Meet the chef: Adam Handling of Frog
From starting at Gleneagles to earning his first Michelin star, this Scottish chef’s empire spans coast to city
Many chefs gush about the first moment that inspired them to work with food. Perhaps it was the smell of their grandmother’s speciality filling their childhood home, their very first taste of a Michelin-starred meal, or a simple experimentation with flavour that paved the way for their signature dish. But not Adam Handling. When he was a teenager, he was faced with a choice: stick it out at school or find work. He chose the latter – and that, in a nutshell, is how he found himself in the kitchen.
What he has achieved since is nothing short of incredible. Now the chef-owner of an eponymous collection of restaurants that span London to Cornwall, his passion for British food, sustainability, and fighting food waste has made him one of the nation’s most celebrated chefs, TV personalities (as a regular on Saturday Kitchen Live, Great British Menu, and The One Show) and cookbook authors.
Handling got his first big break when he was offered an apprenticeship at Gleneagles – one of Scotland’s most celebrated hotels. Under the tutelage of the late Andrew Fairlie, cheffing lit a fire in Handling’s belly and, after many years of late nights, early mornings and unwavering dedication to his craft, saw him go on to lead a kitchen as head chef at Fairmont St Andrews at just 27 years old.
Images: Justin De Souza
It was only a matter of time before such a passionate chef ventured out on his own, and Handling’s flagship Frog restaurant opened in Covent Garden in 2017. A celebration of skills honed over a decade in the kitchen – think sourcing British produce, enforcing sustainability and creativity without fuss – Frog tactfully reflects the theatrics of the West End without being wasteful, and won a Michelin star in 2022. You won’t find sample menus on its website, as they’re created anew each day to make the most of the ingredients in the kitchen, but signature dishes, such as a lobster wagyu which uses every part of the crustacean, exemplify Handling’s nose-to-tail ethos.
Alongside nurturing his two posh pubs – The Loch & The Tyne in Windsor and Cornwall’s The Tartan Fox – 2025 heralded the arrival of two further projects for Handling: the opening of his Covent Garden-based chocolate shop and the relocation of The Ugly Butterfly from St Ives to the Headland Hotel in Newquay. At the latter, he’s made no secret of his want for a Michelin star, having created an innovative 4×4 menu that’s designed to be more approachable for diners but no less delectable.
The launch of the Adam Handling Chocolate Shop, meanwhile, marks a dream come true for Handling. A lifelong chocolate connoisseur, he says: “I wanted to create a space that showcased how chocolate should taste, with nothing impacting its purity of flavour. I think of chocolate like wine – so the shop sells delicious chocolate that is representative of the soil the cacao was grown in.”
With hundreds of miles between each outpost, a range of menus to cater and several teams to manage, Handling is, undoubtedly, a busy man. But one who clearly still has plenty of appetite for the future. We sit down to discuss career turning points, branching out on his own and where he dines in London.
I wish I had a romantic story of growing up dreaming of becoming a chef but it wasn’t like that at all. When I was 16, my mum gave me a choice: stay in school or take an apprenticeship. School wasn’t for me, so I took an apprenticeship at Gleneagles – and that changed my whole life.
The late Andrew Fairlie took me under his wing and he really opened my eyes to what it meant to be a chef – the passion, the fire, the teamwork. It was an incredible place to start and I’ll always be grateful for my opportunities there. I immediately fell in love with hospitality and I learnt all I possibly could, from books and everyone around me, as I knew this would be my future.
I vividly remember making chocolate truffles with my mum when I was about 12 years old – my love for chocolate definitely started there and hasn’t gone away since! It’s funny how things come full circle, because now we’ve got the Adam Handling Chocolate Shop, which is all about celebrating that same sense of fun and indulgence.
Frog
After leaving Gleneagles, I moved to London to work at Rhodes 24 with Gary Rhodes as a first commis chef. It was a great introduction to a fast-paced kitchen and gave me my first real taste of London’s energy. From there, I went to Malmaison in Newcastle as a sous chef, which was an important step in learning how to manage a team and take more responsibility in the kitchen.
The biggest milestone of my early career, though, was joining Fairmont St Andrews as head chef – I was the youngest head chef in the Fairmont group at the time. Running their restaurant, Esperante, taught me so much about leadership, building a kitchen culture and maintaining consistent quality at a high level. We earned two AA rosettes there, and it was really the place where I started to understand my style of food and who I wanted to be as a chef.
I wanted to create something that reflected my philosophy of sustainable British luxury that’s fun and relaxed. Opening my own place gave me the freedom to develop my team (who came with me from my previous restaurant), our ethos and a space that could evolve over time but always stay true to quality and creativity.
Each restaurant in the Adam Handling Collection has its own personality and purpose but they’re all united by a focus on sustainable British luxury. Frog is the flagship – theatrical and immersive to match its surroundings in Theatreland – and I wanted to open a place where luxury dining could be inviting and accessible. Somewhere you can walk in, enjoy incredible food and never worry about what you’re wearing. Eve Bar complements it with inventive cocktails and sustainable bar food, using the offcuts from Frog’s kitchen upstairs.
The Loch & The Tyne and The Tartan Fox bring that same ethos to pub-style settings in the countryside – giving classic dishes a luxurious, sustainable edge.
Ugly Butterfly 2.0 in Newquay is our coastal restaurant and bar, where seasonal Cornish ingredients are celebrated in dishes and drinks, overlooking the sea. I wanted guests to eat exactly how they wanted to so we built a menu that lets you create your own journey. Whether you’re after something chilled on the terrace, a few plates at the bar, or the full tasting experience – it’s all about enjoying great food, your way.
Frog is all about British ingredients, creativity and theatricality. We work with the seasons and use every part of an ingredient – nothing goes to waste. While our pubs and coastal restaurants are more relaxed, Frog is where we push the boundaries a bit more. Menus are kept a secret until you arrive and there are always some surprises along the way. It’s immersive and theatrical, whilst always grounded in incredible produce.
The Ugly Butterfly 2.0
Being awarded a Michelin star was an emotional moment for myself and the whole team – it’s a recognition of their dedication and consistency. My advice is simple: focus on your craft. Stay authentic, be consistent and never stop learning. Mistakes are part of the process – embrace them.
My favourite has to be Dorian – I go there all the time when I’m in London. The food is exactly what I love to eat: carefully thought-out, seasonal and really well executed. Max Coen makes exactly what he wants to cook, and you can tell he absolutely loves every dish. I really respect that approach and it’s a restaurant I can’t wait to return to again and again.
Angelo Sato from Humble Chicken – his flavours are unbelievable. Also, I love what John Chantarasak is doing at AngloThai. They won their Michelin star so soon after opening and the team there really deserve it – the food is sensational.
The Tartan Fox
At the moment, I’m mostly in Newquay with the opening of Ugly Butterfly 2.0. I also got a puppy earlier this year – Maya, a toy maltipoo – and it’s been great taking her on long walks along the beach and through the countryside. I also go to the gym and go for runs as much as possible. It’s a great way to switch off and recharge away from the kitchen.
At Frog, it’s the signature lobster wagyu with caviar. I absolutely love both ingredients and the combination is perfect – it’s the ultimate surf and turf as far as I’m concerned. We use native Scottish lobster from Orkney, which is hand caught and sent down to us on the night train straight to King’s Cross, so it’s super fresh. We age the lobster tails and claws in wagyu beef fat for a few days and we finish it on the barbecue for just two minutes before serving.
Also, as I’m committed to zero waste, when we’re cooking with lobster, we use all parts of the animal to the fullest. So, not only do we extract all of the meat from it but we also use all the shells and tomalley to prepare tasty sauces, purees or foams.
Visit adamhandling.co.uk
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