Forget quinoa; try black pudding
Like the rest of Scotland, Harris and Lewis have moved on the from the days of lasagne and chips. The islands’ lamb, venison, fish and seafood are unsurpassed, and there is a growing number of excellent restaurants and cafés in which to enjoy them.
If you want to cook for yourself, we have a well-equipped kitchen at Sith-Phort with an induction range cooker. You can buy excellent butcher meat locally from A.D. Munro in Tarbet or from one of the many high-quality butchers in Stornoway. Why not try Stornoway black pudding, now classed as a superfood, or even better: Harris black pudding?
We like to pair our black pudding with Hebridean scallops. You can buy shellfish directly from Scalpay fishermen through Scalpay Shellfish. Stornoway has three excellent fishmongers selling reasonably priced fresh fish and seafood caught by local boats. If you want to spice things up, you’ll find a comprehensive range of herbs and spices at the Good Food Boutique on Stornoway’s Cromwell Street, as well a select range of fine wines for special occasions.
Eating out
On Harris, we now have the Isle of Harris Distillery. Opened in 2015, the distillery is in no rush to bottle the first batch of its Hearach whisky, but in the meantime, you can sample the Isle of Harris gin. Made with hand-dived sugar kelp, it is only available directly from the distillery. We recommend drinking it on the rocks with a couple of slices of grapefruit as the distillery advises or paring it with Fever Tree tonic water.
For eating out locally, we particularly favour the North Harbour Bistro on Scalpay, which serves delicious evening meals with the emphasis on sea food, and Temple Cafe at Northton, which has wonderful quiches and home-baking. You can also buy tasty takeaway meals cooked with seasonal local produce from Croft 36.