A spokeswoman for Nairn would not comment on the deal. The hotel is close to Nairn's cookery school, at the Port of Menteith in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, in central Scotland.

The school has recently undergone a £1m refurbishment, creating more space for classes.It is not known if the purchase of the Lake of Menteith hotel will signal a return to the commercial kitchen for Nairn.

Just last summer, the chef sold his 40-seat Nairn's restaurant in Glasgow for more than £225,000 in order to spend more time at the cookery school.