A Michelin Green Star differs from a “normal” Michelin Star, as it awards places that combine their gastronomic creativity with commitment to sustainability practices. You’ll see from the tasting menu that sustainability is more than just a fad – Chef Pam Brunton is fully committed to zero waste and the exciting culinary options that offers. But not only that, Chef Pam fully utilizes the local community in crafting her menu or stocking the bothies with delightful amenities. For the only Michelin Green Star in Scotland, Inver’s commitment to sustainability can be seen everywhere.

1. My second stay at Inver

Experiencing something in the dark and cold winter and then again in spring is such a night-to-day juxtaposition that I wasn’t ready for. Sure, I knew that my stay would be comfortable and cozy, but with sunshine, it was a completely different type of comfy and cozy!

This time, with more daylight hours, the bothy was bright and open with lovely views. I spent lots of time sitting at the window enjoying the slow calm over Loch Fyne, with Nina Simone on the record player.

The bothy is thoughtfully stocked with a homemade beeswax lotion balm and artisan lavender body oil from Ciara Gilmartin, who locally forages the plants for her salves and balms. The body oil is a lush treat after soaking in the bothy’s bathtub. There’s also a little bottle of schnapps, for starting or winding down your evening.

There’s a few hours between check in and dinner, so I grabbed my hiking boots and went for a stroll out to the old castle.

2. Go for a walk around Castle Lachlan

One of the things you’ll notice when you arrive to Inver are the views of old Castle Lachlan. The ruined castle was built in 1314, likely for Clan Maclachlan who ruled the area. The stone exterior is the only substantial remaining part of the castle, but it’s still good for a wander and a poke around.

Especially if the weather is nice, I can highly recommend the Old Castle Lachlan and Chapel Trail on AllTrails+. The trail basically starts at Inver and takes you along the shores of Loch Fyne to the castle and a chapel, with breathtaking views over the loch. The terrain is fine, and is doable with regular shoes, but you never know if there was rain the day or night before making the ground soggy. I’d rather not take the chance, and the quick change into hiking boots is always a smart idea.

Don’t worry – You won’t get lost (you can see Inver almost the whole time). It’s the perfect leg stretch after the drive to Inver, and possibly to work up an appetite for your dinner ahead!

3. Drinks and Amuse Bouche at Inver

Prior to the evening’s meal, you’ll be invited to have cocktails in the extremely cozy lounge. Super cozy in the winter with a roaring fire, and still super cozy on a brisk spring evening.

For the amuse bouche, a tray of 4 items was brought out. Starting from the oyster, and going counter-clockwise,

• Oyster & sea buckthorn oil – what a lush and fatty oyster!
• Squid & pickled spruce – personally wasn’t a huge fan of the texture (squid can be rubbery)
• Crab & barley bannock – a bannock is a Scottish type of flatbread, so this was made with barley, topped with crab. WOW – so savory and umami. Delicious!
• Grey mullet & blood orange – local fish ceviche, held in a citrusy crispy fish skin! Light and crisp and wonderful! Inver’s commitment to zero waste means they’re definitely not tossing the fish skin. Loved that it was fish skin chip used to house the ceviche!

4. Inver Tasting Menu

When I had finished my drinks and interesting amuse bouche, I was invited into the dining room. Not sure why, but I tend to eat earlier than almost everyone else, and therefore had the dining room to myself. Maybe I do that on purpose to have a few more quiet moments, not sure. In March, at least, it was a lovely idea to dine earlier, since I could watch the gorgeous sun set over the loch during the meal. And boy was it a stunning sunset!

I actually popped outside for a moment in between courses to enjoy the views. It is, after all, part of the dining experience.

– Garden plate

To start, don’t let this extremely simple looking plate confuse you, it was packed with flavor and interesting texture! The kale and Jerusalem artichokes come from Kate’s garden down the road.

I love that the waitress referred to her as just “Kate.” Who is Kate? She’s the one who grows these delicious vegetables and lives just down the road. It’s not a nameless random supplier, it’s not a corporation, it’s just Kate.

Think of this as a baby and a mature set of artichokes on the left and kale (and kalette) on the right. This course is meant to be eaten with your hands, dipping the vegetables in the smear up top. The stand outs in this course was the baby artichokes, incredibly light and crispy. The other artichokes, pureed and pressed between two thin pieces of artichoke – with a surprise umami burst of miso mayo!

– Bread & butter broth

No photo of the bread and butter broth, but you’ll forgive me – it makes an appearance in the IG reel at the end of the post.

The bread at Inver is made in-house with Scottish grains, which is milled into flour downstairs. The butter is home-churned butter. Leftover sourdough ends of the bread are soaked into a broth with brown butter and yeast bubbles. And the result is an surprisingly flavorful “bread broth” to cleanse the palette and to open your senses for the courses to come.

I love that the grain is milled downstairs, and that they’re using the bread-ends instead of throwing them away! Love that the zero-waste ethos extends to bread! But not only that, the bread broth was stunningly delicious – savory and umami, you’d never know it was made from leftover bread!

– Scallop & langoustine, broccoli, & blackcurrant leaf

Pickled herring with Loch Fyne scallops and langoustine, with crispy potatoes for texture, and a sea-herb smoked mussel emulsion (with black current leaf oil) poured over.

Loved all the fresh herbs – it was creamy and light and crisp, with the minty parsley reduction. And somewhere inside, some hidden herring roe that I had to ask about. Herring is a sustainable fish, whereas sturgeon* (where caviar comes from) is not sustainable. But you really wouldn’t be able to tell that you’re eating herring roe versus caviar. The burst of flavor from the herring roe was a wonderful surprise!

Note on the sustainability of sturgeon: wild caught sturgeon, ironically, is NOT sustainable, because there are numbers are very low, giving rise to illegal fisheries. Farmed caviar is MUCH better in terms of sustainability. – Marine Conservation Society: Good Fish Guide

– Celeriac, brown crab & apple

Ok, I’m not going to lie – this was my least favorite course. They can’t all be the best, can they? This was a celeriac terrine with brown crab rare bits and white crab, with a white asparagus sauce. There was also apple and pears diced up with the white crab.

Honestly I’m not huge on the taste and flavors of celeriac and white asparagus specifically, so that’s probably it. But everyone’s palette is different, so maybe you’d enjoy it!

– Newmiln Farm pork & celery

The pork main course brought back a little memory from when I was waiting to check in earlier – I saw that pig cheeks were offered on the day’s lunch menu. While I lusted after that with serious FOMO, I remembered about Inver’s “use every part of the animal” ethos, I knew (and seriously hoped) that pork would show up on the evening’s menu, and it did!

The pork was served in 4 different cuts and styles with pickled alexanders and celery. The whole pig came from Newmiln Farms, an organic farm in Perthshire. The exquisite quatro of pork was – the loin, collar (copper), belly, sausage, with a fennel and dill sauce. Absolutely delicious!! My favorite had to be the collar, which was sooooo tender and juicy!

– surprise dessert

First of all, any place that gives you surprise desserts deserves a place in my heart. Let’s be real. I truly loved that there was a surprise dessert and even more so that it was pink! (only my favorite color!)

I remember the surprise dessert was delicious, with interesting textures. Here are the notes I took from that night, which makes little sense to me now, but from what I can surmise, it must have been blood orange flavored 😉

• bee pollen and blood orange,
• candied blood orange peel,
• blood orange sorbet with crunchy bits.
• (a side note that I obviously forgot to ask about) were the crunchy bits the bee pollen?

But unfortunately, I can’t really remember – was it a mousse? Was it a puffy meringue? And really, what were the crunchy bits? Did the bee pollen have a taste or flavor?

Apologies that I can’t recall, so I guess it’ll be a surprise for you as well!

– Pear, walnut & ginger

Poached pears with a walnutty, gingery ice cream to top it off. Normally, ginger wouldn’t be my first dessert palette taste to choose, but take note – it was very gingery! But nice! But more importantly, I loved the walnut flavor, which went so well with the pears and ginger. Walnuts are frequently ignored for cooler nuts and often downgraded as a sprinkling on salads or inside banana breads. But, I’m here to tell you, the walnut flavor is incredible and just the thing you didn’t know you needed!

– Petite Fours

To close out the meal, (sort of) petite fours and a single espresso for yours truly. On the left, a sea lettuce cocoa saba tart and a fluffy delicious madeleine on the right.

For the sea lettuce cocoa saba tart – a few things to note: I’m guessing the tart casing was made from foraged sea lettuce nearby. Saba is a syrupy wine byproduct that tastes of rich raisins and plums. It gave the tart a distinctly tart flavoring, helping to balance the cocoa nibs.

Madeleines are simply one of my favorites things to come out of France. And of course, Inver’s madeleine was a warm and fluffy perfection to end to the distinctly wonderful evening.

5. Picnic Breakfast at Inver Restaurant & Rooms

After a cozy evening in the bothy that included a hot bath with some Nina Simone on the record player, I was excited for the last part of my stay – the Inver picnic breakfast. They provided a breakfast menu in the bothy, and before dinner, I had ticked off all my selections for the morning. And this time, now that it wasn’t winter any longer, I could eat my breakfast with a view, and the sun shining down over the loch.

For you early birds, don’t worry – if you need coffee or tea before breakfast delivery times, there are both (along with a kettle) in the bothy. So, out of everything, what did I end up getting?

• of course, the porridge bread, inver butter & rhubarb jam,
• boiled egg, mayonnaise & herb salt,
• cheese & butter bun (Rainton Tomme – a semi-hard cheese, thyme & sumac) OMG. Buns like this are my weakness. Especially a cheesy and buttery one! Rainton Tomme is a raw milk cheese from the all organic Rainton Farm down in Dumfries & Galloway. Rainton Farm follows an ethical dairy model, and you’ll be pleased to know they focus on “treating the animals, the land, our environment and the people who work here with respect and kindness”. I would expect nothing less from anyone that supplies to Inver honestly!
• Inver potted pork rillettes – not knowing what pork rillettes were, I obviously ordered this. While I would say it’s similar to pate, the texture is chunkier and courser than a smooth pate. Traditionally, pork rillettes are made from either pork belly or pork shoulder. And honestly, I’d be willing to bet that the pork came from the same organic black pig that we were treated to at dinner. The pork rillettes were perfect to spread over the sourdough bread. What a flavor!
• Burnt honey, flax & cardamom granola
• and of course, orange juice and coffee.

The perfect bothy picnic breakfast with a view!

6. Parting Thoughts on Inver Restaurant & Rooms

WOW. Just WOW. What an absolutely stunning of an experience – the meal, the stay, the views – all of it exceeded my wildest expectations! I already had high expectations given my wonderful stay a few months prior. However, finally getting to experience the full Inver tasting menu was beyond anything I could have imagined!

The sustainability ethos can be found almost everywhere on Inver’s menus, and from talking to their wonderful wait staff, you can tell sustainability serves more than just lip service here. They all truly believe in the local community behind the ingredients and the zero waste practices that fuel Inver’s creativity.

Chef Pam and her partner Rob have created an incredible oasis of culinary excitement far from any city or urban area in Scotland.

It’s the perfect getaway that includes a short hike, cocktails, Nina Simone and a bath – and a truly exquisite tasting menu to dazzle your taste buds.

And to me, all that adds up to absolute perfection.

This time, I didn’t get a chance to say hello to Chef Pam and Rob, as they were away for a family gathering. But given that it was a highly anticipated return, I sent them a note about the incredible stay afterwards. I sincerely look forward to the next time I can visit Inver – it is truly wonderful and memorable!

With that, my dear friends and readers, I bid you adieu!

7. Information on booking your stay at Inver

Inver
📍 Cairndow PA27 8BU
Phone: +44 01369 860537
Located: 1h 40min driving from Glasgow, or 2h 45min from Edinburgh
Accessible by public transportation? No.

Dining at Inver is open to non-residents for both lunch and dinner, depending on the day of the week. Monday to Wednesday, Inver exclusively serves dinners to guests staying at Inver. From Thursday to Sunday, Inver opens to both guests and non-residents. Lunches are ala carte, whereas dinner is a 6-course tasting menu.

• Tasting menu: 95 GBP per person
• Drink pairing: + 65 GBP per person
• Luxury shepherd’s hut: 195 GBP
• Luxury bothy: 285 GBP (three have baths)
• Breakfast is included.

A dinner reservation is included in your room booking.  However, do note this disclaimer from their website:

Please note we do not operate rooms on a B&B only basis, which means resident guests are required to eat with us on every evening of their stay. For guests staying with us for more than one night, we can offer an alternative menu on their subsequent evenings.

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

And while I wouldn’t call this a Madrid Food Guide per say, it definitely goes beyond the normal food experiences and highlights some of the extremely cool places to eat in Madrid. So, without further ado, here are some exquisite Madrid food experiences!

1. The Oldest Restaurant in the World – Sobrino de Botín

Let’s start at the oldest restaurant it the world, shall we? It would be rude not to.

Located near Plaza Mayor, Sobrino de Botín is the longest continuously run restaurant in the world (and Guinness World Records holder for oldest restaurant).  Opened in 1725, Restaurante Botin stayed in the Botin family until 1930, when the González family took over. The original González family endured hard times during the Spanish Civil War, narrowly evading a terrible fate, but they managed to stay open and continue roasting its most famous dish. Over the last 300 years, Botin has only been owned by the Botin and Gonzalez families, which is truly incredible if you think about it! 

Botin is known for their roast suckling pig (cochinillo asado).  The suckling pigs need to be at a minimum weight of 4 kg (8.8 lbs) or be at least 19 days old before it is roasted to perfection. The roast takes only about 2 hours in the same open door 300-year-old wood-fired oven (with the tile hood in the photo) that Botin has used since it opened its doors on day 1 in 1725.

Holm oak firewood is used in the oven for roasting. The acorns of holm oak trees are fed to the pigs which produce Jamón ibérico (Iberian, or Iberico ham). The circle of life of acorn, oak and pigs.

Throughout the last 300 years, Botin has had its fair share of celebrities and admirers. But no one more beloved by Botoin than American-writer and war journalist, Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway dined there often and even had his own table at Botin – the most unassuming spot in the whole restaurant. Tucked away in a corner, Hemingway was said to be paranoid about being under enemy surveillance and preferred the unassuming corner. I guess I always thought of Hemingway’s would have been more outspoken, or rambunctious, rather than preferring to be sitting quietly in the corner. But what do I know?

Hemingway loved Botin so much, it features in two of his books: Death in the Afternoon, and The Sun Also Rises (one of my favorite books!)

In the last scene of the novel:

“We lunched upstairs at Botin’s. It is one of the best restaurants in the world. We had roast young suckling pig and drank rioja alta. Brett did not eat much. She never ate much. I ate a very big meal and drank three bottles of rioja alta.“

– Final scene, The Sun Also Rises.

For those super foodies, you can sign up for a 45-minute tour of the restaurant before lunch or dinner that includes a 7-course tasting menu. Guess who did that?

The tour I took (yellow) includes every floor of the building, from the crypt and wine cellar dating back to the 1500s, up to the top floor, a former boarding house. Rumor has it that Spanish artist, Francisco Goya, worked at Botin in the late 1700s as a dishwasher then waiter.

After the tour, I settled in with a couple for the 7-course family style tasting menu. This was fantastic, as we got to try a spread of their most famous dishes! We could also select whether we wanted the famous suckling pig or an equally famous roast lamb. Not surprisingly, we all opted for the suckling pig.

My 7-course family style dinner at Botin, the oldest restaurant in the world:

• Cured Manchego cheese
• Iberian ham (jamon iberico) & chicken croquettes
• Roasted red peppers with tuna belly
• House scrambled eggs with morcilla blood sausage & potato
• Segovian mushrooms with ham
• Suckling pig (or roasted lamb)
• Dessert – homemade caramel flan for me!

Oh my goodness, what an incredible meal! So many things stood out – the roasted red peppers with tuna belly was phenomenal. The tuna belly was so incredibly tender, and it went wonderfully with the soft texture of the roasted red peppers. The scrambled eggs with blood sausage and potatoes were simple, but delicious. (but then again, I’m not one to shy away from a blood sausage!). The Segovian mushrooms with ham was an unexpected delight. I’m not sure what Segovian mushrooms are, but they reminded me of a fresh and juicy shiitake mushroom. Loved the flavor mixed with the ham!

And then of course, the star of the show, the suckling pig. We didn’t have a whole suckling pig for ourselves, but we all got a more than generous portion. The skin was so light and crispy, not like the thicker pork belly skin you may be used to. The meat, beyond tender and flavorful! And for dessert, I closed with a homemade caramel custard flan. Jiggly, sweet – perfection!

Botin is absolutely one of the most unique restaurants Madrid, and a must if you are hunting gourmet experiences in Madrid!

2. Oldest Chocolateria in Madrid – Chocolatería San Ginés

Visit the oldest chocolatería in Madrid for a quintessentially normal breakfast snack!  (is that elevenses?) Ok, I wouldn’t consider this breakfast, but it seems that locals do!  Deliciously hot and fried churros and served with a Spanish hot chocolate. If you don’t know what a churro, think of a fried donut, except thin and elongated in shape!

Chocolateria San Gines has been making their churros and chocolate combo at the same location since 1894! Nowadays, Chocolateria San Gines basically owns the whole corner, with different indoor/outdoor seating locations, and an ice cream takeaway window. You can still enjoy your churros and chocolate in the original building, which dates back to 1890, but be prepared to queue up for that! For me, it was a lovely morning, so I opted for outdoor seating.

Churros and chocolate is the normal order (in Spanish: chocolate con 6 churros o 2 porras) and that sets you back 5.50 EUR. For 1 person, I didn’t finish it all. For 2 people, it’s probably perfect! Don’t forget to try dipping your churro in your hot chocolate!

Added benefit – Chocolateria San Gines is open 24-7 / 365 days a year! Since it’s open literally 24-7, you really have no excuse on visiting the oldest chocolateria in Madrid, do you?

3. World’s only Michelin-starred restaurant with a flamenco tablao

Honestly, who doesn’t love a dinner and a show? This gourmet experience at Corral de la Moreria takes dinner and a show to the next level, pairing a one-Michelin star awarded restaurant with an award-winning Flamenco show.

Photography is only allowed during the first 5 minutes of the show, and although my view for the show was fine, the photos/videos did not turn out. The photos of the show were provided by Corral de la Moreria with permission. Muchas gracias.

What is a tablao?

• A tablao is a place where flamenco shows are performed
• A tablao is also the term used for the platform floor in which a flamenco dancer dances.

– Wikipedia: Tablao

The show costs 47.95 EUR, and there are a number of different tasting menus to select from.  If you have specific food allergies or preferences, don’t worry – Corral de la Moreria offers gluten free and vegan tasting menu options, as well!

• If you want to book a dinner and a show, note that you’ll first pay 47.95 EUR for the show booking, and then after the show, you’ll pay for your meal.
• There is also a show + a drink option, for 49.95 EUR, which includes both.
• It’s a bit confusing, but there is also the option to dine without the show, but that is in the Restaurante Corral de le Moreria, which hosts 4 exclusive tables for dinner. The dinner and show are held at Restaurant Tablao (where the Flamenco stage is). I think it’s the same location, but in separate areas. I couldn’t figure out how to book this option on the booking website, just as an FYI!

Since I am an early bird, I went with the 19:30 pm show, with an 18:30 dinner seating. For the menu, I selected the 5-course tasting menu for 79.95 EUR. The meal is paid separately after the show.

• Cream of Glazed Chestnuts, Marrow of Vegetables, Duck and Chinese Artichokes
• Scallop Carpaccio with Tomato Tartare, Dates and Cold Garlic and Almond Soup with Coconut Milk
• Wild Sea Bass with Creamy Stewed Spring Onions and Smoked Iberian Bacon, accompanied by Grapefruit Emulsion and Fried Capers
• Roast Rack of Lamb Rested in its Caramelised Gravy and a Creamy Ragout of Winter Vegetables
• Caramelised French Toast Made With Fresh Milk and Served with Banana Ice Cream

What a truly wonderful evening at Corral de la Moreria! Each course was delicious with interesting flavor combinations, but not one course stood out as absolutely incredible. For me, the sea bass was probably my favorite, as it was expertly cooked to perfection with a light and crispy skin.

Following the meal, the lights dimmed and we were treated to an incredible flamenco show. If you’ve never watched a flamenco show, there would be one word I would use to describe the performers – powerful. Both the male and female performers were so intense and had a great command of their movement and the accompanying songs. The guitarists and singers accompanying the performers were also integral parts of the magic.

Because of the show, the majority of people who choose the dinner and show option are tourists. Let that guide you as to what type of experience you will be having at Corral de la Moreria. Is it off the beaten path and a hidden gem? No. Many travelers flock to Corral de la Moreria for this flamenco dining experience and it is definitely one of the most famous restaurants in Madrid.

That didn’t hinder my experience, but if you’re one of those Michelin-star hunters, it’s definitely not like any other Michelin-starred restaurants! As the world’s only Michelin-starred restaurant with a flamenco tablao, Corral de la Moreria is definitely a one-of-a-kind Michelin-starred dining experience!

– My Experience at RavioXO –

Before I move onto the last exquisite foodie experience in Madrid, I need to set up the story which brought me there.

For those who didn’t follow my social media stories about being snubbed as a solo diner, a little context. I made reservations for famed Madrid-chef David Muñoz’s RavioXO restaurant several weeks before my trip. Chef David has a number of restaurants in Madrid which have multiple Michelin stars and often ranks at the very top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Some might say that he’s arguably, Madrid’s hottest chef.

To set the stage, 9 out of 10 meals, due to circumstances of life and travel, I often dine alone. I am fine with this and aside from a handful of annoying experiences, it’s generally not a big deal.

I made reservations online, and although they did not have the option for 1 person, that often happens due to the booking system. Normally, I just email the restaurant afterward and tell them it’s just me. I did just this. Emailed, not once, not twice, but actually three times before someone actually acknowledged me, the day before my lunch.

In that first acknowledgement, they told me to email my reservation modifications to reservas@ravioxo.com. That was the exact email address that I had sent all 3 emails to. Eye roll, but fine. I’ll try again.

RavioXO had a cancellation fee, and I was afraid I’d be charged the cancellation fee for the 2nd person, who was not going to join me. After a brief “misunderstanding,” I was told that the reservation system doesn’t allow tables of 1 person,

“because in our restaurant we do not make reservations for one person. Our availability is only for tables of 2 people or more. In case you finally cannot find a person to accompany you, we could cancel the reservation and we will not charge you any cancellation fee.”

What’s actually wild is, RavioXO has bar seating available in the restaurant, so they could have just sat me at the bar or in a sad corner hidden away from humans. Really anything. But no, Chef David Muñoz’s RavioXO denied me the chance to eat there.

Many people on the internet have tried to suggest to me that solo diners cause a “restaurant to lose money.” To that, I say… have you ever seen me eat?

Had they allowed me to dine that day, quite possibly because I felt bad over the hassle, I would have definitely overcompensated and treated myself by ordering more. A wine or two at lunch, starters, desserts – who knows? The sky could’ve been the limit. If only they served solo diners.

Dear Chef Muñoz and the team at RavioXO,
Being a solo traveler (and a woman at that) is hard enough as it is. People stare at me and harass me all the time simply because I’m a woman alone. And your restaurant? Doesn’t even allow me to eat. I simply can’t fathom why I wouldn’t even be allowed to take one seat at the bar. If you would like to have a honest and frank conversation about how your “more than 2 people only” policy is not inclusive, I would be happy to engage in a discussion offline with you about that.

4. Best hidden gem in Madrid – Restaurante Barrera

After being snubbed for being a solo diner at one of Madrid’s hottest restaurants, I was left scrambling to find an alternative.  Granted, Madrid is full of excellent restaurants, but how do you choose from 100 fantastic ones?  Following the snub, I really just wanted a homey, off-the-beaten path, cozy restaurant – something that would embrace me with Spanish warmth and hospitality. So, who did I turn to in that instance? None other than Phil Rosenthal, who you may know from Somebody Feed Phil.

Restaurante Barrera is a restaurant with no website, no social media, and no written menu. There are barely any reviews online either. Don’t let that deter you, it’s probably one of the best food experiences in Madrid you could hope for!

When I walked into the Calle Ponzano tapas bar and restaurant, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In all honesty, I didn’t watch Phil’s episode (didn’t want to ruin the surprise) and I was still feeling a little shy from my rejection the day before. Ana Barrera, proprietress, greeted me as I walked in.

Ana and I exchanged some pleasantries, when she asked me about dining alone. I said that sometimes I want to travel and eat nice things, but if no one can accompany me, I choose to go alone. She expressed that she could never have done that back in her day, and that she thought I was very full of “valor” to do so. At least that’s what I could pick up from my poor-Spanish and her (much better) English. I don’t know that anyone has ever referred to me as brave for continuing on in my solo experiences in life, but I appreciated it both in the moment and after.

Without further ado, and without a menu, Ana began listing off the tapas I could choose from.

• amuse bouche – egg salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and marcona almonds
• light and crisp gazpacho soup, with micro greens (not shown)
• crispy fried artichokes tossed in sea salt
• the cabrito (baby goat)
• an exquisite lemon tart for dessert

If I had more of a stomach, I would have tried their famous crispy pork belly with (mashed) potato, but I think I had a wonderful variety with the above! Despite being tapas, these are definitely not small plates! But they are meant to be shared. With a second diner, you should definitely get all of the above and the crispy pork belly and potatoes! My whole meal cost 58 EUR which was a steal for the quality of the meal I had!

Notable standouts for the meal:

• the texture of the pumpkin seeds and marcona almonds with the egg salad amuse bouche was an incredible addition to add variety in the egg salad texture. And marcona almonds are always light and crunchy and especially delicious.
• THE FRIED ARTICHOKES. OMG. Expertly fried with gorgeous sea salt flakes. The sweet aubergine (eggplant) glaze was a nice contrast, but I’m not a hugely saucey person, so the artichokes were still perfect without
• The cabrito (baby goat) – I didn’t quite expect the cut to look like that, but then again, I really didn’t know what to expect. The flavor was rich and velvety almost, and wonderfully tender. It seemed to be prepared very simply, roasted in a wood-fired oven for hours in its own juices. Sometimes the simplest ways are the best way.
• the lemon tart was also a stand out. Calling it a lemon tart really doesn’t do it justice. The outer shell was a hard meringue, with a creamy and still warm, lemon cream/custard oozing out, covering a hidden lemon ice cream on the inside. So many different textures and temperatures, all coming together with a tart, lemony flavor. EXQUISITE in every way!

I wish I could tell you more about Ana and the restaurant, but communication was uneven and internet research for this truly off-the-beaten-path restaurant is scant. After the meal, I did watch Phil’s episode there (Season 5, Episode 5). His chef pal, Javier Bonet, explained “it’s a way – how you eat the food, sharing it with somebody. This is the concept of tapas.”

Well, despite tapas meant for being a shared experience, Ana and Restaurante Barrera made my lunch-for-1 incredibly special and memorable. Out of all the gourmet experiences in Madrid on this trip, Restaurante Barrera was the one that stood out the most.

So, thank you Ana for the wonderful meal, and I will be back for the pork belly and potatoes soon!

Parting thoughts on my gourmet experiences in Madrid

I was a little surprised at how many unique and incredible culinary experiences Madrid had to offer! Yes, Spain is known as a foodie heaven, but I hadn’t actually heard anything specific about Madrid. I mean, to be fair, I’ve never had such a wide variety of experiences in the time span of a few days! It made Madrid just an incredibly delicious trip.

There were so many once in a lifetime food experiences wrapped up in this one short trip. Dining at the world’s oldest restaurant and tasting the suckling pig that’s been roasted in the same way, in the same oven as it was 300 years ago was so special! and not to mention delicious! The churros and chocolate were a surprise breakfast that I didn’t expect, and I wouldn’t eat such a sugar-heavy breakfast in the future, but hey – when in Madrid, do as the Madrileans would have done since 1894! But light and expertly fried (and who doesn’t love to dip a churro), and given that they are open 24-7, there’s no excuse not to swing by and try it!

The Corral de la Moreria flamenco and Michelin-starred dinner experience is definitely for those first timers to Spain, or for people who have never experienced the excitement of Flamenco! Normally at venues where a lot of tourists flock, the food is nothing to write home about. But with this flamenco tablao, food is just as important as the flamenco. Experience a truly unforgettable evening at the world’s only Michelin-starred restaurant with a flamenco tablao!

And to round out all the experiences, a wonderful meal at Restaurante Barrera. After being sad and rejected by the hottest restaurant in town, this unassuming tapas bar and restaurant swooped in and saved the day. With simple by powerful dishes and Ana’s soft smile and gentleness, this is by far the stand out of my trip. For a restaurant with no menu, no website, and a written receipt at the end, this was truly the best food in Madrid.

The list above are probably the most outstanding culinary and gourmet experiences in Madrid. If you are looking to supplement this list with the basics on what to eat in Madrid, first start with the Ultimate Spanish Cuisine Tour of Madrid, and then why not consider:

For this trip, I stayed at the Thomson Madrid – a newly opened 5-star hotel located between the Grand Via and Puerta del Sol. While it was a lovely stay, there was a lot of construction around the property. But it had a phenomenal location and I walked everywhere during my trip from there! I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a bit of luxury.

For other nice hotels centrally located near Grand Via, consider:

• Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid
• Hotel Montera Madrid, Curio Collection By Hilton
• JW Marriott Hotel Madrid

If you’re looking for other unexpected foodie adventures outside of Madrid, how about these places for some food for thought:

• Cheltenham – a Regency town in England with an unexpected food culture;
• Shetland Islands – a place where food stories warm your heart and soul!

And that’s it for today folks! Until next time, stay healthy and safe!

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

Pin these gourmet experiences in Madrid for later!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

If you’re having trouble pronouncing Cheltenham like me, don’t think too hard about it – it goes by quick: CHELT-en-em.

Cheltenham is famous for a number of things, mostly unrelated to each other and random, in comparison with each other:

• Cheltenham is the most complete Regency town in the UK and you will get Pride and Prejudice vibes from the old spa town. Cheltenham came to prominence after King George III was recommended to “take in the waters” from the mineral springs in 1788.
• Now remember, I said … unrelated.
• Cheltenham is the headquarters for GCHQ, Britain’s home of signal intelligence. The building, affectionally called a donut because it looks like one, does not accept visitors. However, there are some fun murals around town that remind you that they’re there and always listening.
• Previously called the “Calcutta of the Cotswolds” and an “Anglo-Indian Paradise”, Cheltenham had the most Anglo-Indian residents in Britain outside of London. Because of Cheltenham’s history with The East India Company and the British Raj era, it is home to a number of incredible South Asian restaurants.
• Cheltenham is at the gateway to the Cotswolds or at the edge of the Cotswolds. It could be a great base for exploring all those cute picturesque Cotswolds villages!

• It’s home to the Cheltenham Festival, “a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the UK, with race prize money second only to the Grand National.” – wikipedia
  • Sorry to use the definition from Wikipedia, but having never gone to a horse race, I wanted to use the right terminology when I described it. In National Hunt racing (or jump racing), horses are required to jump fences and ditches. And the biggest National Hunt events in the UK are the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
• Besides the big horse racing festival, Cheltenham is home to over 30 different festivals, and is known as the Festival Town! Among the bigger festivals are the Cheltenham Jazz Festival (April-May), the Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival (summer), the Cheltenham Paint Festival (for street art, in September) and the world’s first Literary Festival (October).

With the variety of things to do in Cheltenham, there really is something for everyone!

Before I begin, parts of this trip were sponsored, including my stay at Beechurst Serviced Apartments, as well as my bike ride around Cheltenham with Compass Holidays. I sincerely thank them for inviting me on this trip. Besides the cycling tour, all itinerary arrangements and opinions are my own.

With the disclaimer out of the way, let’s go!

Day 1 – A Foodie Weekend Getaway in Cheltenham

I arrived to Cheltenham Spa rail station midday Friday on a brisk but sunny March morning, having taken a short 45 min train from Birmingham New Street. The station is located about a mile outside of the town center. A quick stop at Beechurst Serviced Apartments to drop off my bags, and to check out my nice self catering apartment in Cheltenham. (all the details below!)

I couldn’t have been more anxious to get out and about. Easily enough, the bus into town is located right outside. Turn left out of the apartments to take Bus 97/98 Gold directly into Cheltenham. Turn right (and cross the street) for the bus to Gloucester.

Less than 10 minutes later, I arrived at the UK’s most complete Regency Town.

Le Champignon Sauvage

Knowing that Cheltenham was a foodie town meant carefully selecting each of my meals in order to maximize my time there. Of course, last minute planning also meant that my first meal happened to be the most extravagant – a lunch tasting menu at Le Champignon Sauvage. Le Champignon Sauvage, or the Wild Mushroom in French, had been Cheltenham and Gloucestershire’s only Michelin Starred restaurant for many years until nearby Lumiere was awarded a star this year (2023).

Run by husband and wife, David and Helen Everitt-Matthias, since 1987 Le Champignon Sauvage has been an institution in culinary Cheltenham. An old review I read called Chef David’s style as “a pure marriage of rich and poor” opting to use cheaper cuts of meats and offal, along with food foraged from the Cotswolds’ outdoors, in classically French dishes.

Of course, people can say this is part of the sustainable eating, zero waste fad. But to be honest, Chef David and Helen began doing this decades ago, when a recession hit and times were tough. And you’d never feel like you were eating anything less than stellar. Not only is the food absolutely exquisite, but the experience is complimented by the lovely and unique decor, thanks to Helen. The restaurant is filled with incredible art that kept this solo diner enthralled throughout the meal.

My 3-course lunch set me back 47 GBP (a great deal if you’re hungry, considering the 2-course option is 40 GBP). Despite me showing you only two courses, you better believe I had all three. 😉 This was the perfect start to my foodie weekend in Cheltenham.

After lunch, I needed a serious stroll. Luckily, the town is very walkable with lots of outdoor green spaces. I made sure to stop by Montpellier Gardens and Imperial Gardens to soak in the brisk spring day, but in reality I was on a food mission to try Cheltenham’s signature pastry.

The HorseChoux Pastry at L’Artisan

A foodie visit to Cheltenham is not complete without your signature HorseChoux pastry from L’Artisan. Paying homage to the racecourse, the horseshoe-shaped pastry is made with a choux bun base (see what they did there? love a good pun) and cream puff filling, with a thin, light chocolate horseshoe on top. The attention to detail is lovely, as each chocolate horseshoe has the 7 lucky pins on the horseshoe.

I opted for the original flavor, the Racecourse, with hazelnut and almond praline filling. You can also get the Pittville Park (pistachio), the Pump Room (zingy lemon) and the Queens (raspberry). They also have limited edition flavors as well!

Getting a HorseChoux pastry in Cheltenham is an absolute must if you’ve got a sweet tooth! I took one back with me to Beechurst Serviced Apartments, and it made the most delightful snack paired with a strong coffee!

After grabbing my HorseChoux, I did another turn about town before catching the bus back to the apartment for a wee rest.

The Curry Corner

Sometimes I underestimate how tiring it can be to be walking around outside in briskly cold weather. My wee rest turned into curling up in the cozy Holst Apartment for way too long, and suddenly it was time to sort my dinner. I knew it had to be South Asian food, due to Cheltenham’s history and importance with the British East Indies Company.

For those interested in this unique intersection of history, food, India and Imperialism, I’d suggest the Curry and Colonels tour. (Next time for me!)

I opted for The Curry Corner, an award-winning restaurant opened by the Krori family, which claims to be one of the oldest Bangladeshi restaurants in the UK! Thankfully, they deliver which made all my cozy dreams come true. I may have gone a little overboard with 2 orders of samosas, but such is the benefit of having a full kitchen and refrigerator at my disposal! Leftovers for later. 😉

My two orders of samosas were the regular veggie samosas along with an order of Brixham crab samosas, filled with Cornwall fresh crab. Of course, the fresh crab samosa would catch my eye! It was stunningly flavorful, sweet even. I’m so glad I got both samosas for some extra variety!

The main event had to be the Chef’s signature 16 spice masala, which I had with lamb tikka. Add an incredibly fragrant garlic pilaf rice with it, and you have a perfect night in! Chefs Shamsul and Saleha Krori have been cooking since the restaurant opened in 1977, and is now joined by daughter Monrusha in the kitchen.

Day 2 – exploring Cheltenham by bike

After a fabulous first day focused on food, Day 2 in Cheltenham would be spent exploring the Regency Cheltenham cycle trail on bike, thanks to Compass Holidays. The self-guided trail, which starts at the Cheltenham Train Station, is a gentle 6-mile trail, taking you along the Honeybourne Line, through Pittville Park, and back around through to the town centre.

This activity was kindly gifted by Compass Holidays.

There were a few admin items to take care of before setting out: download the app (for my cycling GPS) and adjust the height of the bicycle to fit me. Remember, safety first!

Prices for the Regency Cheltenham Cycle Trail are:

• the mobile app with GPS and information on the cycle trail – 10 GBP;
• standard bicycle hire (25 GBP) or e-Bike hire (35 GBP). All hires include mobile phone mount, helmet, lock and basic repair kit.

and then I was off, along the Honeybourne line (an old railyway line) and onto the Pittville Pump Room!

The Pittville Pump Room

The Pittville Pump Room, built between 1825 and 1830, is the largest (and newest) spa building to be constructed in Cheltenham. The waters around Cheltenham were known to have high mineral content since the early 1700s, but it wasn’t until King George III visited Cheltenham in 1788 that the town became increasingly famous for its waters. Unfortunately the Pump Room did not prove to be successful venture, and the Room and the grounds were passed to the town council in 1890. Nowadays, you’ll find various exhibitions being hosted there, as well as being a concert venue for the Cheltenham Music Festival.

The Pump Room is located on the northern end of Pittville Park, and is a lovely park with a playground for families. One of the lovely green spaces that Cheltenham has!

Cheltenham Racecourse & the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway

From here, although it’s not on the Regency Cycle Trail, I thought it was worth a slight detour to go visit the racecourse. When I visited, the Cheltenham Festival was only a week or two away, and excitement around the races were high. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to see any horses, jockeys or even the race track itself, but it was fun to take a stroll around the grounds.

From one end of the racecourse to the other is a little surprise that I discovered – the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. For those rail enthusiasts, this is a volunteer-run heritage steam and diesel railway that travels 28 miles between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway (Cotswolds). The route follows the Great Western Rail’s old Cheltenham – Birmingham main line, which use to run via Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon.

For 25 GBP, you can get an unlimited day ticket to go between Cheltenham and Broadway, riding in 70 year old train carriages, pulled by either a steam or diesel-powered locomotive (engine car). This definitely goes hand in hand with a “step back in time” to experience Cheltenham theme! I didn’t have time on this trip for the rail journey, but I hear the views across the Cotswolds are absolutely stunning!

Lunch at The Coconut Tree

After having worked up an appetite from the morning’s cycle and exploration, and checking my map for the rest of the route, I decided now would be the perfect time to pause and have a lunch break. You can’t be too surprised at this priority.

I don’t know if it was the South Asian mood I was already in or if I was just craving Sri Lankan street food, but I decided to go with the Coconut Tree for lunch. Interesting story, 5 Sri Lankan friends made their way to the UK to be closer to family or to continue their studies. One of them made Cheltenham his base, and the rest followed soon after. In 2016, the 5 friends had to move out of their flat and were looking for a new place with cheap rent. They came across the flat above St. Paul’s Tavern (which included the rent for the pub) and from there, the idea of a Sri Lankan tapas place with great cocktails was born.

After 6 months of renovating it themselves at night after working their day job, the first Coconut Tree opened in Cheltenham. Today, they have locations in 9 cities across Southwest England and Wales.

For me, it was an egg hopper (coconut milk pancake, with lots of sambol) and black pork (belly). The food was incredibly flavorful (and super authentic!) and the vibe was fun and easy going. If I didn’t have to cycle home, I definitely would have tried some of their delicious cocktails! The Coconut Tree is definitely a must eat in Cheltenham!

After lunch, I was back on the trail and enjoying spring starting to blossom around me.

The trail takes you back into the city center, and it’s a great time to pause to roam around on foot. Besides the distinctly Regency architecture, there are a few sculptures and things you’ll come across that definitely require a more detailed look. Two of my favorites would be the Neptune Fountain, rumored to be inspired by Rome’s Trevi Fountain, and the Hare and the Minotaur on The Promenade. These two vastly different sculptures really only highlight Cheltenham’s culture of creativity and arts, which the town loves to celebrate through its numerous festivals.

The CheeseWorks – always planning ahead!

I took the opportunity whilst in town to do a wee bit of shopping. I stopped in a few vintage shops and almost came home with a gold embroidered cloak! What if there is a ball? You never know when you’ll need one? But the real excitement of my shopping experience was at CheeseWorks.

I walked into CheeseWorks with a mission – to get local charcuterie that would become my quiet dinner at home. I began chatting with the clerk over the local cheeses, and then he asked what I was looking for. “Honestly,” I said, “I just want to spend about 15 GBP, and get a random spread of local meats and cheeses.”

Simple enough, you came to the right place.

-The Cheeseworks

I’ll be honest, I pick and chose the cheeses at random, but one that was phenomenal was the wild garlic Cornish yarg. In the photo above, you’ll see a block on the bottom right wrapped in something dark. Well, it’s wrapped in wild garlic. If you’re a garlic head like me, you’ll love this! And with an additional 3 GBP, I added a fig jam spread (my favorite!) and some linseed crackers, and I was completely sorted for a quiet dinner at 18 GBP!

Parks and Gardens around Cheltenham town

I mentioned earlier that Cheltenham has a lot of lovely green space for little strolls and people watching. Armed with a latte from the Clementine Cafe, I went around the parks and gardens, found a bench, and sat enjoying my afternoon. Spring was on the verge of blooming, so I bet they’re even lovelier in warmer months! Be sure to check out

• Sanford Park (below right) – take in the wandering foot paths with the Annecy Gardens and Italian Gardens brightening up the park in warmer seasons,
• Imperial Square and Gardens (below left) – located near The Promenade, and planted with thousands of bedding plants for lush floral displays. With Regency architecture surrounding the square and the Garden Bar (in the summer), the best thing you can do is grab a drink and soak in Regency Cheltenham around you!
• Montpelier Gardens – near town center, Montpelier Gardens is mostly divided into two sections – one with tennis courts, a cafe and facilities, and the Gardens Gallery community art gallery. The northern section is more for picnics, walking, sitting, and overall low key hanging out.

With my charcuterie platter in tow, I made my way back to Beechurst Serviced Apartments to coorie in for the evening. If you didn’t want to stay in like me, I’d suggest MUSE Brasserie, Mowgli Street Food, Lumiere (Cheltenham’s newest Michelin Star restaurant), or Purslane Restaurant (known for their sustainably caught seafood!). For those wanting a great cocktail, I’ve heard incredible things about The Alchemist Cheltenham. Those are the ones that kept my attention during my trip research and the ones I’d go back to Cheltenham to visit!

The next morning, I managed to run out for a quick breakfast at WOODKraft before my train. In case anyone was wondering, after a weekend of eating, it was a delectable granola with yogurt and passionfruit. Had I not been rushing out the door to catch my noon train, I would have rounded out the weekend with a quick trip to Gloucester to visit the Gloucester Cathedral, which originally broke ground in 1089! For those Harry Potter fans, the Gloucester Cathedral was used as a filming location for Hogwarts. But alas, train schedules call!

My stay at Beechurst Serviced Apartments

Beechurst Serviced Apartments are located in a renovated, grand Victorian farmhouse, just outside of Cheltenham town. There are 5 beautiful and spacious self-catering apartments for you to choose from – four one-bedroom apartments and one studio flat. Owned and operated by Angie and Steve, seasoned veterans of the hospitality industry, Beechurst Serviced Apartments is a family run business. Their previous experience in luxury hotels can be seen in the thoughtful touches around the apartments. There is everything you need to just come in and make it your home for the weekend!

One of the first things you may notice about Beechurst Serviced Apartments when you arrive are the solar panels on its roof. This helps to reduce the building’s energy requirements by almost 40%, which is incredible! That also means that they’ve cut down on single-use amenities to reduce waste, so be sure to pack your bathroom toiletries along with you.

All of the apartments at Beechurst Serviced Apartments are named and decorated after prominent people who came from Cheltenham. For me, it was the Holst Apartment, named after Cheltenham-born Gustav Holst, a composer best known for his orchestral suite, The Planets. Little musical touches were added to the Holst Apartment, keeping in line with the theme.

The Holst Apartment was so comfortable and cozy, and really, such a nice self catering apartment in Cheltenham! Having a full kitchen at your disposal is something that I enjoy, especially when my whole weekend centered around food! I’m not going to lie, I heated up and nibbled on my Bangladeshi curry and delicious samosas as a snack throughout the weekend, and was so grateful for that kitchen!

Despite spending the majority of the brisk weekend outdoor walking and cycling around town, the shower in the Holst Apartment was exactly what I needed – hot and incredibly powerful. Perfect to loosen the muscles and immediately climb into the comfortable bed.

Besides the kitchen and the incredible shower, which are phenomenal amenities, each of the apartments (and studio) has a large, smart TV mounted and a bookshelf with plenty of books to choose from.

Although Beechurst Serviced Apartments sits outside of Cheltenham town center, the bus stop directly outside made going in and out of town super easy. You really don’t need your car for your weekend in Cheltenham, and it’s easy and lovely seeing the sites by bicycle on the Regency Cycle Trail. But if you want to use Cheltenham as a launchpad for a wee getaway in the Cotswolds, then your car will come in handy!

Whether you’re looking for a foodie weekend getaway or a short break to “take in the waters”, Beechurst Serviced Apartments make for a wonderful base for a weekend getaway in Cheltenham!

Parting Thoughts on my Foodie Weekend in Cheltenham

WOW – I could have never expected that Cheltenham was so delicious!! Prior to visiting Cheltenham, I had no idea that it had such a strong, historical South Asian connection that is still very much alive in its cuisine! Foodies will definitely not want to miss the HorseChoux Pastry, which pays homage to the annual Cheltenham Festival and races.

From Sri Lankan street food to the UK’s oldest Bangladeshi restaurant on one end, to some of the best local charcuterie from one of Britain’s finest cheesemongers, the Cheltenham food scene encompasses a lovely mix of historical, traditional and local. The fun and vibrant culinary scene continues to expand with restaurants and cocktail bars being recognized by outsiders more and more.

Staying at Beechurst Serviced Apartments was perfect for me with easy access into town and all the homely touches I needed for a weekend away.

To conclude, my weekend in Cheltenham was a wonderful escape for anyone looking for a little bit of history along with a culinary adventure. Whether you’re a horse racing fan, a foodie, or just someone who loves exploring new places, Cheltenham has something for everyone. With its charming streets, picturesque gardens, and mouth-watering food, you’ll fall in love with Cheltenham in no time. Cheltenham is easily accessible as a weekend getaway from London (or even further afield like Glasgow)! It’s a town that will steal your heart and leave you yearning for more!

For other foodie adventures around the UK, feel free to check out:

• a love letter to Shetland I wrote after visiting to explore their food culture;
• a foodie adventure around Edinburgh, exploring the Scottish capital with haggis, whisky, and all the greats of Scottish cuisine;
• a delectable food and whisky pairing hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Planning your trip to Cheltenham

1. How to get to Cheltenham?

• Cheltenham Spa Station is accessible from London Paddington on GWR, which only takes 2 hours with no changes.
• There are also direct trains to Cheltenham Spa from if you’re coming from Manchester Picadilly (2 hr) and Birmingham New Street (45 min).
• For all available trains into Cheltenham Spa

2. Ideas for things to do in Cheltenham and best places to eat in Cheltenham

• Join the Regency Cycle Trail with Compass Holidays and see the historic town on 2-wheels!
• Explore Cheltenham on a self-guided 90-minute audio tour of historic Cheltenham town at your own pace! For only 5.56 GBP / 7 USD, you get a Blue Badge tourist guide accessible any time through an easy app. Click for your self-guided tour of Cheltenham!
• For something a little funner and different, go on a scavenger hunt through town and explore Cheltenham that way! Great for groups and families!
• Stroll around town and enjoy the variety of street art and sculptures!
• Soak in the waters at Cheltenham’s spas – the Greenway Hotel & Spa and the DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham are considered the best!

Cheltenham also has a variety of afternoon tea services, which is on point for Regency Cheltenham. I wanted to go and enjoy afternoon tea, but alas – other food called 😉

• The Queen’s Hotel, The Regency Tea Rooms, Malmaison, Once Upon a Tea Room, and No. 131 Restaurants are the afternoon tea in Cheltenham that came up most during my research.
• Or, for a completely different spin on afternoon tea, (for you sushi lovers) Kibou has a Japanese-inspired afternoon tea that I really wanted to try! But alas, next time.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

If you’re a whisky aficionado or a regular reader of my blog, you may have heard of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (affectionately shortened to SMWS). A membership-based whisky club founded in 1983 by Pip Hills, the society is all about celebrating scotch whisky in all its glory. It’s a great place to connect with like-minded whisky enthusiasts, attend tastings and events, and discover new and exciting whiskies. What’s really great about the Society is that it’s not just about the whisky itself; it’s about the culture and the community that has formed around it.

To read more about Pip’s journey with whisky, check out his book, The Founder’s Tale: A Good Idea and a Glass of Malt.

• If you’re thinking about joining SMWS, get the full breakdown of all the membership benefits!
• and, now is the perfect time to join SMWS! Use promo code: MAVERICK40 and get 40% off your annual membership until March 31, 2023. That makes it only 51 GBP!

Without further ado, onto the first release of the 2023 Limited Edition bottlings!

Maverick 40th Anniversary Bottling

This first bottling pays homage to our maverick whisky pioneer, founder Pip Hills, who’s always pushing the boundaries and exploring new frontiers in the world of single malt. This bold and exciting Speyside malt is aged 12 years, and bottled at 50% ABV. The small batch blends doesn’t get assigned a flavour profile, but if we had to, we’d categorize it with Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits!

From a Speyside single malt sleeping in a refill bourbon hogshead, over to a selection of Spanish oak hogsheads (first fill Oloroso and second-fill PX), the result is a dark and delicious blend, and a true celebration of a sherry cask!

SMWS Tasting Notes:

The aromas of freshly waxed, natural marble floors, mosaics and terrazzo tiles were followed by a fruity scent from apricots, peaches and plums, before a cup of Assam tea and fig, apple and raisin bread pudding joined the party…

For the full tasting notes or if you’ve already decided to purchase this bottle (priced nicely at 65 GBP)… ⤵️

My thoughts:

First nose: gorgeously sweet fruits mixed with some tea (I got the waxed marble floors that the experts did on the second nose, but everbody’s different…)

On the palate, I got some apricots with a richness I couldn’t identify, but there was definitely a tartness that cut through the sweetness in a lovely balance. With a drop of water, it mellowed some of the intense richness and I was left with a beautiful dessert.

Honestly, delicious and complex, I personally loved the blending of the Oloroso and PX sherry casks. But was it a wild, unexpected dram that pushed the boundaries like a Maverick? Not quite to that extreme, but I’ll say the SMWS limited releases are off to a roaring start with the Maverick, and I can’t wait to see what the next release holds!

Parting Thoughts on SMWS 40th Anniversary Releases

These special releases are part of Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 40th anniversary celebration this year. You may have seen their celebrations kicking off on social media, with members from 13 different countries arriving to the Vaults in Leith to experience and create some tasting notes for some of the special releases this year. (HOW FUN!!!). And although it hasn’t been announced yet, the celebrations will reach its peak at The Gathering (held in September), the annual celebration of whisky, community, and good times.

So, until the next release, let’s all raise a glass to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on its 40th birthday in the wonderful world of whisky. Sláinte!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

And with Scotland’s incredible larder on their doorstep, there’s no wonder that Inver is globally recognized for their food. In 2021, Inver was awarded the first Michelin Green Star in Scotland. In 2022, Inver retained its Michelin Green Star and on top of that, the National Restaurant Awards awarded Inver the Best Restaurant in Scotland!

The Michelin Green Star is a new designation from Michelin Guide which celebrate the importance of sustainability in gastronomy.

They hold themselves accountable for both their ethical and environmental standards, and work with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce or even remove plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain.

What is a Michelin Green Star – Michelin Guide

First rolled out in 2020/2021, Inver is still the only restaurant with a Michelin Green Star in Scotland. Across the UK and Ireland, the vast majority of Michelin Green Star restaurants are in England (27 restaurants), whereas Wales, Ireland, and Scotland each only have one.

Before I continue, I guess I should preface this by saying, this is more of a winter adventure than a foodie adventure. If you want to skip to the good part, check out my full Inver tasting menu experience from March 2023.

1. A Winter’s Tale at Inver

I write this as another “bomb cyclone” just hit the United States… When you book anything in the middle of December, there’s always the chance that a big snowy or cold surprise could derail that. However, typical coastal locations in Argyllshire (Scotland) are usually a few degrees too warm for snow. Rain yes, snow, mm, sometimes.

This also means that coming from Islay, it was raining… which is not unlike your average Monday. Road conditions on the mainland were snowy but pretty good. And luckily, the turn off for Inver was before good ole “Rest and be thankful” on A83 – a section of the road so terrible that it’s a regular source of humor and conversation within the community.

When I arrived at Inver, housed in a former crofter’s cottage, I was taken aback by the stunning views of Old Castle Lachlan and the quiet surrounding the loch. I was met by Rob, who brought me indoors into the bright and cozy lounge. Unfortunately, he and Pam decided to cancel and close for the evening. They tried to phone me and the other guests, but couldn’t reach us. Some pipes in the bothies had burst, and with the drop in temperature forecasted, the narrow, windy country roads were sure to freeze.

Rob explained that the local area usually stays warm enough, being next to the coast, where there is rarely snow or ice. But with a freak winter storm, this was the first time they’d had snow since they took over. To get to Inver, there is a little valley the road cuts through. Within the valley, a little microclimate in itself, the temperatures dip a few degrees colder than the surrounding area. The snow on the ground turns to mush, and with the dip in temperature, the valley would definitely ice over and become the most treacherous local section. Everyone who worked at Inver lived on the other side of the valley. And if they couldn’t prepare something for me for dinner, food was also on the other side of the valley.

When I departed the following morning, the roads were still pretty icy, and I can fully confirm the iced out valley that Rob warned me about!

But, I would have a place to stay that night.

So, with a roaring fire Rob bid me a temporary adieu to figure everything else out.

2. Staying at Inver – my Luxury Bothy

When dining at Inver, you have the option to stay the night in one of a handful of luxury shepherds huts or bothies.  Designed by Pam’s father Rodger, these huts and bothies include large glass windows to bring in ample light in a warm, Scandinavian setting. My bothy came with a bathtub (yessss), a record player (with a collection of records), a table and 2 chairs with a view, and an enormously comfortable bed.  It felt spacious and luxurious. The bothy itself was snug and toasty, despite the cold snap outside.  All I wanted to do was coorie in. 

“Coorie in”: Scots phrase meaning to snuggle in, or to be cozy 

I settled into my seat with the view of Old Castle Lachlan, with my glass of red and some old jazz playing on the record player, toasting all the unexpected things in life.  A few hours later, in what felt like a coordinated “Be Our Guest” delightful whirl, Inver staff danced into the bothy with 2 picnic baskets – one for dinner, one for tomorrow’s breakfast.  The last staff lingers outside the bothy at the door.

He pops his head in – “Don’t forget the pudding later!” he says as he drops a bowl of ice cream in a mound of snow at the doorstep. In a whirl, he’s gone into the darkness.

You can’t help but smile at the irony. Too cold and icy to drive, perfect for a Michelin green star ice cream, left in the snow. 

The dinner shuffle quickly exits, with everyone’s warmest wishes and apologies for the evening. The picnic will be great, I say with a smile, while bidding them good night.  

3. My dinner picnic basket from Inver

Don’t think that just because it was a picnic dinner, it was lacking in any way! It was not! Along with a typed menu for the evening, containers contained wee instructions to assemble the course.

• Bread sticks & yeast glaze, sourdough miso dip – the most delicious sourdough miso dip known to mankind!
• Onion soup – savory and creamy, and piping hot out of the thermos.
• Sourdough bread & Inver butter – enough to save some for breakfast!
• Dressed loch Fyne crab, sea buckthorn, & fennel, with herring roe – a light and lush addition to my dinner picnic!
• Ardyne Farm pork sausage roll – gorgeously delicious pork sausage, with crisp and light pastry. Perfect for a cold night!
• Buckwheat ice-cream & late autumn fruits (with some puffed buckwheat to “sprinkle on the pud”!)
• Ameretti biscuits
• Hand-made Scottish chocolates

The dinner was a vibe unto itself. Pitch black outside, with snow and ice covering the ground. Inside, it couldn’t have been more different.

A record player setting the mood with some jazz, a tall glass of red, and a Michelin green star picnic in a luxury bothy.

As far as snow days go, this one isn’t bad!

4. Breakfast picnic basket from Inver

The coziness of the bothy just means that there are inherent challenges getting out of bed. That’s ok – some mornings are made for basking in the comfort of a slow, winter’s day.

For my breakfast picnic, behold the local delights Chef Pam and her team prepared:

• Sourdough, Inver butter & jam
• Boiled egg, mayonnaise & herb salt
• Inver potted trout – my favorite of the breakfast items. I never knew I would be a “fish for breakfast” kinda gal, but this was absolutely stunning spread over the sour dough bread with some butter. In addition to the trout roe, the herb salt, and that rich Inver butter… it was chef’s kiss delicious!
• Burnt honey, flax & cardamom granola
• Inver cardamon yoghurt & autumn fruit compote
• Fresh fruit
• Orange juice

It was a wonderful breakfast, without any hot foods, but 100% not lacking in any way. By the time breakfast was over, I was beaming with gratitude that despite unforeseen circumstances, I could still enjoy such an incredible stay at Inver.

5. Meeting Chef Pam Brunton

Many foodies would jump at the chance to have a 1-on-1 conversation with a world renowned chef. Spending any bit of face time with someone that talented is always exciting. I imagined being wide-eyed, dreamy, and salivating hearing about local cheese producers or local farmers or fisherman. Of course, those conversations didn’t take place because of the big winter detour.

During what must have been a stressful afternoon for her, the one thing I remember about Chef Pam is her incredible laugh. Spirited and boisterous, her laughter fills the cold winter afternoon with warmth and comfort.

But really, what else could we do in the face of this situation, but laugh? Well, I’ll tell you what I did. And Pam had the same idea for me. Bottle of wine? 100% yes. That’ll do just fine, cheers!

Parting Thoughts on my Dine and Stay at Inver

For a business that just had to do the unthinkable and cancel services due to weather, Rob and Pam still made it a wonderful evening and overall stay. Their sense of hospitality runs deep within them, and even in surprising circumstances, they still made it a lovely experience!  

The picnic baskets were a thoughtful addition to what could have been a ruined evening. In reality, nothing in the picnic baskets felt like an afterthought. There were no mismatched cutlery or plates or bowls. Even the thermos which kept the onion soup piping hot was in the same Scandinavian chic, muted color palette as the rest of the bothy. All of the jars and containers for the dishes and all of its accouterments were glass or otherwise reusable.  It goes without saying there were no single use plastics found anywhere in those chic, delicious, and super sustainable picnic baskets.  

The food was exquisitely delicious for a picnic, and it makes me look forward to when I can return in March 2023 and try it in full. I imagine it will be an exquisite experience! Stay tuned for the updated “real” Inver experience!

I did return in March 2023, and it was INCREDIBLE. Get the full details!

Information on Inver

Inver
📍 Cairndow PA27 8BU
Phone: +44 01369 860537
Located 1h 40min driving from Glasgow, or 2h 45min from Edinburgh

• Tasting menu: 95 GBP per person
• Luxury shepherd’s hut: 195 GBP
• Luxury bothy: 285 GBP (one with a bath)
• Breakfast is included.

A dinner reservation is included in your room booking.  However, do note this disclaimer from their website:

Please note we do not operate rooms on a B&B only basis, which means resident guests are required to eat with us on every evening of their stay. For guests staying with us for more than one night, we can offer an alternative menu on their subsequent evenings.

If this type of luxury dine and stay in Scotland is your thing, be sure to also check out:

• Monachyle Mhor – hidden away in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park;
• The Peat Inn – a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms near St. Andrews – a wonderful stay with a wonderful meal!
• Kinloch Lodge – a charming lodge on the the Isle of Skye;
• and Glenegedale House – a luxury B&B on Scotland’s whisky island known for their hospitality and food!

Or if you’re simply on the hunt for incredible food in Scotland, might I suggest this delightfully curated list of the best seafood platters in Scotland or seek inspiration from my recent trip with some peerie stories of Shetland food.

Until next time, stay safe and eat delicious food!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

Let me preface this list by saying that there is a lot that can go wrong with non-fresh seafood. Of course there is. But fresh seafood, honestly, it’s hard to mess it up! When it’s sea to plate in a matter of hours or days, chances are, it’s going to be incredible. That’s why this list isn’t a ranking, more of a … standing seal of approval by yours truly.

This Scottish seafood journey of mine started out of a personal curiosity who had the best seafood platter in Scotland. That evolved into a journey traveling to the source of great food, finding some of the best seafood shacks in Scotland, and fully trying to experience Scottish seafood it in all its freshest glory.

All of the places on this list are all top quality seafood establishments, a few are sit down restaurants. And, as expected, none of them are located inland or in a big city.

Without further ado, the best seafood in Scotland.

* Skipness Seafood Cabin – Skipness

Making its rounds in the UK press recently, the Skipness Seafood Cabin has been a hidden gem on the west coast of Scotland for those in the know. With the castle ruins of Skipness Castle next to you and the Isle of Arran in front of you, the views at Skipness Seafood Cabin can’t be beat.

• Located 20 minutes from Kennacraig (Islay ferry terminal) and at the top of the Kintyre peninsula.
• Seafood platter 2022 price for 1 person: 18£
• poached salmon, cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, gravalax, brown crab, white crab, mussels, langoustine, and oyster;
• includes a little salad.

* Birsay Bay Tea Room – Orkney Islands

On the northerly tip of mainland Orkney is the Birsay Bay Team Room. Enjoy sweeping views of the Brough of Birsay Lighthouse with your Taste of Orkney platter, paying tribute to Orkney’s amazing local food producers! Following your meal, take a stroll down the street to the Earl’s Palace, the ruins of the first Earl of Orkney’s castle.

• Located 30 minutes drive from Kirkwall on Mainland Orkney;
• Taste of Orkney platters: prices starting 15£ per person;
• Items vary, but some of the things included in mine were: smoked salmon pate wrapped in smoked salmon, stone crab claws and meat, peppered smoked mackerel, locally cooked ham, sliced beef.
• The cheeses are locally made from Orkney Cheddar, Burnside Cheese (a small batch cheese producer using local cows milk) and Wilsons of Westray (from few islands north of mainland Orkney).
• The Taste of Orkney platter offered in the summer season only;
• Call them at +44 (0) 1856 721 399 to reserve your Taste of Orkney platter – 3 days notice please.

* Tobermory Fish Co – Isle of Mull

A seafood platter from Tobermory Fish Co is the best treat you could give yourself when visiting the Isle of Mull!

• Located just outside Tobermory;
• Seafood platter 2022 price for 1 person: 20£
• cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, mackeral pate, oysters, langoustine, and smoked mussels;
• includes some oatcakes and bread;
• call them at +44 (0) 1688 302120 to order a seafood platter to pick up.

The shop also has local produce and fresh (raw) seafood for purchase. Keep your eye out for some Island Bakery Lemon Melts (my favorite) and some Isle of Mull Seaweed Chutney!

Take a tour of Tobermory Distillery on Mull, and grab a whisky to pair with your seafood platter!

* Oban Seafood Hut (Green Shack) – Oban

Just because I’ve never gotten a seafood platter from the Oban Seafood Hut, it doesn’t mean it’s less worthy of inclusion on this list… it just means that I’m always craving mussels when I’m in Oban! Luckily, I have seafood-loving-friends who had the grand platter shown above.

• Located at the Oban ferry terminal. You can’t miss the green shack on the pier.
• There are two types of platters, shared between two people – the grand platter (38.50£) and the “regular” platter (23.50£);
• The grand platter typically has lobster, crab, scallops, langoustine;
• served with bread.

While you’re there, visit the Food from Argyll shop a few doors down, where you can find the coffees, cakes and snacks from Argyll’s local food producers!

* Islay Sea Adventures – Isle of Islay

I know, you’re thinking what is a boat adventure company doing on this list? Well, outside of the wilderness and fishing tours Islay Sea Adventures offers, they also offer a Seafood Special Tour. Starting in Port Ellen, you’ll follow the southern coast passing by whisky distilleries. Grab the binoculars for seal and deer sightings along the way.

Halfway through, you’ll pull into a bay when Harold fires up the grill. Fresh hand-dived scallops grilled with butter and herbs to go along with lobster and crab platter in the boat. There are plenty of scallops, lobster and crab for everyone! I’ve been with Harold and Gus from Islay Sea Adventures many times and have always walked away with very full and very happy friends!

• recently shortlisted for the Highlands and Islands Tourism Award for best outdoor / adventure activity;
• the Seafood Special tour leaves from Port Ellen, and is offered once a week;
• 2023 price per person: 100£;
• lobster, brown crab, and freshly grilled scallops;
• includes salad and bread.

* Colonsay Pantry – Colonsay

Seafood nights at the Colonsay Pantry are legendary and gorgeously fresh, and absolutely perfect if you are taking the evening’s ferry back to Islay! Located in Scalasaig, the Colonsay Pantry cannot be missed during your Colonsay visit.

• Available Wednesday’s and Saturday’s (April to October)
• shrimp (prawns), oysters, hot smoked salmon, smoked mussels, scallops, crab, steamed mussels, battered cod bites,
• served with a salad,
• Seafood platter 2022 price for 1 person: 35£
• reservations (mentioning seafood night) must be made in advance.

* Glenegedale House – Isle of Islay

No foodie visit to Islay is complete without a lush seafood platter from award-winning Glenegedale House, a luxury bed and breakfast. Emma and Graeme, owners of Glenegedale House, have built incredible relationships with the local fishing community, and are proud to share the stories of the people who caught and landed their fresh catch hours earlier!

• Seafood platter 2022 price for 2 people: 110£;
• Dinners can be enjoyed by guests and a limited number of non-guests;
• lobster, crab, langoustine, scallops, hot smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon;
• served with oat cakes, light salad, and homemade bread;
• Reservations must be made in advance – either through email or by phoning them at +44 (0) 1496 300400.

* Oyster Shed – Isle of Skye

I finally made it to the Oyster Shed! Located in the village of Carbost, it is a must-eat for any foodie visiting Skye and is often considered the best seafood on the Isle of Skye!

• There is a farm shop and outdoor picnic area. Order inside the farm shop and pick up next door at the picnic area! You can slurp up a few oysters in the farm shop while you wait.
• Seafood platter price: 40£ (changes depending on catch)
• I didn’t get a seafood platter, but I did get that gorgeous 1/2 kilo of crab claws with fries! for only 12.50£!
• Enjoy views of Loch Harport while you eat.
• Open Monday – Saturday, all year round.

Combine your lunch with a whisky tasting from nearby Talisker Distillery, which is within walking distance.

* The Creel Seafood Bar – Fionnphort, Isle of Mull

Voted Scotland’s best seafood establishment in 2021, there’s no wonder why. The Creel Seafood Bar‘s seafood is landed at the pier within walking distance! Enjoy your seafood with views of the Isle of Iona on their outdoor deck seating area.

The seafood platter is available by contacting them 24 hours in advance, and it will be waiting for you when you arrive! It was so incredibly light and fresh! Perfect for enjoying in the sunshine. Outside of the seafood platter, get fish and chips or scampi and chips, or a black pudding and scallop roll, the possibilities are endless! Definitely one of the best seafood shacks in Scotland!

• shrimp (prawns), smoked salmon, lobster, white crab
• served with a salad,
• Seafood platter 2023 price for 1 person: 33£
• Contact them 24 hours in advance at +44 (0) 7864 605682 or on IG to order your seafood platter

* The Bay Fish and Chips – Stonehaven

The Bay Fish and Chips gets a special mention on this seafood list, because of it’s commitment to sustainable fishing practices (and also because of the deliciousness of the fish and chips!). The Bay is the first fish and chip shop in the UK to be certified by the Marine Conservation Society, which means that their North Sea catches are fully sustainable, and deliciously fresh. When I was in their shop recently, they also had their Carbon Reduction Plan available on the front counter for anyone’s perusal. So, this commitment to sustainability can be found everywhere!

• Located right on Stonehaven Bay just south of Aberdeen;
• Available to order online for pick up;
• the MSC Standard Haddock (with chips) will set you back 10.20£
• there’s some seating directly outside the shop, but walk along the promenade or down to the beach for additional seating;
• Expert tip💡: finish your chippy and head next door to Aunt Betty’s for some delicious ice cream, with free candy toppings and sauces.
• Work off your chippy and ice cream and take the Stonehaven Coastal Path down to Dunnottar Castle for incredible coastal scenes and dramatic cliffside castle.

* Tarbert Seafood Festival – Tarbert

Held the first weekend in July in Tarbert (as there are several Tarberts in Scotland, this is the one located at the top of the Kintyre peninsula, in Argyll & Bute), the Tarbert Seafood Festival was fun and delicious enough for me to include on this list. With a crowned Seafood Queen, and kids dressed up in all things aquatic (anything from mermaids to octopus to Baywatch lifeguards), it’s such a quirky festival atmosphere – plus, with great food! You’ll smell garlic butter scallops sizzling as you walk along the stands, evaluating your choices. Don’t wait too long to get into the seafood paella queue! For me, it was the crayfish tikka tacos from the Murphy’s Pakora Bar food truck. It was GORGEOUSLY spiced, and ABSOLUTELY stunning. This is the Scottish seafood I need!

• Note: this event is not heavily publicized, but expect updates on the Facebook page! Remember, usually the first weekend in July.

* The Oyster Shed – Isle of Islay

Islay Oysters have been around for quite some time, regularly making an appearance at the annual Feis Festival to enjoy with a sprinkling of whisky. In 2022, the folk behind the delicious Islay Oysters opened up a restaurant, The Oyster Shed, which sits on the eastern banks of Loch Gruinart. Enjoy delicious menu items like my crab sandwich on their homemade focaccia bread, stuffed to the brim with lump crab meat. Or their locally raised meat from nearby Craigens farm which are the stars of their Curried Lamb sandwich and Pulled Beef sandwiches.

Feast on locally grown oysters directly from Loch Gruinart – choose from au natural (with a lemon), mignonette sauce (vinegar, shallots, and peppers), or deep fried served with garlic mayo.

• Check their Facebook for latest opening times and menu;
• or phone them at +44 (0) 1496 850256 to book a table or order oysters directly for pick up!

* The Lobster Pot – Blackness, Linlithgow

I have to thank my friend Dr. H for bringing me to this great establishment. The Lobster Pot is a quirky and fun pub (and local shop) located in the Firth of Forth harbour village of Blackness. Inside, there’s a daily lobster board, with your fresh lobster options. There’s also a normal pub menu in case you’re not in the mood for lobster that day, but let’s be real – lobster is the real star of the show!

From the lobster board that day, there was the 1/2 lobster & burger, (full) lobster & chips, lobster mayonnaise (foodies, I’m not really sure what this one is!), lobster thermidor (shell-on style), and finally, a steak and 1/2 lobster.

• Check their website for their menu and to book a table. We went during the off-season, but got the last available table at lunch! So, be sure to book ahead to avoid disappointment!
• Blackness Castle, famous in recent years as an Outlander filming location, is just a 5 minute walk from the Lobster Pot. I highly suggest a visit to the castle to walk off your lobster, and to take in the view of all the Forth bridges!
• Speaking of Outlander, if you are looking to travel through the stones during your Scotland trip, I’ve written a post on the main Outlander filming locations, and how to visit them! The post includes directions on public transpo and tour suggestions to those harder-to-reach locations.

* The Nook – Isle of Gigha

If you’re ever heading to Gigha and are looking for an incredible seafood surprise, then look no further than The Nook, a seafood takeaway located next to “the shop”. Trust me, if you’ve been to Gigha, you’ll know where I mean. The menu is what I would consider fun Scottish seafood street food, with braised octopus tacos, a delicious prawn bap, smoked Gigha halibut bagels, just to give you a little hint! Joe, the owner, is fantastic and made a wonderful suggestion to add an order of chips (which were light and crispy and perfectly salted). If I were ranking seafood shacks, would this be considered one of the best seafood shacks in Scotland? 100% YES. The Nook is the hottest thing right now in Scottish seafood street food in my opinion!! Get excited! (and travel to Gigha, exclusively to eat at The Nook!)

Other great seafood establishments in Scotland

There are other great seafood establishments in Scotland I want to share that don’t quite fit my seafood list above – but I still love them the same!

* No. 88 – Lerwick, Shetland

Take a break from solving crimes in Shetland and eat at least one meal at No. 88 in Lerwick. If you want to know the exact distance your food traveled before it appeared on your plate, the folks at No. 88 are happy to chat about their incredible food suppliers. Also, fun fact: No. 88 is Chef Nick Nairn’s favorite lobster in the world.

* Port Charlotte Hotel – Port Charlotte, Isle of Islay

The Port Charlotte Hotel on the Rhinns of Islay has your freshest catch and local beef, venison and lamb on the menu. It also has my favorite fish and chips on Islay! Choose from the “posh” with three different kinds of fish, and “traditional” with just haddock. Despite what you may think, traditional for me!

* Fisherman’s Pier Fish & Chip Van – Tobermory, Isle of Mull

A perfect way to refuel after a day spent watching otters on Mull or puffins on nearby Staffa. I love a fish and chips (salt, no vinegar, I’m a weirdo, I know), so when I’m on Mull, you’ll find me at the chip van, conveniently located on the pier at Tobermory.

* Loch Fyne Oysters and Deli – Loch Fyne

The perfect refuel stop on A83, located just outside Inveraray, halfway between Glasgow and Kennacraig (the Islay ferry port). With wonderfully fresh seafood, Loch Fyne Oysters is a beautifully decorated loch-side restaurant. The look and feel is coastal grandma, the food is kiss the chef gorgeous.

* Tailend – St. Andrews

Go for 18-holes at the Old Course in St. Andrews and head straight to Tailend, a restaurant & takeaway chippy owned by G&A Spink Fishmerchants in Arbroath. They supply all the fish to the restaurant fresh on a daily basis!

The ones that I haven’t tried yet, simply because I’ve been unable to travel there!

• The Seafood Shack – Ullapool – The NC500’s best seafood shack! Fresh catch is dropped off every morning, and their day’s menu depends on the day’s catch.
• The Pierhouse Hotel – Appin – Located in Port Appin, on the banks of Loch Linnhe in Argyll, this west coast hotel and restaurant will be perfect for a future dine and stay.
• Botanica at the Barn – Tighnabruaich – recently included in National Geographic UK’s Culinary Guide to Argyll. The menu uses local ingredients sourced from Argyll or foraged by the chef / owner from the surrounding forest and sea.
• Anstruther Fish Bar – Anstruther, Fife – regularly wins the UK’s best fish and chip awards and is the world’s first fish and chip shop to earn a Chain of Custody seafood sustainability certification from the Marine Stewardship Council!

Are you a Scottish foodie? Are there incredible seafood establishments in Scotland that I’ve missed in my list? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Pin it for later!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

In some of my normal fine dining “review” posts, I normally let the pictures speak for themselves.  However, there is a bit more to be said this time.  

The lighting in the restaurant was too dim for the newest of iPhones, so excuse the photo quality, but perhaps that in itself is foreshadowing.

1. Not given the option of a tasting menu

Typically, when I go to restaurants like Unalome, I am dining alone.  And while it may be unusual, this solo diner enjoys multi-course tasting menus. À la carte options are typically available, as well.  This time, when the menu was brought out, I was only given the à la carte menu.  Tables nearby had a trifold menu where I overheard diners discussing the vegetarian or normal tasting menu options.  However, my menu was only bifold giving me only à la carte options. 

Subsequent internet research confirmed my suspicions of a tri-fold menu, giving non-solo diners the option of the tasting menu.

I didn’t ask – I mistakenly assumed that the à la carte and tasting menu had the same items on it. However, when I ordered the tasting menu, there was a little surprise from my server, but also no additional effort to show me the tasting menu either.  

It’s also confusing that the à la carte menu says its 90£ per person, when the tasting menu is priced at 110£ pp. Why would the à la carte be charged per person?

2. Eating my tasting menu blind

Not having the menu was a real miss for me. I genuinely enjoy referring back to the menu and seeing if there were flavors that I overlooked in the first bite. It also took away from the built up excitement for the next course, as well.

I’m not sure if it’s the discomfort of a solo diner – I am all too familiar with this… Or that they were trying to give me space to enjoy my meal in peace.  Either way, I felt that the team spent less time explaining the nuances of each course to me.

Recall too, that I am eating these courses blind – having not received the menu… Later, I found a sample tasting menu online.  But in the moment, in the absence of a physical menu to refer to, the descriptions when the courses arrive should help to supplement that.  While I don’t expect the wait staff to explain every foam, every flower, or every puree in each course, I do hope for a little more explanation.  I overheard servers going into far more detail about each course and each item on the plate for other diners.

I tried to prompt my servers by asking questions as they checked on me, showing interest in the ingredients and hoping for more detail at the next course.  But, it didn’t quite work either.

3. I would’ve chosen different plating

Another thing that I found a little odd about my dining experience were the plating and cutlery (silverware) options provided.  It’s one of those things where if it’s done properly, you don’t think about it during your meal. But in reality, people spend effort in carefully and thoughtfully selecting the right bowl or plate for the particular dish.  My issue with this was that there were a few courses that were soupy or foamy in nature.  However, these were served in large, shallow pasta dishes (essentially).  It was really difficult to get the most out of your course in such a shallow dish.  

There was one course, where I really wanted a knife to cut the 2 small potatoes. Instead of a knife, I had a fork and a spoon (the rest of the dish was foamy and soupy). Not wanting to put a large chunk of potato into my mouth, I tried to carefully slice it with a fork and a spoon. There is no graceful way of doing this, and my spoon clamored down onto the plate with a thud both times I attempted this.

Luckily, it wasn’t just me. When nearby tables were served that course, I heard the familiar, loud thud as the spoon hit the plate.

4. Not the most creative dining experience

Besides the incredible food, part of the fun of fine dining experiences is the sheer creativity that chefs employ in imagining and creating their courses. Seeing how a chef can excite all your senses, not just taste, is what sets them apart in a league of their own.

However, 3 back-to-back courses were foamy and soupy. 

• The Orkney scallops had a white foam, along with pumpkin purée, pumpkin seed pesto, and maybe pickled pumpkin;
• Wild Perthshire Mushrooms, also had a white foam, a garlic soup, and two delicious but unknown sauces;
• North Sea Cod Loin with a white foam, and a cauliflower puree.

Don’t get me wrong, the flavors were rich and interesting, but the white foamy excitement of the Orkney scallops became a tired foam after the 3rd foam course.

5. Not paying homage to their food producers or sustainable food practices

“From our hand dived scallops to foraged cep mushrooms, we are passionate about sourcing the best ingredients, sustainably.”

I’m surprised to find this quote on their website, under the Sustainability section.

Part of the reason that I love the food experience in Scotland is this beautiful relationship between chef and food producers. Other restaurants have regaled me with tales of the farm that they get their fresh flowers from, or the fisherman that have supplied them with the freshest catch over the years. In some rare cases, I can even give you the name of the individual who hand dived the scallops on my plate. I mean, I did just travel to the end of the world to Shetland to meet the people behind the food there.

These are the stories that I live for in my food experience. The stories that humanize my food experience. To recognize the beauty and importance of every contribution in the local supply chain.

Even with the “Wild Perthshire Mushroom” course – I’d like to assume it was foraged in Perthshire’s big tree country, but even then, that’s an assumption. This would have been a good course to talk about sustainable food practices.

There are some restaurants that can weave these stories seamlessly throughout the dinner service without a second thought. And then, there are those restaurants that leave you guessing and scouring the internet for answers.

Parting Thoughts and lasting impressions on Unalome by Graeme Cheevers

Now at the end, I should start at the beginning.

Unalome (pronounced oon-a-lome) – the word itself is a Buddhist symbol which represents the winding path of life, which leads to an individual’s enlightenment.

As someone connected to the Buddhist community (I am not an actively practicing Buddhist), this symbol and its elegant representations feel misused as a brand name for a restaurant that doesn’t even explain its significance. To be honest, it feels almost as bad as backpackers in Bali or Bangkok who get this “cool” symbol tattooed on their body. But Unalome (the restaurant) has nothing to do with the symbol. They’ve just taken the word – the name. I’m fighting the urge to say that the name has been bluntly appropriated from Buddhist culture, with no regard to its meaning or significance.

Not knowing much about the chef’s culinary background, maybe Buddhism did inspire him to name a restaurant after a religious symbol… and if that’s the case, then PR needs to do a better job of communicating that.

A culturally sensitive person would not have began the restaurant introduction with the words, “Traditionally, a Buddhist symbol, Unalome…”. Let’s be very clear. It is not “traditionally” a symbol – it is a Buddhist symbol. Not traditionally, always. There is no other use for it other than Buddhist symbolism. Period.

(Plus, the symbol is an actual graphic shown above, not the name. Are we pretending that the name, Unalome, is the symbol?)

I am also cringing at the suggestion that naming the restaurant after a Buddhist concept has anything to do with the Japanese culture that inspired the menu. Not all Japanese are Buddhist, not all Buddhist are Japanese. And conceptually, Unalome (the symbol) is not a Japanese concept – it is Buddhist.

Can we please not mix and match Asian cultures and religions as we see fit?

As I went back through my photos and notes on this meal, I realized that my experience at Unalome was probably doomed from the start.

Not everyone has the blessing or fortune in life to always share great experiences with friends and family. I wasn’t able to have anyone join me for dinner that evening, and 98% of the time I am a solo diner. But this blurb, while trying to be inclusive, missed the mark. The shared experience of Unalome with your friends and family specifically excludes one demographic –

• Solo diners, i.e. ME.

By closing the menu blurb with the only reference to the meaning of the Unalome symbol (without explanation), you’ve diminished the symbol and a name to the punch line of your restaurant. When you are thanking me for joining you on this path to enlightenment, are you bowing at me with your hands in a praying position as well?

My dining experience at Unalome has nothing to do with enlightenment.

Sure, some dining experiences can be transcendental – but not this one.

To close, I would not pay 110£ in the future for a meal that left me confused and utterly disappointed, and reeling with twinges of cultural insensitivity.

Do yourself a favor and go around the corner in Finnieston to The Gannet, which is arguably a higher caliber meal in every respect. I haven’t written about my experiences at the Gannet because I’ve been busy this year, but The Gannet is everything that Unalome is currently not.

Or, if you’re looking for other fine dining experiences in Scotland that left outstanding impressions on me, check out:

• Inver Restaurants & Rooms – the only Michelin green star awarded restaurant in Scotland!
• Kinloch Lodge, award winning and tucked away on the Isle of Skye;
• A hidden gem in the Trossachs, Monachyle Mhor;
• The Three Chimneys on the Isle of Skye – tasting the land and the sea;
• and, coming soon – The Glenturret Lalique – the only whisky distillery with one Michelin Star.

Thank you for reading my unpopular opinion of Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, and a special shout out to the Twitter community for their encouragement to write about my experience!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

As luck would have it, I met a group of foodies earlier this year from Taste of Shetland – the area’s regional food and drink organization. If you can imagine a group of foodies laughing and giggling over food, that was us. Since then, I have been planning a trip to Shetland to visit this unsung food destination to coincide with their annual Taste of Shetland Food and Drink Festival (held this year on October 22 – 23, 2022). Through the Food & Drink Festival, I reconnected with my friends and made new ones who also love food in Shetland! We spent countless hours talking (and eating) none other than Shetland’s finest produce.

L: Shetland food festival 2022 groupies, plus Chef Nick Nairn;
R: the placemat at No. 88 in Lerwick, showing the best example of proximity of suppliers I’ve ever witnessed.

During most of my stay in Shetland, I was volunteering at the festival, meaning that I only managed to nip away to try a few restaurants while there. In reality, that’s ok – because the food experience in Shetland is not limited to restaurants. Food culture is everywhere!

Outside the festival, the warmth of Shetland hospitality was never far from food (or family at that). Whether it was homemade dinners with Mary and her visiting family at Hayhoull Bed and Breakfast in Bigton, or chatting with Marian Armitage in Scatness over toasty beremeal bannocks fresh oot the oven with rhubarb jam, homemade food was always front and center, along with that jovial warmth Shetlanders seem to exude.

Before I continue, allow me to wax poetic about food tourism for a minute. You all may know that I enjoy experiencing a place through its food traditions. Oftentimes one of the first thing I do when visiting a new place, is go on a food tour. In other food tours I’ve taken, you bounce around a place eating from restaurants, hearing stories of the place and its food, and (maybe) visiting a food producer or a producer’s shop (like a cheesemaker or a cheese shop), sampling foods along the way. While there are no food tours in Shetland, this Scotland foodie was determined to experience Shetland with food at its forefront.

The World Food Travel Association defines food tourism as,

“the act of traveling for a taste of place in order to get a sense of place.”

And that’s exactly what I was looking for in Shetland.

Below is a short collection of 4 peerie (little) stories, each about a person in Shetland who have a direct impact on Shetland food, and have influenced my perception of food culture.

1. Respect and affection for the food

During the Taste of Shetland Food and Drink Festival, I was fortunate to attend a “lamb boning” Masterclass with Lauraine Manson from Shetland’s abbatoir (or slaughterhouse). While it was called lamb boning, what it really showcased was how to utilize a single lamb to feed a village.

Lauraine is tall and dressed in all black, besides the pop of color of her red fedora. We were in a red colored room, so actually, she matches the decor. She walked in with a lamb shaped cloth sack slung over her shoulder. As she took us through her life’s experience, Lauraine made thoughtful incisions and intentional cuts to the carcass. Each cut is done with care and respect for the animal whose body she works on.

She speaks a lot about her respect for the animals. You’ll probably never find her with a cleaver hacking away at anything. It’s disrespectful, she reminds us. Those animals gave their lives for your meal – we need to respect that.

Following the deboning, the shape of the carcass no longer resembles an animal, now closer to the meat we are used to handling.

With the meat carefully splayed over the table, Shetland-native and food writer Marian Armitage steps up. Armed with a simple concoction of couscous, breadcrumbs, apricots and parsley, Marian spreads the stuffing over the lamb. “There’s no accurate quantity [for the stuffing],” Marian says, and Lauraine agrees that there’s no need for that. But don’t forget a twist of the pepper grinder, some of Shetland’s very own sea salt, and maybe some extra cumin for good measure. With a ball of twine, Lauraine and Marian come together to tightly roll the lamb and tie it, ready to roast.

Lamb would have been prepared that way for large family gatherings or village weddings. Done this way, everyone would get a bit of meat, and the stuffing (infused with all the flavors from the lamb) would take care of the rest.

Unfortunately, they didn’t cook the lamb at the food and drink festival. Earlier in the year, Lauraine and Marian did the demonstration (and cooked the lamb) for the 2022 Royal Highland Show. And I bet it smelled and tasted like no other!

2. Food tourism in Shetland – a visit to Garths Croft Bressay

Through my research on food tourism in Shetland, I found Garth’s Croft – a sustainable agricultural holding, run by Chris Dyer, focusing on traditional and different heritage breeds of sheep, pigs and poultry. Shortlisted for the 2022 Highlands and Islands Tourism Award for Food Tourism, Chris offers tours of his croft and around local Bressay. He also offers a variety of bespoke tours focusing on history and heritage of the surrounding areas.

Bressay is located a quick 7 minute ferry from the Lerwick pier on Mainland Shetland.

Most of the visitors to Garth’s Croft are “fiber community” enthusiasts – people who love wool and knitting.  Thanks to the internet, the undyed fleeces from his heritage Shetland sheep are sent from one far corner of the world to another.  The magic of the internet also gives Chris an avenue to offer Zoom tours of the croft.  It seems to work well, considering Shetland’s remote location and the effort involved in visiting.

I don’t think Chris sees himself as being part of “food tourism”. I can see the direct connection funnily enough, but as a trained archaeologist and historian who runs a sustainable agricultural holding… he needs a little convincing. I think that’s part of his humility though, for being recognized and nominated in a tourism category he never saw himself as part of.

Food tourism, agritourism, ecotourism – call it what you want. At the end of the day, my experience with Chris from Garth’s Croft is hands down one of the best tourism experiences I’ve ever had.

– Lannie, extremely opinionated travel extraordinaire

Croft is not a word that gets used often outside of Scotland, and to be fair, I wasn’t entirely sure about the nuances of what a croft includes. A “croft” is defined by the Oxford dictionary as:

• a small rented farm, especially one in Scotland,
• comprising a plot of arable land attached to a house (the croft house), and
• with a right of pasturage held in common with other such farms.

Traditionally, crofting brings us back to subsistence farming – raising livestock and growing crops intended to feed you and your family, normally without surplus. Nowadays, most crofters aren’t practicing subsistence farming only. That being said, Chris only raises enough livestock that he himself can manage. Turns out it’s a lot, but still.

The sheep interrupt us to grab a cuddle from Chris, or so it seems. In actuality, Dinky is coming around to eat some of the feed Chris has in his hands. Dinky, who was the runt of the litter, is “special”, Chris says, originally needing to be bottle fed at birth. It’s amusing watching the colorful sheep playfully vying for his attention. I watch in silence, smiling at the incredible detail I just witnessed – Chris giving Dinky a little affectionate scratch on the head, as Dinky eagerly eats everything out of his other hand.

When Chris began crofting, his motivation had less to do with raising sheep to feed and clothe the masses and more with bringing the heritage of the area back to the forefront. To explain, what drives Chris is that deep connection to the land. For the archaeologist and historian, it’s less about what breeds can maximize your yields at the sheep sales, but more – what breeds are traditional to this land? What breeds can we bring back to this land?

And so he set out repurposing his croft, as a tribute to the old ways, while blending it with new, sustainable practices. Building the first drystone square enclosure on Shetland in 1,000 years, Chris sectioned off a “plantiecrub” or a traditional kale yard next to the croft house. Yes, Chris is actually one of very few drystone masons on Shetland as well, mending the walls that snake around Bressay, neighboring Noss, and mainland Shetland.

Watch this video on YouTube.

(This is a great croft tour video on YouTube that Chris made.
Let’s just blame Shetland’s weather for me not taking as many photos or videos that day I was in Bressay.)

Back to the kale yard.  Historically, that’s what it did – it grew kale, potatoes (taaties / tatties), and other root vegetables.  Kale has been in Shetland since, at least, the 17^th century.  The drystone walls provide some cover to Shetland’s harsh weathers – but that’s ok, kale seems to thrive in the tumultuous weather. Back in the day, the kale would be in the enclosure with the family’s own “hoose taaties”.  Hoose taaties are… potatoes for the “hoose” (house).

Chris is proud that the croft can thrive with zero artificial fertilizer, preferring to use a variety of heritage pigs to naturally plow and fertizile plots of land to render it arable. To supplement the kale yard and to provide weather cover for other crops, there is the polycrub greenhouse – made from recycled salmon cages.  Inside, the polycrub houses the croft’s singular apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees, along with other greens and produce hidden away from Shetland’s harsh weather. I say singular fruit trees, because that’s part of Chris’ mentality, isn’t it?  He doesn’t need an orchard full of apple trees, the one is enough to feed him and his family, with some left for the Bressay community.

Garth’s Croft is an exciting blend of old and new, going back to the days before globalization and mass production, using the land to feed and clothe your family unit.  For us travelers and dreamers, a visit to Garth’s Croft makes us ponder our own life and its excesses. While few of us will do what Chris did, and move to a remote corner of the world to live off the land, there is a genuine admiration and awe of those who do.  But to be able to not only live, but thrive in such an environment – it’s an extraordinary thing and takes an extraordinary person to do so.

To bring it back to food and food tourism and Garth’s Croft…  While I haven’t outright said just yet, you as my reader must know that all the livestock in the world will end up on someone’s table at some point in time. This is true in both mass production and small scale subsistence farming. And while we are looking at beautiful heritage sheep with colorful wool or pigs happily burrowing for worms, their purpose in the end is to feed us.

Although I never tasted any of the various meat products or fresh produce from Garth’s Croft, I have a feeling that all the thoughtful care and attention Chris pays would certainly resonate in the end-product. Have you heard the myth of Kobe beef in Japan? With its world famous, gorgeously marbled meats, true or not, the cows are said to regularly listen to Mozart and given massages. While the sheep from Garth’s Croft don’t listen to Mozart (that I know of!) and unfortunately get subjected to somewhat miserable Shetland weather, they appear to have an extremely fun-loving and sustainable environment to live in. 

The Shetland agricultural community thrives on sheep. Whether that’s for Shetland’s thick “ganseys” (sweaters or jumpers for the non-Shetland speakers), to sell to mainland farmers, or for purchase and slaughter in Shetland, the agricultural community resolves around sheep and their sales. Lamb, born in the spring, take about 6 months to grow and mature, and are ready by the fall.

The sheep sales in Shetland run between August to November, from 2-3 times a week. 3-4,000 sheep are sold each time, with Chris and Lauraine being critical components to and daily fixtures at the sales. The sheep sales are the lifeblood of the agricultural community in Shetland. Chris invited me to one of the sales, and I would have loved to attend if I weren’t so busy with the festival. But, always save something for next time!

People like Lauraine and Chris are critical contributions to the sheep industry on Shetland. Their humane and respectful treatment of animals and committment to sustainable farming practices must have a direct impact on the taste of the food – it’s inevitable.  The excitement of honest, humane food practices and the emphasis on traditional values brought me to Shetland to experience the taste of Shetland in person.

It was this complex, yet simple sustainable crofting approach to life and food production that I sought out in my travels to Shetland. And from that search, I found Garth’s Croft on Bressay.

* Other Heritage Tours with Garth’s Croft

Normally, visits to Garth’s Croft are combined with a trip to the Bressay Heritage Centre and Speldiburn Cafe, but alas – it was the dreaded Monday in off-season Scotland, where almost everything is closed. But don’t let that stop you – it didn’t hinder my experience with Chris that day. Following the morning at the croft, in the most torrential weather conditions, we set out in Bressay to explore croft ruins and an Iron Age broch.

Later on in the week, I spent a second day with Chris, almost entirely unrelated to food.  We went up through mainland Shetland to Yell (via another ferry) and onto Unst (via ferry), to the UK’s most northern part – basking in its rugged beauty and history dotting the land. 

From the remains of Viking longhouses in Sandwick to the construction site of its new space port (space port?  I know, right?!!), Chris’ enthusiasm for the land and its history was infectious.  Because you can only plan so much with island life, a serendipitous missing of a ferry led us to exploring the spectacular Breckon Sands beach in Yell. 

• ❤️ Shout out to these good folks on Unst: Final Checkout Café for the delightful white coffee and Skibhoul Bakery for your wonderful baked goods for our picnic.

Even though Viking or military history isn’t my strong suit, there are so many memorable things about that day.  I don’t know if it was the wild remoteness that hypnotized me, the picnic inside a (replica) Viking longhouse (I love a good picnic), or the fact that we were the two most northern people in all of the UK that day… it was windy and rainy at parts, but overall, filled with wonder and amazement.

More to come on this later!

3. Hospitality and Food in Shetland

During my time in Shetland, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend time with people and their families – a far cry from your average tourist experience. I wanted to share some of the warm memories centered around food that my hosts and their families left with me.

* With Mary in Bigton

There’s nothing like a freak internet and mobile blackout to bring people together.  The morning that I arrived on Shetland, unbeknownst to me, there was a blackout of all internet and cell services.  Everything (digital) came to a halt.  Luckily, people in the villages of rural Scotland are used to walking over to their neighbors for a blether. And in the village of Bigton, there was a lot of folks popping into Hayhoull Bed & Breakfast every so often to say hi to Mary (my hostess) and have a blether about the blackout. 

Through the course of the week on Shetland, I met and chatted and dined with Mary’s: daughter, granddaughter, niece, sisters, and other relatives that I met in a blur.  It was so fun hear them spiritedly catch up with each other, in the Shetland dialect, translated at times for my benefit.  And as someone who works abroad for most of the year, it tugged at my heart strings for the family not near me. 

What lovely family moments, chatting away over a roasting peat fire, often talking and laughing well into the night. 

Before I ran off to the ferry, I sat down for one last meal with Mary, her daughter, and granddaughter.  A simple vegetable soup with lamb.  As Mary’s daughter explained to her daughter, “Granny’s mum made this soup for me and now granny is now making this soup for you.”  And just like that, I was brought into the fold of Mary’s mothers’ vegetable soup with lamb, keeping me warm as I left Shetland.

* Scatness with Marian

If ever there were any singular person who is Shetland food’s greatest ambassador and quintessential expert, that would be Marian Armitage. 

Marian, a local Shetlander who now splits her time between London and Shetland, dreamt of being a cookery school teacher at age 12. Now, with two books out, she is the go-to-resource on Shetland’s food and traditional recipes.

I spent my last morning in Shetland in the village of Scatness with Marian.  When I walked into her kitchen, a charming throwback to country kitchens, it felt cozy, adorable, and oddly familiar. A quick glance to the stack of cooking books on the table revealed Marian’s first book – Shetland Food and Cooking – with her iconic kitchen immortalized on the cover.

That morning, Marian was expecting her old neighbors from Lerwick to stop by, and set about to bake some fresh beremeal bannocks for her guests. By the time I arrived, they were just coming out of the oven. Perfect timing, I love a freshly baked good.

There’s something about the smells of a kitchen that’s just baked something fresh, isn’t there?

She instinctively grabs a bannock, slathers some Shetland butter on it, and asks me to taste it. “Is it done?” she asks. Of course the bannocks are done, and absolutely perfect from my perspective. Warm and thick, with deliciously melted butter dripping off the edges. “We’ll have it with some rhubarb jam in a minute.” (homemade, obviously)

As we walk into the conservatory overlooking the wild sea, we reminisce about Orkney and our visit to Barony Mill, where the beremeal flour she’s using was milled. Bere is an ancient barley, which dates back to the 8th century. A darker grain, and slightly bitter – making the bannocks a hearty affair. Like Shetland, I suppose.

Marian and I spoke at length about her love of Shetland and its food traditions, and the deep drive she has to share it with people. I didn’t realize the depths of that passion at the time, but I do now. I get it. As she so beautifully describes in her first book:

“What is special about Shetland is the people who live there and their relationship and interaction with the surrounding sea and land. They are interesting, interested, unique, skilled and outward thinking. They are influenced by the past and in many instances the old ways.”

– Marian Armitage, from Shetland Food and Cooking.

But it’s the strength of the relationships that Shetlanders have with each other too, that enhances the experience with food. And in all honesty, the bannocks and rhubarb jam tasted better with the company of Marian, Marian’s husband, James, her old neighbor from Lerwick, and his friend.

And once again, the familiar embrace of Shetland warmth and hospitality and food.

4. Parting Thoughts

I’m sure you all can see, this was a very moving trip for me. The connection between the food, the land, the people, the sea, and the animals is so thoughtful and vibrant, and really, such an exciting thing to experience. I really wasn’t prepared for all the ways that Shetland’s food opened my eyes into their world. Aside from the taste of the food itself, no regional cuisine has given me so much to think about.

But isn’t that what travel is supposed to do for us? Give us a moment to pause, reflect, and consider a different way of life? I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that with globalization and mass production, it’s simply easier (and unfortunately cheaper) to just go to the grocery store to buy your clementines from Spain or your pears from Chile. Many people don’t have easy access to farm-to-table or local produce options.

But that being said, this is a food and travel blog. I write this in hopes of influencing conscious decisions about food choices when you travel:

• Intentional support of local businesses.
• Seeking out ethical and sustainable businesses.
• Finding experiences that go beyond the norm.
• Meeting and embracing the local community.

Those are the things that fill your heart with memories after you return.

I’m reminded of an Anthony Bourdain quote,

“Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself.“

And with that, I sincerely thank Shetland for the perfect meal it served me.

5. Shetland Post Resources

• Chris from Garth’s Croft on Bressay – the reluctant food tourism hero of Bressay, promoting heritage and sustainable agriculture in Shetland;

• Link
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Mail

• Where I stayed in Shetland: Hayhoull Bed & Breakfast in Bigton – 25 minutes drive from Lerwick and right next to St. Ninian’s Isle. I think you know I had an absolutely wonderful stay here!

• Link
• Facebook
• Mail

• Marian Armitage’s Shetland books – Food Made in Shetland (just released in 2022!) and Shetland Food and Cooking. If you’re wanting to learn more about the food, these books from Marian are essential for any foodie and home cook! They’re filled with traditional Shetland recipes and great photos to salivate over.

• Link
• Instagram
• Amazon

Getting to Shetland by Air

There are regular direct flights to Sumburgh Airport on Loganair from:

• Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Kirkwall (Orkney) in Scotland;
• London City and Manchester in England;
• Bergen, Norway, in the summer.

Getting to Shetland by Ferry

Take the 12-14 hour overnight ferry from Aberdeen to Lerwick. On M, W, F, the ferry also stops in Orkney, so there’s an extra 2 hours for all the Orkney passengers and goods to join / disembark.

Most Shetlanders think the “pods” on the ship are miserable for such a long sailing. Though pricey, getting a room is highly recommended!

For those who get sea sick… off season North Sea overnight ferries are not your friend!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

The big Glaswegian party was hosted by the SMWS’s Glasgow Bath Street member room, located at the WEST Brewery. WEST Brewery brews German-style lagers and wheat beers in their Glaswegian home. You’ll often fine WEST Brewery beer on tap at Bath Street. My first whisky tasting at Glasgow’s Bath Street had a special bottling of whisky, which was aged in a WEST dark lager cask. How exactly did that work? (just a quick explanation)

• The whisky started out for 24 years in a former Firkin-cask. 
• Then, the guys at Bath Street put a German, Dunkel (dark lager) beer into the barrel (from WEST Brewery), to let the flavors seep into the barrel.
• Then, the beer was taken out.
• And the whisky went back in. 

Anyway, if beer gardens, beer halls or just traditional German beers are your thing, swing by WEST Brewery in Glasgow for some drinks and fun! In addition to the drinks, you’ll get to see the super cool building, which formerly housed the Templeton carpet factory. Gotta love an old repurposed building!

Anyway, back to the Gathering!

1. Glasgow’s SMWS the Gathering: Dinner and Whisky

Of course there’s going to be whisky at the Gathering – it wouldn’t be a whisky community without the pièce de résistance, would it? (We’ll get to the whisky…) Similarly, it wouldn’t be a Scotch Malt Whisky Society event without the food! You all know me… my obsession with food (and especially whisky and food) runs deep!

About a week before the event, I got an email asking me to choose my courses for The Gathering’s three-course dinner. It was a tough choice, but I went for:

• Starter: Goat cheese and rosemary tart (alternative: smoked salmon with caper salad);
• Main: Chicken supreme with Heidi-Weisse sauce (alternative: fillet of hake with ratatouille);
• Dessert: WEST apple strudel with ice cream (alternative: chocolate brownie with ice cream).

Somewhere along the way, I lost track of which whiskies were supposed to be paired with which course. However, as whisky aficionados always tell you – you drink your whisky however you like, and don’t let anyone tell you how to enjoy it. Whisky fans aren’t really too fussed about these things, so I’m sure there is a level of forgiveness for the forgetfulness after a night of 6 whiskies.

And now, onto the whisky!

2. The Gathering Whiskies

Everyone get on the bus for great whiskies!

The evening’s official whisky menu had 5 whiskies to enjoy. But there was a SMWS poker chip given to each person, for redemption of a dram at the Old and Rare bar. So, 6 really fine whiskies.

The evening and tastings were hosted by John McCheyne, SMWS Master Brand Ambassador, who’s whisky journey brought him to Islay in 1983, back in the day when single malt whiskies were rare. Without the pandemic, you can find John traveling the world ushering people along in their personal whisky journey. More often than not, you can find him on my fair isle of Islay, working alongside the Islay Whisky Academy.

As our host and emcee, John enthusiastically introduced the whiskies for the evening. For the 5 official whiskies, two of them came from New York (a shock, no??) to start, rounded out by two different Speyside whiskies and a Lowlands whisky, which ranged in age from 4 years (also a shock too!) to 30 years!

2.1 Made in New York, New York – Cask no. 142.1

New York, New York, it’s a helluva town! But also, who knew that there were American whiskey distilleries in New York? I definitely didn’t!

At 6 years old, and yet 66.1% ABV, this was one smooth, young whiskey! Ironically, being the strongest whisky we tried all night, you wouldn’t have known. Not much of an ethanol kick at all, but very sweet, with sugary hints raisins and brownies. The tasting notes included some cough medicine or Virgina tobacco (as specific as that is), but I really only got sweet goodness from it. A whisky website I went to researching this bottling, also included coal-gas, cooked vegetables, sweaty and plastic as its tasting notes. Did I get any sweaty plastic notes? No, definitely not. Maybe my palette isn’t as defined as this whisky website… Either way, it was delightful.

Everyone will always ask me my favorite. Normally I don’t really have one in a tasting. But truth be told, it appeared to be a general consensus among guests that this first whiskey was everyone’s absolute favorite. And that’s not any American bias from me!

2.2 Out of the Ordinary – in a very good way! Cask no. RW2.1

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that most of my whisky drinking career thus far has revolved primarily around single-malt scotches. So this 80% rye, 20% malted barley definitely caught my eye. But, if I’m honest, it wasn’t for me. The name suggested something out of this world, and similarly, the tasting notes pushed the subtitle “in a good way!” and “in a very good way” to raise my expectations to a level which was too high for the whiskey itself.

The tasting notes suggested a very herbal nose and flavor, indicating flavors that I’d expect from a heavy botanical gin – lemongrass, lemon myrtle, lemon balm, and orange peel. That, combined with the initial cask being a new charred oak barrel, there was just a bit too much competing flavors.

While this one wasn’t for me, not every whisky will be – and that’s ok! This one was aged 4 years, and made in New York as well. The rye/malted barley whiskey was at 51.7% ABV.

2.3 Timeless and Magnificent – Cask no. 65.7

Finally a scotch! I’m biased, I know. I was excited to try this 30 year old Speyside. For me, it was a little spicy and peppery, with tasting notes hinting at cardamom and ginger, and caramels. Delightful for a cold evening, but for me, unexpectedly spicy for the evening!

At 52.9% ABV (a lower percentage this evening), it felt surprisingly strong. And actually, even stronger than the first whisky (which was alarmingly 66.1%!). It’s interesting how percentage alcohol doesn’t directly influence how much of an alcohol kick you get out of the drink.

2.4 Seductive Whispers of Oak – Cask no. 97.23

Old whisky lovers rejoice! A second 30 year old scotch to enjoy. This time, a Lowlands whisky, at 58.2% ABV, aged for 30 years in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel. Prior to reading the tasting notes for this one, I thought – hmm, this is kind of delightful, with vanilla and toffee flavors. But you know how your sense of taste and smell are heavily influenced by external factors? Well, this one was described as a “chorus of church pews, leather, tobacco strands and spiced rum.” And later on, “sugary espresso dregs.”

And that was it, it was all leather and old church pews from then on. Tasting notes can be a strange thing – sometimes it can help you identify the aromas and tastes that you already know, but can’t put a name to. Other times, like inception, it will plant a seed in your mind that you can never get over. To conclude, this one never moved past the church pews and leather, even though I knew sweeter flavors were there!

2.5 Encased in Leather – Cask no. 35.271

From one leather to another! Just kidding – even though this 25 year old Speyside had leather in the name, it was a softer leather taste than the previous one. This one had more sweet notes of warn baked orange and cinnamon, with some nutmeg and other autumnal spices. At 56.4% ABV, it wasn’t too heavy, and was the perfect dram to finish off the evening. I drank this with my apple strudel, which paired beautifully, with the cinnamony flavors being brought out by the strudel.

3. The Old and Rare Bar

Get yourself to the old and rare bar for some drams that are exactly that – old and rare. With Alan helming the bar, you were sure to get a phenomenal recommendation on what to drink with your free token! Alan is by far one of the most enthusiastic whisky drinkers I’ve met, and the tastings he hosts at SMWS Bath Street are always a delight!

For me and my plus 1, it was “The Three Chocolatiers” (Cask no. 46.99) for a deliciously sweet and smooth 27 year Speyside.

4. Parting thoughts on SMWS The Gathering

Watch this video on YouTube.

What an incredibly fun evening! Everything about the evening was absolutely phenomenal! From the food, to the guided tastings, and then the whiskies! It’s a rarity when you can have a tasting with two 30 year old whiskies (and a 26 year old as a free dram!). Those two 30 year olds are retailing for 495£. Not suggesting that price equates the quality of the whisky, but wow!! Definitely in the old and rare category!

Before the music started, the room was a bit on the louder side, so I wasn’t really able to chat with the folks at my table. That didn’t diminish the lively feel of the evening. And then, when the band started, it was just such a great vibe! Glaswegian-based The Easy Winners played a great set list, including “You are my Sunshine” from Johnny Cash, and one of my all-time favorite Disney hits – “The Bare Necessities” from the Jungle Book.

All in all, I had a really great evening. I mean, with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, when do I not? But all joking aside, it’s wonderful to have found a hobby that connects you with a group of fun-loving people, always ready to jump down a whisky rabbit hole with you. The global whisky community that SMWS has created is something extremely special, and I’m grateful to be embraced within this community.

While I was gifted this delightful evening, along with a plus one, all opinions in this piece are my own. I have no obligations to enjoy all of the whiskies I tasted. I am also an affiliate of SMWS, which means should you purchase anything from the links in green, I may receive a small commission from that.

If you’re still on the fence about SMWS membership, feel free to check out some of the other posts I’ve written:

• For those curious about SMWS membership, or those wanting to commit to membership immediately;
• What about pairing surf and turf with whisky?
• Or dessert and whisky? Only the best combo!

Until the next delightful whisky event, I bid you all adieu and slainte mhath! Take care and be safe!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

All three of these food and whisky pairings in this series has been graciously gifted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, of which I am an affiliate of. That means that, if you decide to purchase anything via the links in green, I may earn a small commission for. All opinions on mouthwatering dessert and luscious whiskies are my own. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a members-only club for whisky and other single cask spirit enthusiasts. Click here to learn more about the membership benefits!

As someone who has an absolute sweet tooth and will always say yes to a dessert, I was so excited to hear that the food and whisky pairings extended beyond main courses and starters. Of the food and whisky pairings I’ve done, the ones with “sweets” often see chocolate paired with whisky. But a full dessert course? Never before. (well, in my limited and humble experience!)

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society – Greville Street – London!

Unlike the other tasting I’ve done with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, this one coincided with a personal trip south of the border – to London, England! Home of the Queen, the Tower Bridge, and the Greville Street Member Room.

In true speakeasy style, the London Member Room wasn’t where Google Maps said it was – at least the entrance wasn’t. Perpendicular to Greville Street, down the Bleeding Heart Yard (alley), was a big wooden door and keypad, surrounded by pink columns. On the windows surrounding the door, an alphabetical listing of Scotch whisky distilleries, starting with Aberfeldy at the top, down to Tormore at the bottom.

Honestly, I’m sure there is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society sign somewhere, but sometimes I can be aloof, and maybe I overlooked it. The bottles of whisky in the window were a dead giveaway though!

The folks at Greville Street knew I was coming, and when I buzzed they let me up. I was greeted at the top of the stairs by their delightful team, who I would come to know better in the coming days. That’s the thing about whisky, you end up just chatting and befriending people.

I was so happy to be joined on this tasting with my friend B, who I hadn’t seen since pre-pandemic times. I met B on a Twins that Travel tour to Turkey back in 2019, and she’s her spirit is just full of fun and positivity – that great energy that you’d want around anywhere. So, thanks B for joining me and keeping up with the 5 whiskies we went through!!

2. Some charcuterie to start!

While the SMWS Greville Street doesn’t have a dedicated kitchen, they partner with the Bleeding Heart Bistro next door to offer nibbles, a handful of mains and some desserts. I had taken the train down from Glasgow that day, and needed to eat something before jumping into the world of dessert and whisky. So, the charcuterie platter it was! Jasmine, who works at SMWS, came to take our order and asked if we wanted a whisky to start out with prior to the tasting.

Well, I won’t turn down a good whisky.

The best thing to do, is to ask your SMWS Ambassador for a whisky recommendation. And Jasmine did not disappoint!!! Limitness Scrumptiousness, cask no. 39.218, which is categorized in the “sweet, fruity and mellow” profile. A 13 year old Speyside whisky, at 57% ABV. I have to say hands down, this is one of my favorite SMWS bottlings! Definitely, light and sweet and reminded me of lychees and other sweet deliciousness. Maybe I was just in the mood for something light and incredible to start the evening.

3. Dessert and whisky – onto the main event!

Any time the main event is a dessert, you can be sure I’m a happy Lannie. Tonight’s main event would be two desserts and 5 whiskies. (FIVE WHISKIES? well – the Scotch Malt Whisky Society doesn’t mess around on a food and whisky pairing event… I think you must’ve figured that out by now! After five whiskies, you’ll be glad you started the evening with some charcuterie!) Each of these desserts were expertly paired by JP, the Venue Supervisor at Greville Street.

Having had a chat with JP during the tasting about the pairings, his whisky pairing style became clear. He believes that everything should be a balance of opposites. While you could have whiskies that always complement the food, in order to achieve equilibrium, there should be a negative to balance the positive. Not saying that he chose negative whiskies, but rather the less obvious choices – intentionally not pairing citrus with citrus, fruity with fruity. That kind of inverse balance.

So now, onto the dessert and whisky pairing!

3.1 White Chocolate Cheesecake with Poached Apricots

The first dessert we delighted in was a white chocolate cheesecake with poached apricots. Cheesecake is arguably one of the most classic desserts, and when you drizzle it with poached apricots, it takes the classic cheesecake to new heights!

The cheesecake was paired with Clementine Confit and Who’s Been in the Biscuit Tin?

The Clementine Confit, a 10 year blended Scotch, at 50% ABV, was a perfect pairing for the sweet, rich cheesecake. Aromas of coconuts, dark chocolates, oranges and other stone fruits, which is a lovely complementary taste to the apricots and white chocolate cheesecake.

Who’s Been in the Biscuit Tin? (cask no. 44.136) is a 16 year old Speyside, at 55.6% ABV, matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. The tasting notes on this one says that the nose has lavendar and apricots, and tomatoes with brazil nuts, with the taste of juicy fruits and biscuits.

If I were digging deep into what JP was saying, I could definitely see the Biscuit Tin being a little on the inverse complementary side. Of course, whisky is a very personal experience, but I felt like following a nibble of the cheesecake, going back to the Biscuit Tin was a “punchier” taste than before.

3.2 Lemon Tart with Verbena Sorbet

We were forewarned by Jasmine that this lemon tart was super lemony. My mouth puckered up and I immediately began salivating at the thought of a really citrusy lemon tart. Although sour desserts aren’t my favorite, I can definitely appreciate a really tart lemon tart (hehe) or a key lime pie or anything like that really. One does not discriminate with sweet or sour desserts. Man. Just thinking of this lemon tart has got me salivating again. The struggle is real.

With the verbena sorbet, this lemon tart was just tart on tart.. but in a good way! This absolutely mouth watering dessert was paired with 3 whiskies, which were meant to be drank from left to right. The last one, is JP’s negative or inverse pairing.

We started with Salad Undressing (cask no. 1.226). In case you’re curious, I’m still giggling at the name. Anyway, Salad Undressing is an 8 year old Speyside, at 58.4% ABV. Very flavorful with hints of cream soda, orange cocktail bitters, and then some earthy, nutty tones. The lemon tart gave this whisky a nice balance, and brought out more of its “nuttier” flavors, if that makes sense.

Next up, Funky Rhubarb, Rum Baba (cask no. 44.137) – 16 year Speyside whisky, at 52.1% ABV. As you can expect with the name, the taste of it was sweet and tart like a funky rhubarb. But on the nose and a bit of the finish, was woodsy, but still a little sweet and tart. The ironic thing is, before the lemon tart, you didn’t get as much of the woodsiness. But after, that was all I could taste. Interestingly enough, the tasting notes from the bottle say:”With some water, we took an axe and wandered into a forest on a hot autumn day to chop some wood.” If that doesn’t accurately describe it, I don’t know what will.

The last whisky of the night was When Life Gives you Lemons (cask no. 68.43), an 11 year Highland whisky, at 55.6% ABV. JP’s infamous negative pairing for balance. A little lemony, a little oaky spiciness. Honestly, this was my least favorite whisky before the lemon tart, and after, to me, it was just too much of a contrast. Personally, I thought that it brought out all the wrong flavors.

My friend, B, didn’t have as adverse a reaction as I did, but like I said – whisky tasting and food pairings are a personal experience, and everyone experiences something different and unique. This one wasn’t for me, and that’s ok. I was happy to abandon the whisky and go back to my mouthwatering lemon tart.

Parting Thoughts

I absolutely love the idea of desserts being paired with whisky. And honestly, what a wonderful evening at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Greville Street! The staff there are so friendly and wonderful, my friend and I just had a fabulous time! Ok, so with my honest review, I didn’t like the last whisky and dessert pairing. But that’s ok! I want a food and whisky pairing to challenge my pre-existing notions of what works and what doesn’t work. I want it to expand my palate!

I love how innovative the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is with their food and whisky pairings. Let’s continue to challenge the notion of what can be paired with whisky. Let’s keep innovating and trying out new ideas and foods and whiskies!

A little closing note – as a huge foodie and newbie onto the whisky scene, the tastings and pairings that I did with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society were absolutely incredible. I enjoyed every single one of them! Just because August’s food and whisky pairing month is officially over, doesn’t mean you can’t head over to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for some food and whisky pairings yourself. Staff and ambassadors there alike are always there to give advice on complementary or inverse pairings – whichever you’re in the mood for!

A huge thank you to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for gifting me these food and whisky pairings! Hope you all enjoyed reading about the food and whisky pairing series as much as I did experiencing them!

• If you’re planning to move on from London over to SMWS in Scotland, consider taking the Caledonian Sleeper – an overnight sleeper train to Glasgow, Edinburgh and others!

Until then, everyone stay safe and slainte mhath!

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/