Lovingly published to help celebrate the hotel and restaurant's 50th anniversary, the new hardback book has over 35 delicious recipes from their head chef, Jordan Webb, each beautifully photographed by Alan Donaldson.
But it's much more than being just a cookbook. Because it's an eminently readable part family-memoir, part love letter to Skye, its landscapes and its people, the cookbook sings it son with a very real sense of place. Scattered amongst the recipes are vignettes of the hotel's history and heritage, interviews with local producers, tips on foraging and much, much more besides.
Food has always been central to the Kinloch story. The hotel, originally constructed as a working farmhouse, it then saw service as a shooting lodge, was opened by Godfrey, Lord Macdonald and High Chief of Clan Donald, and his wife, world-renowned cook Claire, in 1972.
From day one, Claire pioneered using local ingredients from Skye's natural larder and working with passionate artisanal producers. This ethos and passion for seasonality and sustainability has been carried on by Jordan Webb, who has created innovative polytunnels and herb gardens at the hotel and forages daily from the loch's shoreline.
The cookbook is split into four main sections, each reflecting the scenery of Skye and the natural larder of the hotel's kitchen.
These four chapters, Forest, Field, Coast and Garden, contain standout recipes from Jordan and Claire, as well as short essays on topics including topics as diverse as foraging, whiskey on Skye and ancestral relatives, such as Flora Macdonald, who aided Bonnie Prince Charlie after the Battle of Culloden.
Seasonal Recipes Include:
Venison, sage and walnut polenta, with bramble jus
Braised beef short ribs, with potato skins and creamed cabbage
Kohlrabi salad with walnuts and lemon
Gorgeously illustrated throughout, with photos of the hotel and the island, the tome is book-ended by essays from the Macdonald family. The foreword by Godfrey Macdonald reflects on how the hotel has changed throughout the past five decades, while A Kinloch Childhood by Hugo Macdonald, Godfrey and Claire's son, reveals the adventures to be had growing up in a Highlands hotel.
The book has been co-written by Claire Macdonald, Jordan Webb and Alisha Fernandez Miranda. Alisha is a writer who splits her time between Edinburgh and Skye, where she lives within five minutes of a Kinloch breakfast. She's been published in Vogue, Grazia, Metro, and other titles. Her memoir, My What-If Year, will be published in the US by Zibby Books in early 2023. Full biographies of the authors are available on request.
Price: Fifty Years, Kinloch Lodge, RRP £35. The book is available for purchase on the Kinloch Lodge website (Kinloch-lodge.co.uk).
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