A flurry of Michelin-starred chefs, outstanding beef and fêted local asparagus are the highlights of Guy Fiorita's search for a gourmet meal in the Scottish Highlands. His four-day road trip is a feast of gourmet, golf and gorgeous hotels
I'll be honest: before I made this trip I didn't know much about the Scottish culinary scene. And what I did know (or thought I knew) was not the kind of thing you'd want to write about, much less spend four days experiencing. Haggis always came to mind.
Actually, I did know that it was a land noted for some excellent wild game and fish dishes, but I wanted to start at the top, along the high road, stopping at Michelin-starred and other highly touted restaurants in a four-day tour from Edinburgh to western Highlands and back again. This would give me the opportunity to experience the great Scottish raw materials, (King and Queen scallops and langoustines from the cold waters of the western coast; Aberdeen Angus beef hung until it is a melt-in-the-mouth steak; and juicy berries which thrive in the cool Scottish summers) - the cornerstones of Scottish cuisine - at their finest.
Fortunately, I would be in expert hands: Dr Sin Chai, owner of Inverlochy Castle, was my guide and companion for the trip. Now you couldn't wish for better company on a gourmet tour than Dr Chai. He is charming, witty, laid back, knowledgeable on many subjects especially Scotland, a wine connoisseur, and as an added treat, he offered to chauffeur me around in his Rolls.
Furthermore, this is a man who lives by a simple rule that his father taught him: "You are only going to have a finite number of meals in your life so make the most of every one of them." And, as it turns out, that is exactly what we did.
I found Dr Chai and Rolls waiting for me at Edinburgh airport, and within 45 minutes - taking into account a wrong turn - we arrived at our first destination, Gleneagles. Aside from food, my favourite pastime is golf, so with Andrew Fairlie and his two Michelin stars in the kitchen and 27 holes of championship golf outside there was not a lot more I could ask for.
Having arrived in the evening the golf would have to wait. After a short look around the grounds, Dr Chai and I made our way to Fairlie's restaurant which is set deep in the interior of the hotel in a wood panelled room with no windows. At first I was taken aback by the setup. No natural light, no golf course or Highland views? But once into the dinner I began to appreciate the setting. Essentially Fairlie has built a culinary isolation booth that blocks out all external distractions leaving you to concentrate on only the food and the wine.
We both ordered the Menu Dégustation, a six-course extravaganza which began with a ballottine of foie gras with peach toasts before moving on to wild mushroom ravioli, baked scallop with lemongrass velouté and, my favourite of the evening, a pistachio-crusted sea bass with a subtle artichoke foam. The meal ended with a light carpaccio of pineapple with coconut parfait.
The next day, after a round of golf I'd rather not describe, we were off to Dr Chai's home in the Highlands, Inverlochy Castle. This was to be my third visit to the castle and I promised myself that I would find the time to catch a trout in the castle's own loch but, what with my golf round taking longer than it should (too much time was spent looking for balls I guess) and as we decided to take our time following the back roads of the Highlands enjoying the views, we arrived at the castle just as the sun was setting and I therefore had no time to try my luck.
So with just enough time to freshen up, dress and have a pre-dinner drink, we were ushered into the cosy dining room for yet another work of creative genius by Michelin-starred chef Matthew Gray. I began my meal with a langoustine grilled to juicy perfection and served with a herb mayonnaise and ended with a fillet of sea bream with risotto, mussels and a white wine and caviar sauce. Both were masterful, but it was the soup, served between these two, that will stay with me longest; a delicate cream of celeriac and wild garlic that was simply heaven on a spoon. Gray should get another star just for his soups which are always a highlight of any meal at Inverlochy.
The next morning, after a full Scottish breakfast - another hallmark of Inverlochy and much like a full English breakfast with the addition of porridge with a splash of whiskey and maybe an oatcake or two - we decided to take our time and enjoy a leisurely drive on our way to Kinloch House, with a stop at the country house hotel Kinnaird where we enjoyed a sumptuous lunch and a tour of the grounds with General Manager James Payne.
By this I don't mean a short stroll in the garden but a trip up into the mountains. This place is huge. We drove for miles along a mountain road before finally coming to stop at a private loch complete with a boat and comfortably furnished fishing hut. Standing in this remote location looking out over the beautiful loch and the rugged mountains it was hard to imagine we were in Europe and just a few hours from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
That evening at Kinloch House we were joined by my colleague Darius Sanai in a BMW 650i Convertible which he professed to be the perfect car for touring the Highlands. Soon we were all seated with a glass of Dom Pérignon 1998 in hand chatting with owner Graeme Allen, a man who once earned himself a Michelin star as head chef at Airds Hotel. Graeme now lets the very capable Andy May run the kitchen at Kinloch House giving him time to tend to the rest of this wonderful country retreat. Or to enjoy a fine Cuban cigar courtesy of the ever-prepared Darius Sanai who brought along a small selection to share after dinner under the stars.
The following morning we met Graeme to say our goodbyes and as we did the conversation turned to fishing. A keen fisherman, Dr Chai has become somewhat obsessed with catching a pike and when told the loch in front of the property is full of them, he immediately decided to return. Although pike hold no great attraction for me, the rest of the experience at Kinloch House will surely draw me back, too.
Leaving Kinloch behind we pulled the Rolls and BMW out for the last leg of our journey, a one-hour drive to the seaside city of St Andrews and the Old Course Hotel. Once again the food and golf lover in me couldn't have been happier with the choice of accommodation. The Old Course Hotel sits right on the edge of St Andrews' famous golf course and my suite had a balcony directly over the 17th fairway, the Road Hole as it is known. So while the others soaked and massaged away the afternoon in the spa, I sat and watched enviously as foursome after foursome made their way around the course.
Having planned the trip at very short notice I couldn't get on the Old Course but the hotel has a fun and challenging heath land course of its own, The Duke's Course, which a few hours later helped ease the pain of watching others. And I did get a chance to have my picture taken on the famous Swilcan Bridge where Jack Niklaus waved his final farewell to professional golf at the 2005 British Open.
The top-floor Road Hole Grill - which had those same mesmerizing views of the course - was the setting for our last meal together on this four-day Scottish gourmet tour. We all really enjoyed the unpretentious food (I had a roast haunch of locally-reared venison with a beautifully-judged chestnut and shallot stuffing) and the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of the Grill which, along with the spa, golf and accommodation, make the Old Course Hotel a very special place indeed.
The next day, after a walk through the delightful streets of St Andrews and a stop to watch golfers on the first tee, we said our goodbyes and headed out.
Back at Edinburgh airport I watched the Rolls pull away and thought Dr Chai's father would be proud. For these four glorious days in Scotland we were good to his rule. We certainly made the most of every meal and every moment as well.
OUR ROUTE
DAY ONE
Edinburgh to Gleneagles Hotel
Distance: 50 miles
Hotel facts: 232 rooms including 16 suites
Rates: Starting at £295
THE GLENEAGLES HOTEL
Auchterarder, Perthshire, PH3 1NF
Tel: +44 (0)1764 662231
Freephone: 0800 389 3737 (UK only)
Toll free: 1 866 881 9525 (US only)
www.gleneagles.com
info@gleneagles.com
DAY TWO
Gleneagles to Inverlochy Castle
Distance: 116 miles
Hotel facts: 17 rooms
Rates: Starting at £300
INVERLOCHY CASTLE
Torlundy, Fort William, PH33 6SN
Tel: +44 (0)1397 702177
Toll free: 1 888 424 0106 (US only)
www.inverlochycastle.com
info@inverlochycastlehotel.com
DAY THREE
Inverlochy to Kinloch House
Distance: 102 miles
Hotel facts: 18 rooms including 4 suites
Rates: Starting at £170
KINLOCH HOUSE
by Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6SG
Tel: +44 (0) 1250 884 237
www.kinlochhouse.com
reception@kinlochhouse.com
DAY FOUR
Kinloch House to The Old Course Hotel
Golf Resort and Spa
Distance: 50 miles
Hotel facts: 109 rooms and 35 suites
Rates: Starting at £162
THE OLD COURSE HOTEL
St Andrews, Kingdom of Fife, KY16 9SP
Tel: +44 (0) 1334 474371
www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk
reservations@oldcoursehotel.co.uk
St Andrews to Edinburgh: 50 miles
HIGHLAND FLING
For our tour of Scotland, Lux had the use of two very fine automobiles, but the BMW was the surprise winner for Darius Sanai
Guy Fiorita was chauffeured around the Highlands in the new Rolls-Royce Phantom belonging to Inverlochy Castle (and which is available for all guests). Joining Guy, and faced with the delicious prospect of some of the most beautiful and demanding driving roads in Europe, I just had to drive myself.
I did so in considerable style in the BMW 650i Convertible. Although the two cars' performance figures are similar, the BMW, a coupe with Route planning The BMW and the Rolls at Kinloch House room for two small people in the back, is by far the sportier drive. There's a lazy, positively American-sounding rumble from its 4.8-litre V8 engine, and with the roof down that turns into a delicious growl as it shoots forward, never sounding strained.
The 650 was comfortable and refined on the motorways and straights, and when we got onto the twistier roads it handled with great balance. Unlike its sister car, the racier M6, or rivals like a Porsche 911, it's not a car that thrills in being thrashed: it's more mature and more chilled out than that. However I think it might be a better car for it: 367 horsepower means the acceleration is tremendous, if just short of eye-popping. It's a very satisfying car to drive, quick or slow, and it would be a very easy car to own. Gripes? Curiously, like many modern BMWs, the interior doesn't feel that special and the steering is lacking in feel. www.bmw.com