FOODIES enjoyed a treat as MasterChef champion Gary Maclean tantalised their tastebuds with a cookery demonstration.

Gary shared his skills with visitors to intu Braehead, in Renfrew, giving them an insight into what brought him glory in last year’s MasterChef: The Professionals show.

As part of the leisure venue’s Totally Tasty event, he served up a delicious menu of pan-seared loin of roe deer with raw spiced and caramelised cauliflower, oats, nuts, brambles, game chips and roe deer sauce.

Gary also rustled up some home-made pasta with langoustine and scallops, spinach and pesto, followed by hot chocolate fondant with red berry compote and chocolate sugar.

And he finished the session with smoked haddock, pea and parsley risotto and the perfect poached egg, leaving visitors with sufficiently full bellies.

Gary, 45, said: “It was great fun cooking for everyone who came along.

“I hope I gave them all some food for thought when they get back to their own kitchens.”

Gary opened his own restaurant in his home city of Glasgow 15 years ago before going on to run the kitchens at the city’s Gallery of Modern Art and the Burrell Collection.

He is currently a senior lecturer at the City of Glasgow College and clinched the Masterchef crown in December after seeing off 47 other professionals in seven weeks of fierce competition.

Gary was joined by Clyde 1 presenter Cassi Gillespie at the Totally Tasty event, which attracted a large crowd.

Christine Macdonald, marketing manager for intu Braehead, said: “Gary did a superb job of showing everyone that they don’t have to be a master chef to cook fabulous food.”

Meanwhile, Braehead is one of 14 intu shopping centres up and down the country working with the National Autistic Society to launch the first UK-wide Autism Hour event.

Each business at Braehead is being asked to reduce their lights, music and other background noise for an hour at 10am on Monday.

The aim is to provide autistic people with a break from the usual overload of ‘too much information’ and create better environments for autistic customers.

Staff at intu Braehead already receive training to provide autism-aware customer service and autistic people can also download guides that allow them to plan and prepare a visit to the centre at intu.co.uk/braehead.

Lydia Brown, intu Braehead’s community development manager, said: “We will be asking every shop, restaurant and leisure brand in our centres to dim their lights and reduce their music for an hour and to raise awareness of autism among their staff and customers.”

To find out more information about the National Autistic Society’s Autism Hour, visit the website at www.autism.org.uk/autismhour