Leaving behind a culinary legacy and an inspiration

“HAAR: The New Hebridean Kitchen”, which is centred on traditional dishes of the island, but presented in fine-dining style, was inspired and started by Murdo Alex MacRitchie, who passed away in 2019 at the age of just 42 after contracting pancreatic cancer.

During a well-regarded career as a chef, Murdo Alex introduced fine-dining to the island, first in Stornoway and then in Ness, before organising a pop-up restaurant under the name of “HAAR”, which was taken to various different locations. All his ventures proved popular with customers.

While retaining a strong sense of his island roots, Murdo Alex was at one time employed by Claudia Schiffer – one of the world’s most successful models – as her personal chef, though it was a strand to his work that he would rarely speak about publicly, respecting the need for such a figure to retain some privacy.

While Murdo Alex started work on the book, he was unable to see the final product through to the end and it was completed by his sister Kathleen.

In a foreword to the book, Kathleen said: “In 2016 Murdo Alex was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During his three-year battle with cancer he began work on this book, HAAR: The New Hebridean Kitchen. Sadly, Murdo Alex was unable to complete the book before he passed away on 17th October 2019.

"To make Murdo Alex’s vision a reality, Andrew and I, with help from my cousin Jo MacDonald, completed the book, as a tribute to Murdo Alex’s amazing talent as a chef. Although some of his recipes are incomplete, the stunning photographs of his dishes are a reminder of what we lost.”

The book also includes an introduction by Murdo Alex himself, in which he details his culinary inspirations and the rationale behind the HAAR concept and recipes.

All the proceeds from the book, which will be officially released on 3rd December, will be donated to the Bethesda Hospice in Stornoway and Pancreatic Cancer UK. To order your copy visit: acairbooks.com/