3 New Scottish Foodie Hot Spots You’ll Adore
From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye, via Argyll, Hood uncovers three new Scottish dining experiences you’ll want to try for yourself. Enjoy.
Visit Argyll for the UK’s first whispering cow experience
One of Argyll’s most iconic coastal hotels has teamed up with a local farm to launch the UK’s first ‘Whispering Highland Cow’ wellbeing experience on the west coast of Scotland.
Tucked away on the picturesque shores of Loch Linnhe, The Pierhouse offers guests breathtaking views of the islands of Lismore and Mull. Add in its award-winning restaurant - it was recently crowned ‘National Restaurant of the Year’ at the Hotel of the Year Scotland Awards 2023-24, it holds three silver stars, two AA rosettes and is one of only three restaurants in Argyll to be included in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2024 - and The Pierhouse is always worth a visit.
However, now there is an extra excuse for making The Pierhouse your next Argyll staycation destination. Whispering Cow Walks are the brainchild of Local Highland dairy farmer, Jane Isaacson, maker of Highland Fold Ice Cream, and the hotel’s head chef, Michael Leathley. Together they have created new farm-based activity breaks with a focus on wellbeing, nature, and great tasting locally sourced food. The walks, in collaboration with Jane Isaacson, offer a new relaxing way to explore a real working farm. You’ll get an opportunity to meet a traditional fold of Highland cattle, at Achinreir Farm in Barcaldine and learn a little about artisan ice cream making. Highland Fold ice cream, which features on The Pierhouse dessert menu, only uses traditional farming methods and natural and sustainable ingredients to make its artisan ice cream. And proves a delicious end to The Pierhouse menu which offers of the freshest langoustines, mussels and lobsters harvested from Loch Linnhe and Loch Etive, as well as fine handpicked oysters from Loch Creran.
Pierhouse Hotel, Port Appin, Argyll
B&B at The Pierhouse starts from £150 per room, per night (March 2024) and from £200 per room, per night (April to end of October 2024), based on two people sharing.
Whispering Highland Cow Walks cost £15 per person are timed to happen when the cattle are relaxed and resting. Booking is essential.
www.pierhousehotel.co.uk
2. Enjoy the new pop-up dining Experience on Isle of Skye
The world-renowned Three Chimneys and Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye have joined forces to launch ‘The Three Chimneys at Talisker’. Image courtesy of Diageo
Enjoy this unique pop-up dining concept from The Three Chimneys’ Head Chef, Scott Davies and general manager, Krzysztof Dudkowski, hosted at Talisker Distillery’s newly designed waterfront space on the shores of Loch Harport until the end of April 2024.
The experience invites you to fully immerse yourself in the rugged coastal landscape of Skye, through locally sourced food and drink and a shared passion and respect for local produce and craftspeople. You can also savour lighter, seasonally influenced fare that showcases the abundant richness of Skye’s larder, in the artisanal Seafood bar. You can rest assured, whichever option you choose, that it will be a culinary experience of the top level. The Three Chimneys is a five-star AA restaurant, it has retained three AA Rosettes for over two decades and is included in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland 2023 and the Good Food Guide.
Want to make it an occasion and stay over? The Three Chimneys Restaurant and The House Over-By has six guest rooms and is nestled on the shores of Loch Dunvegan with the dramatic backdrop of the Duirinish peninsula of Skye.
The Three Chimneys & House Over-By, Colbost, Isle of Skye
B&B at The Three Chimneys start from £305 per room, per night (until 28th March 2024), based on two people sharing.
For more information on ‘The Three Chimneys at Talisker’ experience and for menus, go to www.threechimneys.co.uk/talisker
3. Discover the new edinburgh restaurant & wine bar by the Timberyard team
The team behind one of Scotland’s leading, independent, fine dining restaurants has opened the doors to a new venue on Montrose Terrace in the Abbeyhill area of Edinburgh
Owned and operated by the Radford family since 2012, Timberyard was awarded its first Michelin Star in 2023. Just a year later, the team has launched ‘Montrose’, a new restaurant and wine bar designed to reinforce its reputation at the forefront of both Scottish and British dining. For over 10 years, Timberyard has remained focused on ingredient-led cooking, created with respect to nature and produce, and sourced from local, artisan suppliers, and Scotland’s natural larder.
With the launch of Montrose, the Radford family will evolve its lasting dining legacy with the continued support of head chefs James Murray and Moray Lamb. Built in the late 1800s, Montrose House was one of Edinburgh’s first public houses. Set over two floors, Montrose now offers a cosy ground-floor wine bar and intimate first-floor dining room, all within walking distance of Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street, Palace of Holyrood and the Scottish Parliament.
Montrose, 1 Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh, EH7 5DJ
Both dining spaces at Montrose are open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, with lunch being offered on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on Montrose and to make a booking, go to www.montroserestaurant.co