🔗 Share this article

Amidst its striking, jagged mountain skyline, curving roads and ever-changing weather, the Isle of Skye has always drawn adventure seekers. In recent years, though, the most expansive island in the Inner Hebrides has been drawing visitors for different motivations – its thriving food and drink scene. Leading the way are emerging Sgitheanach (local residents) with a international perspective but a devotion to local, eco-friendly ingredients. It’s also the result of an involved community keen to create rewarding, all-season jobs that keep young people on the island.

A Passion for Local Produce

Calum Montgomery is raised on Skye, and he’s passionate about featuring the island’s bounty on his menus. “When visitors arrive on Skye I want them to appreciate the landscape, but also the quality of our ingredients,” he says. “Shellfish like mussels, lobster, scallops and crab from our waters are the best available.” He reflects on history: “It is profoundly important to me to use the very same ingredients as my ancestors. My grandpa was a lobster fisherman and we’re enjoying seafood from the exact same sea lochs, with the same respect for ingredients.”

The chef's Island Flavors menu displays the distances his produce has travelled. Guests can enjoy fat scallops harvested manually in local waters (zero miles), and creel-caught lobster from a nearby town (just a brief journey) with greens, foraged herbs and blossoms from the garden from the kitchen garden and coastline (locally sourced). The relationship to ingredients and suppliers is crucial. “Last week I accompanied a apprentice out with a scallop diver so he could understand what they do. We shucked scallops freshly harvested and enjoyed them freshly shucked with a squeeze of lemon. ‘That’s the best scallop I’ve ever eaten,’ he said. It is this experience that we want to bring to the restaurant.”

Gastronomic Pioneers

Driving in a southerly direction, in the presence of the mighty Cuillin mountains, another gastronomic advocate for Skye, Clare Coghill, operates a bustling café. This year Coghill promoted the nation's food at a prestigious international culinary festival, presenting seafood sandwiches with spirit-infused butter, and traditional Scottish fusion. She initially launched her café in another location. Moving back to Skye during the pandemic, a series of pop-ups revealed there was a demand here too.

During a meal featuring a unique beverage and mouthwatering trout cured with blood orange, Coghill shares: “I take great pride that I opened in an urban setting, but I couldn’t do what I can do here. Getting quality produce was a significant effort, but here the seafood come straight from the sea to my restaurant. My creel fisherman only speaks to me in the native language.” Her affection for Skye’s ingredients, locals and environment is clear across her colourful, innovative dishes, all filled with local flavours, with a touch of local culture. “My relationship to Gaelic culture and dialect is deeply meaningful,” she says. Visitors can use informative placemats on the tables to pick up a basic terms while they eat.

A lot of us worked elsewhere. We’d see the produce arrive miles from where it was harvested, and it’s just not as good

Blending Old and New

The island's established food destinations are constantly innovating. A luxury lodge managed by a local family in her traditional property has traditionally been a foodie destination. The owner's mother writes popular books on Scottish cookery.

The culinary team persistently creates, with a energetic young team under the guidance of an talented kitchen leader. When they’re taking a break from cooking the chefs cultivate herbs and spices in the hotel growing space, and forage for native plants in the grounds and sea herbs like seaside vegetation and beach plants from the water's edge of a adjacent body of water. In the fall they track animal paths to find wild mushrooms in the woodland.

Guests can sample Skye scallops, pak choi and peanuts in a savory dashi; Atlantic cod with Scottish asparagus, and restaurant-cured shellfish. The hotel’s activity leader leads tours for activities including foraging and fishing. “There’s a huge appetite for experiences from our guests,” says the establishment's owner. “Visitors desire to come and deeply experience the island and the landscape.”

Beyond the Kitchen

The distilling sector is also contributing to support the younger generation on Skye, in employment that extend past the busy season. An production head at a island whisky producer explains: “Aquaculture was a significant local employer in the past, but now many roles are handled by machines. Property costs have risen so much it’s more difficult for the youth to remain. The distilling business has become a vitally significant employer.”

“Opportunities in distilling, training provided” was the advertisement that a recently graduated local woman noticed in her community newspaper, securing her employment at the spirits facility. “I took a chance,” she says, “I didn't expect I’d get a role in manufacturing, but it was a dream of mine.” The employee had an fascination with whisky, but no formal training. “Having the opportunity to learn on the job and study digitally was incredible.” Now she is a senior distiller, helping to train new distillers, and has recently created her own whisky using a unique grain, which is aging in casks during the visit. In larger producers, that’s an honor usually given to seasoned veterans. The tasting room and bistro provide jobs for a significant number from around the nearby region. “We meld into the community because we attracted the community here,” says a {tour guide manager|visitor experience lead|hospital