Loch Ness Lodge

Eating

Food is a big part of the draw at Loch Ness Lodge. Many come principally to eat here and see staying over as a bonus (the restaurants is also open to non residents). Chef Ross Fraser did his training under Marco Pierre White at Quo Vadis and Jean-Christophe Novelli at Le Savour: the high-end mentoring is reflected in his Franco-Scottish dishes such as velouté of baby carrots, braised belly of Morayshire pork, pan-fried fillet of organic salmon, and white chocolate and praline mousse with raspberry sorbet. The menus sit well with the kitchen’s philosophy of using organic, sustainably sourced, local produce wherever possible (plans to create a kitchen garden on site are also well underway) and the hotel now has 2AA rosettes to show for its efforts.

Dining here is about more than just gastronomy, though. Fraser’s set price five-course dinners are an evening-long ritual, beginning in the drawing room with fireside aperitifs and inventive canapés such as black pudding croquettes, before moving through to the lodge’s intimate, softly lit dining room to eat in scarlet, Zoffany-inspired surroundings overlooking the loch. The lodge’s wide range of old and new world wines should cater for the most discerning wine buffs. Don’t miss the Vidal del Saz wine from a small wine producer in southern Spain. There’s also a small but well-chosen cocktail list and, this being Scotland, a very decent range of whiskies.

The lodge doesn’t serve lunches, though picnics can be arranged, but you may not have room for a midday meal between dinner and one of its mammoth breakfasts. Hot choices include a creamy porridge, a full Highland breakfast, scrambled egg with smoked salmon, smoked haddock with poached egg and homemade pancakes with caramelised banana and maple syrup. There’s also a cold buffet with freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit platter, gourmet muesli and, best of all, a rich stewed fruit compote laced with jasmine syrup.

Menus change daily, so you won't get bored; but if you fancy eating out one night, ask staff for recommendations in and around Inverness.