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With its dramatic, rugged mountain skyline, meandering roads and ever-changing weather, the Isle of Skye has long appealed to nature enthusiasts. During the past ten years, nevertheless, the most expansive island in the Inner Hebrides has been pulling in visitors for other reasons – its dynamic food and drink scene. Leading the way are young Sgitheanach (people from Skye) with a global outlook but a commitment to homegrown, environmentally conscious ingredients. It’s also the result of an involved community eager to create rewarding, year-round jobs that keep young people on the island.

An Enthusiasm for Local Produce

A Skye-born restaurateur is a native of the island, and he’s deeply committed to featuring the island’s bounty on his menus. “For those traveling to the island I want them to appreciate the natural beauty, but also the quality of our offerings,” he says. “The local seafood including mussels, lobster, scallops and crab are the best available.” He reflects on history: “It is profoundly important to me to use the identical produce as my predecessors. My granddad was a lobster fisherman and we’re experiencing shellfish from the exact same sea lochs, with the same respect for ingredients.”

His Island Flavors menu lists the travel distance his produce has journeyed. Visitors can enjoy fat scallops hand-dived in local waters (zero miles), and caught using traditional methods lobster from Portree (a short distance) with vegetables, foraged herbs and culinary blooms from the kitchen garden and beach (zero miles). The relationship to ingredients and growers is essential. “Recently I accompanied a apprentice out with a shellfish forager so he could appreciate what they do. We prepared scallops straight from the water and ate them raw with a hint of lemon juice. ‘I've never tasted a better scallop I’ve ever eaten,’ he said. That’s what we want to offer to the restaurant.”

Food Champions

Traveling south, in the shadow of the mighty Cuillin mountains, an additional gastronomic advocate for Skye, a passionate local chef, manages a popular café. Recently the chef showcased Scottish cuisine at a celebrated international gastronomic gathering, serving shellfish buns with whisky butter, and haggis quesadillas. She first started her café in another location. Coming back to Skye in recent years, a short-term residencies demonstrated there was a demand here too.

During a meal featuring a unique beverage and mouthwatering blood orange-cured trout, Coghill shares: “It was an achievement that I established in an urban setting, but I couldn’t do what I can do here. Procuring quality produce was a huge mission, but here the shellfish come straight from the sea to my restaurant. My shellfish supplier only speaks to me in the traditional tongue.” Her love for Skye’s offerings, community and environment is clear across her bright, imaginative dishes, all filled with homegrown elements, with a twist of Gaelic. “My relationship to local traditions and language is deeply meaningful,” she says. Patrons can use educational materials on the tables to pick up a few words while they dine.

A lot of us worked elsewhere. We witnessed the ingredients arrive far from where it was caught, and it’s nowhere near the same quality

Innovation and Tradition

Skye’s more longstanding culinary spots are not resting on their laurels. A charming inn operated by a prominent islander in her family’s ancestral home has long been a gastronomic attraction. The proprietor's parent authors well-loved books on Scottish cookery.

The culinary team continues to innovate, with a vibrant young team led by an experienced head chef. When they’re away from the stoves the chefs cultivate culinary plants in the hotel greenhouse, and gather for wild greens in the grounds and coastal plants like seaside vegetation and beach plants from the shoreline of a adjacent body of water. In autumn they track deer trails to find fungi in the woods.

Visitors can sample local scallops, leafy vegetables and peanuts in a flavorful stock; Shetland cod with local asparagus, and house-smoked lobster. The hotel’s outdoor guide accompanies visitors for excursions including ingredient hunting and fishing. “There’s a huge appetite for experiences from our visitors,” says the manager. “Guests are eager to come and truly understand the island and the terrain.”

Beyond the Kitchen

The whisky industry is also helping to keep the younger generation on Skye, in employment that continue outside the peak tourism months. An production head at a regional spirits maker explains: “The fish farm was a significant local employer in the past, but now many roles are mechanized. Property costs have increased so much it’s challenging for the youth to live here. The distilling business has become a crucial employer.”

“Jobs available for aspiring distillers” was the announcement that a then 21-year-old Skye native saw in her regional publication, leading to a position at the distillery. “I decided to try,” she says, “I never thought I’d get a distillery position, but it was a personal goal.” She had an curiosity about whisky, but no prior experience. “To be able to learn on the job and take online courses was transformative.” Now she is a key team member, helping to train apprentices, and has recently created her personal blend using a distinctive ingredient, which is aging in casks when observed. In larger producers, that’s an recognition usually reserved for retiring distillers. The tour facility and coffee shop hire a significant number from around the local peninsula. “We integrate with the community because we attracted the community here,” says a {tour guide manager|visitor experience lead|hospital