A glowing tribute has been paid to a talented young chef who died suddenly at the weekend.
The body of Andrew Baird was discovered in Forfar just hours after he disappeared.
Police had been searching for the 16-year-old since he vanished from the Angus town’s Reid Park area on Saturday evening.
Officers say there appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the former Forfar Academy pupil’s death.
Last night Kassim Mohamed, Forfar Academy’s Head Teacher, described Andrew as a “popular former pupil.”
He said: “This is tragic news and the thoughts of everyone within the Forfar Academy school community are with the family and friends of Andrew, who was a popular former pupil of ours.
“Andrew demonstrated his burgeoning talents as a chef while still at school, not least when he reached the final of a national competition.
“He will be very sadly missed.”
In 2019, Andrew won the local round of Future Chef at Arbroath college.
Eden Sinclair, of Sinclair’s Kitchen gastropub, in Forfar, mentored him for the competition.
Andrew’s main course was a venison dish and his dessert was baby pears with chocolate and honeycomb.
He was up against pupils from St John's High , St Paul's, Dundee High and Morgan Academy and went on to represent the region in Glasgow later in the year.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a body was found on the morning of Sunday, 4 October during searches in the Forfar area for Andrew Baird, 16 who had been reported missing in the area.
“His next of kin has been made aware.
“There are no apparent suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”
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