Top Ukrainian chef Ievgen gets his fish from the Tweed

Ievgen Klopotenko, right, with his partner Maryna and a river guide.

Top Ukrainian chef Ievgen Klopotenko landed a fine grayling on a recent visit to the Borders.

Ievgen, who made international news by keeping his fashionable restaurant in Kyiv open through Russian missile and drone attacks and lobbied to have UNESCO acknowledge borsch as a Ukrainian, not Russian, dish, decided to cast a fly in the famous river Tweed.His party contacted local river guiding company, Selkirk-based Best Fishing Scotland.

Owner Bill Drew said: “One of our river guides found the fish for Ievgen and coached him to success with a grayling in the 2lb range.

“Ievgen’s passions are food freedom and fishing, which sounds pretty good to me.”

Bill, who has been guiding in the River Tweed system for 25 years, added: “2022 has been our busiest year ever, with international guests returning and UK guests interested as never before.”