Grand cuisine ecossaise, 5 Dec 2003

One of the entrys - The Three Chimney's on Skye - recently featured in the Top 20 places to stay worldwide in Conde Naste Traveller. Other featured establishments such as Turnbery, Cameron House, and Gleneagles - with Michelin starred Andrew Fairlie - are also world famous. Obviously, being geographically distant from the main centres of population the chefs must try harder to tempt patrons to their establishments. This does show in the recipes.

The chefs featured in this book follow well troden path of best local produce in season. Indeed many of them are so far from the central belt it would be madness to attempt anything else. This means that some of the recipes do require a fair bit of preparation - perticulalrly with fish and meat stocks. However, given a little bit of effort the outcomes are stunning.

Only marginally more expensive than the previous "city" books the Scotland book is almost an inch thick. It features recipes from 26 of the countrys best hotels and restaurants. Almost all of them are off the well-beaten Edinburgh-Glasgow path, and over half of them are either on the coast or very near the sea. These environments mean that there is a heavy reliance on top quality fresh fish, seafood, beef, lamb, and game - the things Scotland is good at.

Delights from the book include "Asparagus mousse,", a "Gin and Damson Sundae,", "Fillet of Angus Beef with fondant potatoes,deep fried shallots," and the most wonderul madeira sauce. There's "Seafood broth," with mussels, red mullet, lobster, scampi, cockles, sea bass, and salmon. Roast grouse, a thin seared strawberry tart, "Ravioli of scallop with red pesto,". Can I leave out Jimmy Graham's "Pig's trotter stuffed with oxtail on potatoe mash,"?....And no true Scottish book would be complete without some Haggis - albeit with black pudding mousse, crisp rosti, and a malt whisky jus.

Many of the recipes are shown with lovely photographs, if the descriptions alone aren't enought to get you hungry. The earlier Glasgow and Edinburgh books feature recipes that are more easily accessable for most urbanites, but this is a book I turn to regularly. The recipes are wonderful, ingredients available, and end results better than I could otherwise afford to experience. If you buy any of Richardson's books, make it this one. You'll not regret it - but might need a more vigerous exercise regime!

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