After hours of driving along winding, forest-lined roads, I emerge from the trees to a vast tapestry of the landscape before me: the towering Cullin Mountains, the sparkling sea and the distant Scottish mainland, stretching for miles. As I head towards the southwest corner of the Isle of Skye, passing grassy slopes dotted with grazing sheep and cows, I see a vibrant red roof in the distance. It’s a telltale sign that I’m approaching Café Cùil.
Born in an east London kitchen six years ago, award-winning chef Clare Coghill’s remote Scottish restaurant uses its location to champion the best of Hebridean produce and Gaelic culture. Skye is the largest (and most famous) archipelago in the Inner Hebrides, and has long attracted visitors from around the world for its spectacular scenery, with a population of 10,000 rising to over 650,000 in the peak season each year. But more recently, its food scene has also boosted the tourism industry, with Café Cuil Arguably helping to lead the way as travelers become increasingly interested in understanding Skye’s past and present through its food culture.
For generations, the island’s diet was determined by need and availability (shellfish, root vegetables, meat from animals that roamed the hills) and anything that could sustain families during the long, harsh winters. However, in recent decades, improved access to the island and a growing interest in food provenance and sustainable sourcing have sparked culinary experimentation with many of those same local ingredients. Women like Coghill are using their restaurants to elevate local culture, challenge industry norms and present Skye in an exciting new light – from helping to preserve the native language of Scottish Gaelic to combating historically toxic food culture.
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When I arrive at Café Cùil, Coghill greets me with a hug before walking me through his space – a bright, airy interior with floor-to-ceiling windows giving diners a glimpse of the wild landscape of Carbost, Skye. Their menus are heavily influenced by the seasonality of the island and dishes revolve around what is found nearby. During spring and summer, forage plants such as nettle, meadowsweet and gorse are introduced, in addition to the abundant Hebridean produce scattered throughout the island. As the seasons change, cozy autumnal dishes are served, including dishes such as black pudding from Harlosh, a western settlement on Skye, and beef brisket from nearby Lochalsh on the mainland.
With each delicious bite, I understand his feeling much more. I’m still dreaming of Highland spiced lamb, paired with flatbread, labneh, heirloom tomatoes and fresh mint; and Isle of Skye crab, placed on scrambled eggs, with homemade Cùil kimchi and crispy chilli oil. Not to mention their curried cauliflower with beet hummus, summer greens and nettle sauce, all washed down with a cup of the signature Cùil-Aid: a refreshing splash of highland strawberries and foraged meadowsweet flowers.
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