Edinbane Lodge
Isle of Skye, Highlands & Islands
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Veer off the Portree to Dunvegan road in northern Skye to find the leafy little hamlet of Edinbane and what was, until 2017, a derelict 16th-century hunting lodge on a shaded riverbank. Converted into a restaurant with rooms by a young local chef, it is now one of the most talked-about kitchens on the island. The decor is traditional, cosy but understated design-wise, ranging from low-beamed ceilings, dark wood panelling and teal paintwork to tartan carpeting in muted hues and chocolate-brown leather chairs. The background music steers a similarly safe course, a medley for the middle-aged. The interiors might not make your pulse race, but the menu will. Immediately attention-grabbing is Calum Montgomery's focus on provenance. A separate sheet accompanying the 10-course taster lists the fishermen, foragers and crofters by name, many of whom are friends and family: Calum’s uncle Alasdair caught the hake and monkfish, while his cousin Peter MacAskill harvested the rope-grown mussels (served barbecued and topped with a silky potato mousse). The distance from producer to plate is noted too, with the wagyu beef from Perthshire the biggest schlep (198 miles). At our test meal, this arrived with truffle and red wine jus, plus a solitary chip-shaped, satisfyingly crunchy roast potato and carrot (puréed and pickled). Equally impressive was a giant scallop, hand-dived and plucked from the waters off the small island of Rona, meaty and tender, served on a smoky seaweed butter sauce laced with diced cucumber. An unexpected highlight was the bread course. The warm, steamed brioche with its sprinkling of crispy ham and chives was soft and moreish, smeared with an unctuous wild black-garlic butter, the herb gleaned from the lodge's grounds. Another wild picking, meadowsweet, features in the pre-dessert ice cream and is also one of the botanicals in the house gin, made by a local distillery. Even the 'handcrafted' tonic water, (from Walter Gregor in Aberdeenshire) has well-documented provenance. There's a wine flight matched to the tasting menu, of course, while the carefully curated list focuses on the Old World with nine by the glass – although the signature cocktails and local beers (try the Cuillin Brewery's Seaweed IPA) are every bit as noteworthy.
