Ullinish Country Lodge

Hidden away at the end of one of Skye's less-trodden tracks, Ullinish Lodge is a tranquil bolthole with some of Scotland's most uplifting scenery on the doorstep. Bracketed by lochs on three sides and with jaw-dropping views of the Black Cuillins and MacLeod's Tables, it's no wonder literary companions Samuel Johnson and James Boswell chose to tarry a while. The interior has survived the wave of makeovers sweeping country houses, remaining comfortingly traditional with calmly genteel service in the dining room, where wood-panels and a tartan carpet are a reminder of where you are - if any were needed, given the rugged romance visible through the windows. Johnson and Boswell noted in 1773 that 'there is a plentiful garden in Ullinish' - in that respect, 21st-century guests will be pleased to note that little has changed: the local larder still provides most of what turns up in the kitchen's imaginative modern output. Chef Bruce Morrison's passion for food comes through loud and clear in creative pairings, his masterful classical technique extracting big flavours and pulling off intriguing combinations and striking presentation with panache. All the stops are pulled out at dinner, starting with roasted local hand-dived scallops teamed with creamy purslane, caper and raisin purée, crispy quail's eggs and garlic foam, before a riff on a pig theme delivers braised cheek, crispy belly and croquette of trotter with cucumber relish, horseradish marshmallow and a razor clam and fennel salad. An intermediate parmesan sorbet and sweetcorn jelly fits in before a finale of rum and raisin soufflé, crème brûlée ice cream and sea buckthorn 'caviar'. And all the bits and treats from canapés, to breads, amuse-bouche, pre-desserts and petits fours are winners, made with the same precision and attention to detail as the main events.

9m S of Dunvegan on A863

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