Hebridean Food & Drink

The are plenty of choices for eating out…

LOCAL DINING

Fresh air and clean water, combined with traditional farming practices mean that our restaurants have access to some of the world’s finest ingredients.

LEWIS

HS1 CAFÉ BAR and BOATSHED RESTAURANT, ROYAL HOTEL
The Royal Hotel in the centre of Stornoway offers two dining options ¬¬– the vibrant, contemporary atmosphere of HS1 and the creative cuisine of the Boatshed Restaurant. Early dinners at the Boatshed are great value and a la carte menus include fresh locally landed fish, shellfish, plus quality meats from local butchers and hunting estates. www.royalstornoway.co.uk/dine.html

AN LANNTAIR
Overlooking Stornoway Harbour, the award-winnning, multi-purpose arts centre offers a delicious all-day menu with daily specials celebrating local produce from the islands. Children’s menu also available. www.lanntair.com

ELEVEN at the CALADH INN
Family-friendly, self-service carvery and buffet lunches and dinners. Takeaway option from the buffet too. Open Sundays for roast carvery. www.caladhinn.co.uk/elevenrestaurant.html

NATURAL RETREATS STOREHOUSE CAFÉ AT LEWS CASTLE
The perfect place to enjoy a spot of lunch or a frothy coffee after a stroll around the Lews Castle grounds. Fun castle-themed kids’ menu also available.

THE CROWN INN
Large varied menu that uses local produce wherever possible. Something for all tastes. Dogs allowed in the bar area. www.crownhotelstornoway.com/food

COUNTY HOTEL
The County Hotel offers a range of dining options with both a European menu and an Indian menu on offer. The latter deserves a special mention and this is the place to go for a flavoursome curry. www.countyhotelstornoway.co.uk/dining

THAI CAFÉ
Enjoy authentic, inexpensive Thai cuisine in the heart of Stornoway, courtesy of this no-frills restaurant that serves some of the best-value Asian food in the Hebrides. BYOB. Takeaway also available. www.facebook.com/thaicafestornoway

THE CROSS INN AND OLD BARN BAR
Just 4 miles from the Butt of Lewis, the Cross Inn offers dining in either the main inn restaurant itself or in their Old Barn Bar. Dogs are welcome in the Old Barn Bar and on Sundays (when the barn is closed), the main restaurant has a dog-friendly area for Sunday lunches. Beer garden with picnic tables too. www.crossinn.com

THE WOBBLY DOG
Dog-friendly shop and café at Lionel, serving coffee, tea and homebaking galore. Range of unique craft items made locally.

THE BREAKWATER
With views over the beach at Port of Ness, the Breakwater serves everything from toasties to fish and chips and curries…and their cheesecake is a must! www.facebook.com/thebreakwater.ness

UIG SANDS
Restaurant with stunning views over Uig Bay and beyond. The focus here is on using fresh and local food where possible. The menu changes daily and is often only finalised shortly before service, depending on what the boat has landed. www.uigsands.co.uk

CALANAIS VISITOR CENTRE
Work up an appetite with a stroll around the famous Calanais standing stones then enjoy some delicious homebaking in the centre’s cafe overlooking Loch Roag. Main meals, soup and sandwiches also available. www.calanais.org

HARRIS

HEBSCAPE GALLERY AND TEAROOM
Fantastic scones, coffee and panoramic views of Taransay, West Loch Tarbert and the North Harris mountains are all on the menu at this welcoming gallery and tearoom. The views from the tearoom perfectly complement the stunning landscape photography by resident artist Darren Cole. www.hebscapegallery.co.uk

THE ANCHORAGE, LEVERBURGH
Beyond the doors of these unassuming looking premises at the pier you will find a delightful restaurant offering the freshest seafood, with local fishermen landing their catch right on the restaurant’s doorstep. A real hidden gem. Separate room for diners with dogs…and it’s as bright and nicely decorated as the main dining room. www.anchoragerestaurant.co.uk

THE TEMPLE, NORTHTON
a truly special little deli and bakery selling sourdough bread, machair buns, wildflower preserves, chutneys, seaweed salts…all made using ingredients sourced from their croft and the Atlantic shore. Dogs welcome in the beautiful outdoor area where you can enjoy delicious soups, cakes and pastries. Website well worth a look to whet your appetite for foodie purchases. www.templeharris.com

CROFT 36, HARRIS
As well as delivering ready-to-eat meals, Croft 36 at Northton (about 3.5 miles from the Leverburgh ferry) also has a shop selling home-baking, pasties, pies and seasonal veg. The shop is self-service with an honesty box. Worth a visit for some picnic fayre while visiting the beaches of Harris. www.facebook.com/pages/Croft%2036/195266020856353/

NORTH HARBOUR BISTRO AND TEAROOM, SCALPAY
Don’t be fooled by this establishment’s very modest appearance: this is a tiny award-winning restaurant with a big passion for sublime seafood. Booking essential during the summer months. BYOB. www.facebook.com/NorthHarbourBistro

LOCAL DRINKS

The Hebridean Brewing Company in Stornoway produces three fine local dark beers, which are sold at local supermarkets and food stores. The islands are too far north for any vines, but of course there is always whisky, produced again on the islands for the first time in 200 years by the micro-distillery Abhainn Dearg on the west side of Lewis. On Harris, the island’s newest distillery opened in 2015. And while the Isle of Harris Distillery waits for its whisky to mature, it is currently producing Harris Gin, featuring sugar kelp among its botanicals.

LOCAL FOOD

Stornoway Fish Smokers – From the old heart of the herring industry, the famous Stornoway kippers are undyed and unsurpassed. Try the Stornoway smoked salmon for pure excellence and sample the other rare smoked delicacies.
MacLeod and MacLeod (Butcher) – One of the town’s butchers which was instrumental in gaining Protected Geographical status for the world-famous Stornoway Black Pudding. No visit to Stornoway is complete without sampling some “Marag Dubh” .
Harbour Seafoods – located at King Edward’s Wharf, Harbour Seafoods offers a wide selection of delicious seafoods from the waters around the Outer Hebrides.
Stag Bakeries – Quality baking from the Isle of Lewis; their oatcakes, shortbread and seaweed water crackers are all worth trying.
Uig Lodge Smoked Salmon – Scottish salmon fillets hand smoked to a traditional yet secret recipe. The resulting smoked salmon is undoubtedly amongst some of the finest in the whole of Scotland.   www.uiglodge.co.uk/smoked-salmon

To tempt your tastebuds further, check out the Eat Drink Hebrides trail at www.visitouterhebrides.co.uk/food-and-drink/eat-drink-hebrides-trail 

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At The Beach
“It is the taste of sea salt
On your skin I love the most

Eating shellfish from your hand
Sun, warmth, sea sand

Tasting sun oil
Through the brine

Capturing, encapsulating
Summertime”

Edgar Whitman Wilde

~~~

Stornoway Black Pudding

Stornoway black pudding has been called “the best sausage made in the UK” and one of the finest blood puddings the world has to offer.

They are moist and firm in texture, with discernible, yet small, fat particulates. The Scottish oatmeal used in Stornoway Black Puddings is responsible for its good, rough texture. Stornoway Black Puddings may be cooked in, or out of the skin, they maintain their shape well throughout the cooking process. Once cooked, they appear almost black and break apart very easily when cut, yet do not significantly crumble. The meaty flavour is moist, rich, full, savoury, well seasoned—but not spicy—with a non-greasy, pleasant mouth and clean after taste feel.

Hebridean Seafood

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