SCOTLAND’S FOODIE ISLES
Robin McKelvie guides us through the island-produced foodie treats that await on some of the myriad Scottish isles, from fine dining on Skye to award-winning fish and chips on Shetland
The trend for local produce means seafood from around
Scotland’s coastline that was once mainly exported is now readily available to locals and visitors. Award-winning Scottish travel writer, Robin McKelvie, makes our mouths
water with his guide to the island foodie trails
You could sample the worldclass produce of Scotland’s islands on the fine dining tables of London and Paris. Why would you, though, when you can savour it on a journey through the spectacular isles, swapping white linen for baseballsized scallops in seafood shacks, plump lobsters plucked from the waters outside your restaurant and beef reared on the neighbouring farm? It all comes served with delicious sides of sweeping beaches, rugged rocks and hulking mountains too.
The Scottish coast’s rich culinary larder really is world-class. We’re talking 800+ islands where crisp, mineral-rich waters offer up a third of global langoustine landings alongside lobster, mussels, scallops and squat lobsters, plus a rich bounty of fish species. Then there is Scotland’s famed beef, from cattle that enjoy rich island pastures, and lamb who marinate themselves with wild herbs. Swirl in game, wild venison and lashings of foraged goodies and the isles offer a feast fit for royalty, which maybe explains why the Queen has chartered a ship to cruise around the west coast more than once.
LOCAL PRODUCE
Until relatively recently, I – as a Scot – watched forlorn as much of that remarkable produce was spirited off outside Scotland. However, in recent years increasing domestic demand – fuelled by the rise of the TV chef and also an impressive upsurge in the quality of island eateries – has seen much more of it available locally with an emphasis across the board on being local and sustainable. Take the Isle of Arran in the Firth of
Clyde. Geographically it’s described as ‘Scotland in Miniature’ and it now echoes this on the plate too.
‘Arran has fabulous local produce. Our amazing micro-climate is perfect for field to plate – or even glass,’ Sheila Gilmore, who helped set up and promote the Taste of Arran initiative, explained to me over a hoppy pint of Isle of Arran Blonde ale. ‘There’s award-winning Arran Blue cheese, Arran Gin, Arran Ice Cream, and The Arran Butcher stocks locally reared beef and lamb. Arran milk is available from vending machines. We also have fantastic preserves, baked goods, beer, chocolate and flavoured cheddars – what more could any foodie want?’
Then there are Arran’s brace of whisky distilleries and its sparkling necklace of eating venues. There are cosy whitewashed pubs dotted around the coast
– a personal favourite is The Drift Inn with its island Pirnmill lamb and Lamlash Bay lobster. A newcomer is the simple shackstyle Mara Fish Bar & Deli, run by young couple Gordon and Kirsty Decaestecker. Here in the shadow of glowering Goat Fell, the island’s highest peak, and gazing out over the neighbouring isles of Cumbrae and Bute, pick your fresh seafood treat. Then take the environmentally friendly
‘WORLD CLASS PRODUCE COMES WITH DELICIOUS SIDES OF SWEEPING BEACHES, RUGGED ROCKS AND HULKING MOUNTAINS’
box across to the rocky beach to enjoy it as you peer out for passing dolphins and basking sharks with the salty tang in the air beaming a giant smile across your face.
HEBRIDEAN BOUNTY
Pushing beyond Kintyre into the Hebrides the isles are awash with fantastic food. The tiny island of Gigha in Scotland is known for generating its own electricity through community wind turbines that sell power back into the National Grid. This impressive self-sufficiency comes across in a renowned, nay famous, food producer. Gigha Halibut is farmed in the crystal-clear waters here, then sold to restaurants across the UK and beyond. Savour it overlooking a sandy beach at the Michelin-recommended Boathouse – where ultra-fresh Gigha oysters are served too – washed down with a clear conscience of non-existent food miles.
Cruising to our next stop of Coll, the island of Islay rears to starboard. A whole different adventure awaits on Islay on an oasis that will soon hit double figures in distillery numbers. Coll, meanwhile, is a sleepy Hebridean charmer with some of the best beaches anywhere. All 23 of them. I took my young family for a summer holiday to Coll and it was the stuff of children’s books, skipping off on bikes to stop at completely deserted beaches for a picnic every day, before the kids built sandcastles and swam alongside seals.
The epicentre of Coll life is the Coll
Hotel. Recently expanded by celebrated Scottish architect William Tunnell, the cosy island white-washed original has been given the Grand Designs treatment and, I think, is all the better for it. It’s one of my favourite dining spots in the isles. Tucking into homemade pasta with Coll lobster as a flurry of isles blink back over the bay is a nigh on divine experience. Owner Julie Oliphant ran through just some of its local produce as we mingled with welcoming locals in the bar: ‘Arileod Farm grows most of our greens and our langoustines are from our friend Andrew’s fishing boat,’ she said. Being on firstname terms with your suppliers is typical on the Scottish islands.
Further north you can dine simply at The Oyster Shed on the Isle of Skye, but the largest Inner Hebridean is no slouch when it comes to fine dining too. Classic French cuisine is on offer from Marcello Tully at Kinloch Lodge, where you can stay in a stately old house overlooking a very private beach. Skye also sports the Michelin-starred Loch
Bay with acclaimed Michael Smith at the helm. He made his name at The Three Chimneys on Skye.
Many Scots foodies still reckon that The Three Chimneys is the best place to eat on Skye, despite losing its star a few years back. I agree. Mercurial young chef Scott Davies works creative wonders behind the scenes at this characterful croft hideaway. Salads and
greens hail from Glendale, langoustines from nearby Loch Dunvegan and crabs from down the road at Bracadale. I will never forget interviewing then-owner and Scottish foodie legend Shirley Spear, who was genuinely apologetic for having to source produce from ‘far away’. She meant fresh fish from Mallaig across the water on the mainland and cheese from just across the Skye Bridge in Achmore!
Pushing across the tumultuous Minch we come to the Outer Hebrides, the 130-mile long wild and wildly beautiful archipelago where Gaelic is very much a living language and man most definitely plays second fiddle to Nature in all her North Atlantic wind-ravaged grandeur.
In the capital, Stornoway, the culinary star is Charles MacLeod. As well as being a top-notch butcher this business also produces the multi-award-winning black pudding that graces fine dining restaurants throughout Scotland and beyond – if you order Stornoway black pudding with scallops, the chances are it will be MacLeod’s.
COCKLES AT THE AIRPORT
Foodie experiences tend to come a little rougher and readier in these parts. The Outer Hebrides are a great place to pick up produce and DIY. My wife and I spent a blissful break hidden away from the world at Sound of Harris, beautifully fashioned self-catering, croft-style escapes. In between gazing out over the wildlife-filled waters we cooked up simple feasts from the live langoustines and clams that the owner had arranged to have delivered.
In the southern reaches of the islands Barra offers the rather surreal culinary experience of being able to enjoy cockles culled from the same beach that’s home to the runway you’ve just landed on! Swoop down on Cockle Strand Beach with Loganair and devour those cockles for lunch, cooked simply with garlic, in the wee airport café. To complete your seriously fresh, local experience, it has to be king scallop pakora or Hebridean lamb curry at Café Kisimul for dinner in the island capital of Castlebay.
Last, but certainly not least, we end our odyssey in the Northern Isles. Orkney boasts more than 80 islands, with food production concentrated on the Orkney
Mainland. The pastures provide superb beef – a few years ago local farmers clubbed together to sell much of it directly and avoid supermarkets. The cows also offer up sumptuously creamy Orkney Cheddar. You’ll find the Orkney Brewery here, producer of Dark Island, one of the best ales to ever have come from Scotland. My tip is The Foveran, a restaurant with rooms set atop a bluff overlooking the ocean south of the capital of Kirkwall.
SHETLAND DELIGHTS
Further north still we make our last landfall in the remote Shetland Isles, over 600 miles as the crow flies from London, with more than 100 isles and islets to explore alongside 100 beaches. Shetland is famous for its salmon and mussels, which flourish in the nutrient-rich, frequently replenished ‘voes’ (short sea lochs) that are unique to its coastline.
Top-notch restaurants are thin on the ground in Shetland, but you’re still in for a treat – the UK’s most northerly fish and chip shop in Brae has previously been named best in the UK! Frankie’s Fish & Chips sums up so much of what is great about food in the Scottish isles. Produce is ultra-fresh and they really push the boat out beyond simply superb fish and chips. Last time I was there, owner Valerie Johnson told me with a proud smile: ‘We could just offer fish and chips, but why not try to get the local school kids trying something different?’ You will be thankful for her island spirit and passion as you tuck into king scallops, steamed mussels and chips, or Shetland crab cakes, while watching for otters from the terrace. You don’t get experiences like this on the fine dining tables of London and Paris.