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With its striking, jagged mountain skyline, winding roads and ever-changing weather, the Isle of Skye has always drawn lovers of the wild. During the past ten years, however, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides has been attracting visitors for different motivations – its dynamic food and drink scene. At the forefront are up-and-coming Sgitheanach (Skye natives) with a global outlook but a commitment to local, sustainable ingredients. This is also driven by an involved community keen to create good, year-round jobs that retain young people on the island.

A Dedication to Local Produce

Calum Montgomery is raised on Skye, and he’s deeply committed to highlighting the island’s larder on his menus. “When visitors arrive on Skye I want them to cherish the scenery, but also the excellence of our offerings,” he says. “Shellfish like mussels, lobster, scallops and crab from our waters are the best available.” He honors tradition: “It holds great significance for me to use the identical ingredients as my ancestors. My grandpa was a fisherman who caught lobster and we’re savoring crustaceans from the exact same sea lochs, with the equal appreciation for ingredients.”

His Skye Tasting menu details the distances his produce has travelled. Guests can sample fat scallops hand-dived in a nearby sea loch (direct from the source), and creel-caught lobster from Portree (just a brief journey) with vegetables, foraged herbs and blossoms from the garden from the kitchen garden and seashore (locally sourced). That connection to local bounty and suppliers is crucial. “A short while ago I accompanied a apprentice out with a diver harvesting scallops so he could appreciate what they do. We shucked scallops freshly harvested and consumed them uncooked with a squeeze of lemon. ‘This is the finest scallop I’ve ever eaten,’ he said. It is this experience that we want to bring to the restaurant.”

Gastronomic Pioneers

Traveling south, in the shadow of the mighty Cuillin mountains, another gastronomic advocate for Skye, Clare Coghill, runs a bustling café. This year the chef represented Scotland at a celebrated international gastronomic gathering, serving seafood sandwiches with Scotch-flavored spread, and innovative local dishes. She initially launched her café in another location. Coming back to Skye during the pandemic, a series of pop-ups proved there was a market here too.

Over a specialty drink and delicious citrus-marinated fish, Coghill shares: “It was an achievement that I opened elsewhere, but I couldn’t do what I can do here. Getting fresh ingredients was a major challenge, but here the seafood come straight from the sea to my door. My shellfish supplier only speaks to me in the native language.” Her love for Skye’s produce, community and scenery is evident across her vibrant, creative dishes, all imbued with local flavours, with a hint of traditional heritage. “My connection to Gaelic culture and language is incredibly significant,” she says. Patrons can use little lesson cards on the tables to pick up a some phrases while they enjoy their meal.

Several locals were employed in other places. We’d see the ingredients arrive a long way from where it was caught, and it’s simply inferior

Innovation and Tradition

Long-running culinary spots are not resting on their laurels. A charming inn run by a heritage keeper in her traditional property has for many years been a gastronomic attraction. The proprietor's parent writes popular books on traditional recipes.

The kitchen regularly introduces new ideas, with a vibrant young team led by an skilled culinary director. When they’re away from the stoves the chefs grow culinary plants in the hotel glasshouse, and gather for edible weeds in the grounds and coastal plants like seaside vegetation and shoreline herbs from the water's edge of a nearby loch. In the fall they track animal paths to find mushrooms in the forest.

Guests can enjoy local scallops, leafy vegetables and nuts in a delicious dashi; Shetland cod with seasonal spears, and house-smoked lobster. The hotel’s outdoor guide leads tours for excursions including foraging and angling. “There is significant demand for hands-on opportunities from our guests,” says the hotel representative. “Visitors desire to come and deeply experience the island and the landscape.”

Beyond the Kitchen

The spirits production is also playing a role in retain young people on Skye, in employment that last beyond the peak tourism months. An operations manager at a local distillery notes: “Aquaculture was a major source of jobs in the past, but now most of the jobs are handled by machines. House prices have increased so much it’s harder for new generations to live here. The whisky industry has become a really important employer.”

“Distillers wanted, no experience necessary” was the notice that a young local woman noticed in her local paper, leading to a position at the whisky producer. “I decided to try,” she says, “I never thought I’d get a role in manufacturing, but it was a long-held aspiration.” The distiller had an interest in whisky, but no formal training. “Having the opportunity to train onsite and study digitally was amazing.” Now she is a key team member, helping to train new distillers, and has developed her own whisky using a specialty malt, which is maturing in barrels when observed. In other distilleries, that’s an recognition usually granted to seasoned veterans. The tour facility and coffee shop provide jobs for numerous locals from around the local peninsula. “We meld into the community because we welcomed the community here,” says a {tour guide manager|visitor experience lead|hospital