Island life necessitates a commitment to the home made ethos, and the Argyll prides itself on the honesty of hand crafted, genuine and wholesome food. We do not pretend to the heights of fine dining, but we do revere the integrity of dishes and sauces made from scratch, with ingredients that are fresh, local and above all tasty.
This commitment is known by several names such as 'Slow Food', 'Real Food', even 'Traditional Food'; and in essence is a fundamental reaction against the mass produced and soulless fodder that unfortunately permeates the modern world.
Many have belittled Scottish Cuisine over the years with the perennial jokes of deep fried mars bars, sheep's intestines and arterial sclerosis; yet these are very crude jibes at a strong heritage of classic regional cuisine. It is a culinary heritage that is underscored by fantastic ingredients and a profound connection to the seasonality of local produce, game and shellfish.
We are proud to emphasise the Auld Alliance of these fresh Scottish ingredients with good French technique. It is an alliance that of course has firm historical routes in this region, from Bonny Prince Charlie and beyond; and one that allows us the privilege to both honour the classics as well as experiment with our own creativity. It is also an easy excuse for us to use and consume far too much good wine with our cooking.
We make as much as possible on the premises in a very non-industrial environment, often utilising our 1920's Aga for genuine all day simmering. We make all our marmalades, chutneys and sauces on-site, and cook all of our dishes, desserts and pastries from scratch. We uphold a profound honesty in our ingredients that seeks to help anyone suffering from the allergies and reactions to modern conglomerated processed foods. As such, we are concertedly against GM products, and wholeheartedly seek to promote the biodiversity of food and agriculture in all its forms.
Of course the true test to all this opinion and passion is taste; come and try our cuisine and judge for yourself. We can honestly assert that no-one has left us hungry, and whilst we do not serve chips nor deep fried mars bars, we will serve you the best of Scottish fayre in the friendliest and most beautiful of settings.
Links
www.slowfood.com
The ultimate pitch for slow and genuine food
www.foodsmatter.com
Great for anyone with allergies
