Great Places to Eat in Scotland
- Kinloch Lodge, Sleat, Isle of Skye
The Restaurant
Kinloch Lodge (telephone 01471 833214 and e-mail kinloch@dial.pipex.com is a charming 17th century country house, perfectly situated right on the banks of the sea loch, Na Dal, on Skye's southern Sleat pensinsula. While there are 15 bedrooms in the house and lodge, many people travel some distance, not surprisingly, just for dinner. Like a private house party, dinner for everyone is served at 8pm. But do arrive beforehand to enjoy a very civilised drink, relaxing in one of the very comfortable lounges, with log fire burning.When you hear that the co-owner of the hotel and restaurant is a world-renowned cookery writer, you feel you are in safe hands. Kinloch Lodge is the ancestral home of Lord and Lady Macdonald and it is Lady Claire Macdonald who oversees the preparation of the five course table d`hote dinner, while by day gives cookery demonstrations for amateur and budding chefs.
The Food
The descriptions of each course on the menu are very detailed and so mouth watering you cannot decide which to select. The new menu each night features only the freshest of ingredients in season, with local seafood, game, vegetables and salads.I began with a tasty warm Skye crab tart, with light, crisp mustard pastry, served with locally grown organic mixed salad leaves. My partner Ken enjoyed a colourful spinach, garlic and parmesan cheese terrine with olive and tomato salad. Then came a smooth velvety carrot soup with fresh coriander with soft, melt in the mouth home made bread. A brief pause while we sipped our South African Shiraz described on the wine list as showing "a subdued smokiness on the nose and a smooth fruit on the palate". I could not have put it better myself!
Main courses - a delicate Baked Salmon fillet with sauteed fennel for me and a huge vegetarian crepe, stuffed full with aubergine, mushrooms and green and red peppers for him. A huge platter of tiny roast potatoes, beetroot and stir fried garlic courgettes was also brought to the table.
Claire Macdonald has written books on desserts and puddings so you can be sure of something sweet and special. Dark chocolate mousse cake and Hazelnut meringue, filled with raspberries and served with a Drambuie raspberry sauce. After some delicious cheese and oatcakes, we slowly moved back to the fireside sofas for coffee and home made fudge with, of course, the option of a wee dram or nightcap. That is why it might be more sensible to arrange to stay over after such excellent cuisine!
The Bill
See www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk for current menu and prices.Vivien Devlin
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