Before moving on to discuss our recent meal at Inver I first just have to say PARKIN. I currently have parkin in the oven, in readiness for Bonfire Night and have decided that it is officially the Best Smell in the World. Forget about baking bread or roasting chickens, this is what you want wafting from your kitchen when you invite people round. Of course, if I was an organised housefrau, I would have baked it at least a week ago so it had time to mature a little bit, but heigh ho. I am sure it will still be delicious.
Now, talking of lack of organisation, I am very annoyed at myself for not writing about Inver when we went in March of last year. It's an absolute little gem of a place which deserves to be better known (AND they served us a potato ice cream which was exciting enough to justify a post just by itself). Anyway. Better late than never, let me introduce you to a small but perfectly formed monument to modern Scottish cuisine.
The restaurant itself is situated on the shores of Loch Fyne and feels incredibly isolated, although if the roads are clear you are only an hour or so outside of Glasgow, and the town of Inveraray is not too far over the lway. But when you stand and look out over the waters, you could be a million miles from civilisation which is just how we, increasingly misanthropic as we age, like it.
Next door to the dining room, the owners have put up four shepherd bothies to allow guests to sleep over. We've stayed in two of the four and can report that they are extremely cosy and comfortable, with a slight Scandi feel to the decor, and floor to ceiling windows to allow dwellers to fully immerse themselves in the view.
The Scandi feel extends into the food served as well, and it did not come as a particular surprise to me to learn that the chef spent some time at Noma. That particular style of food - elegant, sparse, inextricably tied to the surrounding landscape - is becoming, if not ubiquitous, then certainly very prevalent in a lot of modern restaurants but when the cooking is on point, that is no bad thing. There's a lovely article on Great British Chefs that talks a little more about chef Pam Brunton's approach to food and her involvement with local suppliers and local produce. Certainly, the care she takes in sourcing her ingredients is repaid a thousand times over when you come to eat.
The highlight this time around was pheasant with apple and pear, which was an absolute masterclass in balancing sweet and savoury elements in a single dish. The breast was served with the veriest hint of blush, the leg was wrapped around sausage-meat with a little pheasant heart perched on top to add a kick of iron. Meanwhile, the buttery sourness of the apple and pear, alongside a crisp pastry, added both texture and the distinctively bittersweet notes of autumn. I must admit, I am not always a fan of fruit with meat but I couldn't get enough of it here. And, actually, one of the other showstopper moments was an amuse-bouche of duck with plum on a speculoos biscuit which, again, showed a flawless touch in harmonising ingredients of this sort.
Guests in the evening are served the tasting menu, which at £65 a head is pretty stupendous in terms of value. When we were staying, lockdown restrictions in Scotland meant that we were unable to drink wine with the meal but they did offer a juice accompaniment which D sampled and seemed to enjoy - particularly a coffee kombucha which came with the peppered doughnut dessert (and, fear not dear reader, we did manage to have some wine in the bothy before dinner).
The first time we went to Inver, I remember that as we drove away I told D that I had found my happy place, and I had a similar sense when we returned. It is not just the stunning landscape that surrounds it, or the quality of the food, but the ambience is absolutely second to none - warm and welcoming, a true haven. This year has been a particularly tough one for the hospitality industry, but I do hope that Inver weathers the storm and that we find ourselves there again soon. The world needs more Happy Places in it.
Strathlachlan
Strachur
Argyll & Bute
PA27 8BU
01369 860537
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