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Three of the highlights on Scotland's culinary map - Fins seafood restaurant in Ayrshire, The Doune Dining Room in Knoydart and the Isle of Eriska Hotel and Spa - have all been recognised in the shortlist for one of Scotland's top food tourism awards.
From an informal seafood restaurant in Ayrshire to a luxury hotel situated on its own island and a restaurant with rooms accessible only by foot or by boat, these are this year's finalists for the 2009 Taste of Scotland Thistle Award - sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink – and were chosen for clearly demonstrating their passion for sourcing, using and promoting local Scottish produce.
The shortlisted candidate, The Isle of Eriska Hotel and Spa, cooks in the top league in spite of being situated almost off the edge of the known world. It is currently ranked 200 out of 497 internationally recognised UK gourmet restaurants. The hotel has set up a wide network of local suppliers chosen for their high quality and all visited personally by the kitchen team.
Eriska has recently developed its own kitchen garden to provide the freshest herbs and vegetables. They also co-operate with a local farmer. The hotel has also started to rear its own pork, which is slaughtered and butchered locally for use in the hotel's kitchen.
Sourcing a wide variety of locally landed seafood allows the hotel to concentrate on using sustainable stocks and changing the menu frequently allows the hotel to use small quantities of more unusual kinds of fish in place of species from less sustainable stocks.
The Scottish Thistle Awards, which are among the most coveted accolades in the industry, celebrate quality and innovation across a range of categories.
Source: VisitScotland: 17 August 2009
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