Henry and I have had a few surprises during our three and one-half years of traveling the world. The Scottish cuisine, was one of the very happiest ones. Henry and I had been to Scotland several times before, and ate well then, but never this well. One of my earlier memories was dining in a quaint, French restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland, c. 1998, where a diner at a large dinner party nearby, continuously and loudly exclaimed that he wanted haggis! On our return to Scotland this year, that word kept cropping up, and we knew that we were sure to encounter whatever it was, sooner or later. Haggis is one of those things that is meant to keep people from dying of starvation. It is a traditional Scottish dish made of (you don’t really want to know) sheep or calf’s offal, mixed with suet, oatmeal, and seasoning. It is usually boiled in a bag made from the animal’s stomach. This was our general idea of Scottish cuisine, and I thought I might get very thin during our six weeks’ tour. During our first week at The Howard Hotel, Henry “grasped the nettle” and ordered haggis with his breakfast eggs. I had the tiniest of tastes offered, and thought it wasn’t so bad. During the week, the chef treated all the guests to a small “amuse bouche”, a golf-ball sized portion of deep fried haggis with a saffron cream sauce. Absolutely delicious! The ingredients, I must admit, kept me from making haggis a staple, and there was no need, because the food in Scotland was really good, exceptional, and more than just occasionally, extraordinary! We dined so well that we needed to walk for hours just to create balance in our diet and not get fat. One of our most memorable dining experiences was at Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye, where Lady Claire Macdonald, author of 17 cookbooks, holds forth with cooking demonstrations five times a year. In her kitchen reigns a Brazillian chef, Marcello Tulley, who creates magnificent cuisine, that meets her very high standards. At the lodge, breakfast and dinner were included in the price of the room, and every guest smiled with contentment. The breakfast porridge at the Kinloch Lodge was beautifully seasoned, the best I’ve ever tasted! Dinner was a set menu with choices of entrée, main course, and dessert with many surprises interspersed. Every evening a small portion of soup was served as a pre-entrée, each deliciously whipped creation beautifully garnished. There were elegant and imaginative sorbets served between courses, stretching the dining into a true gourmet experience. Inverlochy Lodge offered elegant cuisine as well, but insisted the guests order from the menu early in the day, a difficult thing to do right after breakfast. The chef obviously had the upper hand here, as our request for a 7:30 seating was followed with a call to tell us we had to be seated at 7:15 ... and, this was not to be in the main dining room, but we were shunted off as overflow to a room with only one other couple. Not the way to run a five star hotel! But, the food was still good ... and the foie gras served with a sorbet was truly extraordinary. The very, very top prize probably goes to the chef at Boath House, a manor house with an incredible chef. The secret behind their extraordinary gourmet cuisine on their menu du jour is great ingredients. The best fish, poultry, game, beef, and lamb are presented here, in the most beautiful and carefully prepared style. Small portions, many courses, elegant preparations, and beautiful service, all by candlelight. The most unforgettable dish, among so many unforgettable dishes presented by this chef, was a small portion of salmon, marinated in salt and sugar, and cooked at a very low temperature. The color, texture, and taste of this beautiful piece of fish was superb ... and, that’ an understatement! I could go on, and on about Scottish cuisine, but you’ll just have to make a trip there yourself. The secret behind this marvelous cuisine is simple. Instead of sending all their special products to France and southern Europe, they’ve managed to keep a few jewels for themselves and their guests. We were more than delighted!

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. A delightful presentation of truly delicious cuisine of Kinloch Lodge. This dish, one of five or six courses on the daily dinner menu, with choices, was Scottish Beef au Jus with mushrooms and carrots, potatoes dauphinois, and a baked vegetable purée of turnips and parsnips, beautifully presented by the chef, Marcello Tulley. 2. Chevre Soufflé from the kitchens of The Howard Hotel, Edinburgh. 3. The delicious Vegetarian Consommé at the Atholl Restaurant. The rosette in the center is a Mushroom Ravioli on a bed of Steamed Spinach. Absolutely fabulous, a first course served at The Howard Hotel, Edinburgh. 4. An Amuse Bouche from the Chef:  A Red Pepper Cheese served in a Stack of Cucumbers, joyfully conceived and elegantly presented. the Atholl Restaurant, The Howard Hotel, Edinburgh.  Center, Top: The elegant Georgian dining room of The Howard Hotel.  Center, Bottom: The Chef and his assistants of Boath House in the Highlands, near Nearn. Right Column: 1. The dining room of the restaurant at Blythswood Square, Glasgow. It’s subtle racing theme refers to the history of the building, once the Royal Scottish Automobile Club. In 1955, the club marked the starting line for the Monte Carlo race. 2. Jourdan at The Howard Hotel in Edinburgh, pleased with the Twice Baked Goat Cheese Souffle, served in a tomato broth.

Photo Credit: Right Column, #2: Courtesy of Henry Ziegler.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE