Skye delight

David James found that a December visit to Kinloch Lodge on Skye, home of the redoubtable Lady Claire Macdonald and her family, was made glorious summer by a winter discount

Published: 19/12/2009

IT HAD been dark for two hours when we arrived at Kinloch Lodge on Skye for a three-night stay after a five-hour drive from the rain-lashed north-east.

For two weeks my wife and I had been savouring the prospect of this visit to the hotel and restaurant of the woman who for almost four decades has championed Scotland’s larder through 17 books and TV and radio appearances.

We had been lured here by this family-run establishment’s irresistible winter offer of dinner bed and breakfast for £99, and the chance to see something of Skye long after most tourists have gone.

Tom, the husband of Isabella, Claire’s daughter, greeted us warmly at the door of the North House. It boasts two sitting-rooms with log fires, a subtly-lit restaurant where the Macdonald ancestors, including Flora, gaze benevolently down as you work your way through five or six courses prepared by head chef Marcello Tully and sous chef Andrew Maclugash.

Tom led us into the South House, where we were instantly greeted by another log fire at the foot of a stunning spiral staircase.

Through an adjacent door, log fire number four was blazing in one of the most inviting sitting-rooms I have ever encountered. I made a silent promise to dally here with a dram and a book. If it rained, so much the better.

Our room had a king-size bed. My wife ran an approving eye over the modern en-suite, with its heated tiled floor, walk-in shower and big “slipper” style bath.

Dinner was preceded by drinks and canapes, a tasty salmon mousse that had to be gently teased from a tall glass with whisper-thin breadsticks.

We were surprised to find around 14 fellow diners. Plainly, word of the £99 offer had spread. Most were Scots who know a bargain.

Our first course was a spicy pea soup, whisked so light you barely felt it on the tongue. I followed with a crab mousse while my wife opted for slices of wild pigeon breast, served with beetroot and creme fraiche. Next came Marcello’s mid-course special of scallop on cauliflower puree with Stornoway black pudding.

My main course was Skye lamb, plated with pear, apple and turnip and dauphinoise potatoes. While I am no fan of fusion food, I have to say it completely won me over. My wife was no less impressed with her fillets of sea bass with a tomato, coriander and vanilla sauce.

Dessert for me was bread and butter pudding with ice cream, while my better half had the carrot and vanilla mousse, accompanied with a shot glass of chocolate froth. The cheese course was a choice of Strathdon blue with prune and orange mousse, a flick of honey jellies, cinnamon syrup and poached pear, or Scottish and French cheeses served on a slate with apple, grapes and celery.

Cheery young Aussies served each faultless course promptly. My favourite starter over the three nights was monkfish with incredibly tender pork cheeks and a passion fruit jus. For mains, the Buccleugh beef fillet and Skye venison vied equally with the lamb. My wife’s favourite main course was the wild Isle of Muck duck with blue potatoes, while her sweet tooth relished the lemon and vanilla chiboust.

The culinary experience was a delight and did full justice to Marcello’s three AA rosettes and his recent accolade of Rising Star Chef of the Year in the 2009 Hotel Awards. Other awards for Kinloch Lodge include Romantic Hotel of the Year and a Michelin red grape award for its wines.

I could have spent an hour savouring the wine list, but instead opted for “wine flights", tailored to each course at around £11 to £13 for two glasses (there are also beer and whisky flights). We shared two flights that night, but had the modestly-priced Angus “The Bull” Cabernet Sauvignon on the second night and the Kaiken Malbec Reserva on the third.

Coffee, home-made petits fours and fudge were served in a drawing-room where you can linger over one of the nightcaps on offer, including a budget-blowing malt at £25 a shot.

Next morning we saw just how achingly beautiful our surroundings were. The room overlooked the Sound of Sleat to the Knoydart peninsula, set in sharp relief against a mellow dawn. The loo in the en-suite has the best view in Scotland.

When the TV informed us that the clouds over Skye would be replaced by blue skies, while the downpours continued in Aberdeenshire (it was still raining there when we got home), I felt smugly satisfied.

Making our way to breakfast, we could see the snow-capped Cuillins beckoning in the distance like the pyramids of Egypt. A similar pyramid awaited me in the shape of a Kinloch grill breakfast, which followed a stewed fruit starter. My wife was wowed by the cinnamon-flavoured pinhead oatmeal porridge, followed by scrambled eggs with hot-smoked salmon. The orange juice and fresh mini scones were also a joy. It is no surprise that Kinloch Lodge won Best Breakfast in the 2009 Hotel Awards.

Thus fuelled for the day, we drove around 10 miles to the otter haven at Kylerhea and walked just over half a mile to the hide. We didn’t spot any otters but saw a basking grey seal, half-a-dozen herons and a couple of cormorants.

I reckoned the wag who a few days earlier had noted in the hide’s visitor book that he had spotted a succession of otters, whales, dolphins and seals had been downing the drams.

Later, in my favourite sitting room, Isabella tried to tempt us to afternoon tea – a tiered marvel of cucumber and cream cheese and smoked salmon sandwiches, scones with Claire’s own raspberry and lemon jam and whipped cream, fruit tartlets with creme patisserie, chocolate cake, shortbread and rich fruit cake. Despite skipping lunch, we resisted for fear of reducing our appetite for dinner.

The next day, our energy levels topped up by another fine breakfast, we drove to Skye’s most westerly headland in the far north-west. Then we set off on foot for Neist point and the Stevenson lighthouse on what was labelled as a grade one walk of about a mile. Grade four would have been nearer the mark for what was a steep clifftop route in a biting wind. But we were rewarded with dramatic views.

Driving back to Kinloch Lodge, I made a detour to the Talisker distillery where my wife confessed that her plans for my Christmas gift had gone awry. I promised not to open the triple-whisky gift box she bought me until the 25th.

The next day it was time to bid farewell to our hosts. I promised Isabella that we would try to return early in the new year for another £99 bargain rate. A two-night stay earns a complimentary packed lunch on one day, while three nights gives you a complimentary afternoon tea and packed lunch. Failing that, we could always return for a cookery weekend or join Claire’s Menu Club.

Kinloch Lodge Hotel, Sleat, Isle of Skye. Phone 01471 833 214 or visit www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk

Special winter offer starts from £99 per person, and includes a five-course dinner, bed and breakfast. This runs from November to March, but excludes New Year and cookery breaks.

Residential cookery demonstration courses from £480 to £660 a head.

Claire’s Menu Club membership costs £30 for a year. Each month you will be e-mailed a menu of six recipes, featuring the best of seasonal produce, and a guide on how to prepare them. It comes with a shopping list and suggested wines for each dish.