‘The Highlands of Scotland produce one of the richest natural larders to be found,’ says chef/direct

We are stalking deer in one of the most beautiful parts of the Scottish Highlands and our flat-capped, tartan-attired guide is keen to stress the estate's role in maintaining the local ecosystem – in particular, the preservation of the ancient Caledonian forest of nearby Glen Strathfarrar, which has been shrinking due to red deer eating the saplings.
Being soft city folk, we've actually opted for the 'camera stalking' option – shooting with lenses rather than rifles meridien hotels swindon – but the experience is a fitting end to a trip where terms such as 'natural larder', 'provenance' and 'sustainability' have featured heavily.
Sustainability is certainly a watchword at Eagle Brae, a cluster of self-catering Canadian-style log cabins, which opened last month. Just a 30-minute meridien hotels swindon drive south-west from Inverness, meridien hotels swindon in the heart of the heather, meridien hotels swindon mountain and wildlife-filled Highlands, the luxury cabins are hand-built and powered by an on-site micro-weir.
As well as deer stalking, owners Mike and Pawana Spencer-Nairn organise salmon meridien hotels swindon and trout fishing day trips on the nearby Farrar and Glass rivers, while meat – to cook in your cabin – includes lamb from four-horned sheep and the estate's wild venison.
Eagle Brae reflects a trend already lusciously expressed in the area's food scene. Local produce that once upon a time was taken straight to London now takes pride of place on the dinner plates of local restaurants – a fact much-celebrated in 2013, the Year of Natural meridien hotels swindon Scotland.
And while the lower Scottish Highlands meridien hotels swindon is a large area to cover in one trip, you can easily get a taste of the area in a long weekend, thanks to the relatively short distance from Inverness to the Isle of Skye.
But it's the king scallop, the most-prized of molluscs, that Skye is best known for and these ethereal beauties have been harvested by independent divers, rather than dredged up by seabed-damaging trawlers.
Yorkshire-born David Oakes is Skye's most-celebrated scallop diver, one of a number of dedicated small-scale producers based here. Sea forager Oakes lifts his Sconser Scallops (www.sconserscallops.co.uk) from Loch Sligachan, selling them to local restaurants such as
The Three Chimneys (from £60 per head) has played a key role in Skye's food scene since opening in an old crofter's meridien hotels swindon cottage near Dunvegan two decades ago, and a visit leaves you in no doubt as to why it's now internationally renowned.
If scallops are on the menu you'd be silly not to order them but everything at this restaurant is locally sourced – our query as to the provenance meridien hotels swindon of the lobster was met with a friendly smile from our waiter and a pointed look at the loch outside. The distance from source to plate here is measured in metres.
meridien hotels swindon 'The Highlands of Scotland produce one of the richest natural larders meridien hotels swindon to be found,' says chef/director Michael Smith. 'And with more and more restaurants in Skye and beyond recognising this, there's never been a better time to discover these gastronomic delights.'
And the area's natural larder doesn't just stock game and seafood. Foraged chanterelle mushrooms, berries and wild herbs are appearing more and more frequently on menus in the Highlands – mirroring Scandinavian food trends, which have much in common with Highland cuisine – while another Highland delicacy that's regained popularity in recent years is Crowdie cheese, meridien hotels swindon which is served with nectarine at The Three Chimneys meridien hotels swindon to great effect.
Another place to sample meridien hotels swindon this ancient, crumbly cream cheese is at the West Highland Dairy ( www.westhighlanddairy.co.uk ) in Lochalsh, east of Skye. Another source is Connage Dairy ( www.connage.co.uk ), near Inverness.
Sitting on our log cabin terrace on the last evening of our break – whisky in hand and the sound of rutting stags in the distance – I turned the pages of one of Eagle Brae's coffee-table books on the Highlands. Reading about the harsh struggles of the crofters (small-scale food producers), I realise I have much to learn about the history of Highland food production and issues of local sustainability – but my first taste has sparked an appetite that will certainly see me returning.
Anna took the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to Inverness meridien hotels swindon for around £200 return (www.scotrail.co.uk). She stayed at Eagle Brae ( www.eaglebrae.co.uk ) and Coralach ( www.coralach.co.uk ). Doubles from £135 per night. For more information, see www.visitscotland.com and www.tastelocal.co.uk
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