Beyond the Occasion: Why Number One’s Chef Series Is One to Watch

On Monday night I took my seat at Number One for what felt like a genuinely special dinner. For one night only, Head Chef Mathew Sherry collaborated with Will Lockwood of Roots. The evening was hosted by Martha Lawson, PR Manager at The Balmoral, and Rachel Lockwood-Smith, Head of Marketing for Tommy Banks Restaurants and Jeopardy Hospitality.

I rarely see the point in detailing a meal that cannot be repeated. What is the use in that. But this was the first in Number One’s new Chef Series, which means while you will not taste this exact menu, you will have the opportunity to experience future collaborations from some of the UK’s finest chefs without leaving Scotland. That is worth knowing.

Lockwood is Head Chef at Roots, the Michelin starred restaurant in York from chef Tommy Banks. He is also a winner on Great British Menu, representing the North East and Yorkshire. His cooking is grounded, seasonal and produce led, shaped by the landscape around him. It made this partnership feel credible. Not a token guest slot, but a meeting of two serious chefs with distinct voices.

If you have not been to Number One recently, put it on your list. It is not everyday dining. It is where you book the birthdays, anniversaries and graduations that matter. The red lacquered walls, the crisp white tablecloths, the carefully curated art, all exactly as you would expect from a five star hotel. What elevates it are the details you almost do not notice. The temperature of the room is perfectly judged. The lighting flatters without obscuring. Everything feels considered.

Service, led by Restaurant Manager Emma Hemy and Head Sommelier Matthew O’Donnell, is warm, assured and unflappable. This is not a stiff dining room. It is polished but entirely hospitable. The pacing is precise, the wine guidance thoughtful, the tone relaxed. It is wonderfully comfortable for something so special.

And then there is the food. I am lucky. I eat well. But I bore easily and I have little patience for overwrought concepts masquerading as brilliance. Give me beautiful ingredients and serious skill. The Peterhead brill with Wye Valley asparagus and Greenheart herbs was elegant and exacting. The Orkney hand dived scallop with celeriac and spruce was sweet, caramelised and perfectly cooked. Balmoral honey, harvested from the hotel’s rooftop hives, appeared in the menu. A chicory root dessert with brown butter and potato should not work, but absolutely does.

The Chef Series is £155 per person. It is not insignificant. But excellence at this level rarely is. 

Number One also features a three course menu at £99 and five courses at £119, with matching wines available. For a truly special occasion, there are few tables in Scotland that feel as assured as this one.