around the exceptional produce of the Rhins of Galloway, the Solway Firth and the wider south-west of Scotland. 

Fife-born Tyler began his career in 2014 at Malmaison Dundee before going to work at Rockcliffe Hall, Castle Terrace in Edinburgh and Number One at the Balmoral. In 2020, he moved to Germany to work as Senior Sous Chef at Michelin-starred Prism under Gal Ben Moshe, where he developed a particular interest in preservation and fermentation. Returning to Scotland in 2021, Tyler helped launch Bridge 15 before joining Condita as Head Chef, where he retained the restaurant’s Michelin star throughout his two and a half year tenure.