33
FOOD
Island life
In celebration of its 50th anniversary,
Skye's landmark hotel Kinloch
Lodge has released a book with
more than 35 recipes from the
hotel's head chef, Jordan Webb.
Each recipe has been beautifully
photographed by Alan Donaldson.
More than simply a cookbook, it
is part family memoir, part love
letter to Skye, its landscapes and
its people; it sings with a very real
sense of place. Scattered among the
recipes are vignettes of the hotel's
history and heritage, interviews with
local producers, tips on foraging,
and more.
Food has always been central
to the Kinloch story. The hotel,
originally built as a farmhouse and
then used 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, Dr
Claire McDonald pioneered using
local ingredients from Skye's natural
larder and working with passionate
artisan producers. This ethos
and passion for seasonality and
sustainability has been carried on
by Jordan Webb, who has created
polytunnels and herb gardens at the
hotel and forages each day from the
loch's shore. The new cookbook is
co-written by Jordan Webb, Dr Claire
McDonald and Alisha Fernandez
Miranda, a writer who splits her time
between Edinburgh and Skye, where
she lives within five minutes of a
Kinloch breakfast.
The book includes modern
adaptations of some of Claire's
earliest dishes from 50 years ago.
The book's publication was overseen
by Isabella Macdonald, Godfrey and
Claire's daughter who now runs
Kinloch Lodge.
The new cookbook is split into
four chapters, Forest, Field, Coast
and Garden, reflecting the scenery
of Skye and the natural larder of the
hotel's kitchen. As well as recipes
there are short essays on topics
such as foraging, whiskey on Skye,
and ancestral relatives, such as Flora
Macdonald, who aided Bonnie Prince
Charlie after the Battle of Culloden.
Also included is a Building
Blocks section in which Jordan
shares details of basic recipes and
techniques that are needed for dishes
in the book and that will give readers
a platform on which to continue
cooking and experimenting.
Fifty Years, Kinloch Lodge, RRP
£35.
Kinloch-lodge.co.uk
Scarey Spicey!
Serving up a guaranteed head-turner
for Halloween parties, this Halloween
Spicy Belly Pork and Squid Burger
looks like a mad monster from the
deep. Ben Forte, barbecue master at
Kamado Joe, shares his modern twist
on a surf-and-turf burger. Click on
the pic to download the recipe.