After a standout first season in 2022, the Isle of Skye’s Cafe Cuil has reopened for 2023’s high season, with the addition of cocktail and wine pairings to its menu of Hebridean brunches and lunches.
Café Cuil was founded by Skye native Clare Coghill, who at just 30 years old is a trailblazing chef, entrepreneur and owner of one of the only female-run eateries on the island.
Last year, Ms Coghill made a triumphant return to her native isle following a stint in east London, setting up in the village of Carbost, just a stone’s throw away from Skye’s magical Fairy Pools, where she won over diners with a laid-back atmosphere coupled with an ambitious contemporary menu.
This year the café is expanding its offering with a new Highland-inspired drinks selection featuring organic wines and cocktails to accompany a Spring menu focusing on seasonal Scottish produce and fermented, gut healthy ingredients.
Ms Coghill said: “The reception to Café Cùil’s first season on my home turf was so great. I feel passionately about elevating what diners think they can expect from a café, with sophisticated, yet laid-back dishes inspired by local produce. I’m really looking forward to sharing our new drinks selection and pairing them with our new dishes. It’s going to be a great year!”
The café’s favourite Lochalsh Beef Brisket Rarebit with Orkney cheddar will be making a return to the menu this season, alongside new dishes including a Highland Shakshuka, featuring Skye black pudding, slow roasted tomatoes & cashew pesto; Scotch pancakes with rhubarb crumble & whipped mascarpone; and Skye Smokehouse Trout with spring barley tabbouleh, ‘Cùil kraut’ and soft boiled egg.
The new organic wine and cocktail menu, designed by Coghill to accompany her dishes, brings local tastes of the Highlands, including a Bloody ‘Mairi’ with housemade pickles; Raasay Gin with meadowsweet & rosemary; and a Caora Dubh coffee martini with hazelnut.
The Isle of Skye hosts over 650,000 visitors each year, attracted by its rugged landscapes, glittering lochs and high quality food and drink scene. More travellers are reportedly looking for a ‘back-to-basics feel’ to their holidfays, with 55% of those surveyed by Booking.com yearning for ‘off-grid’ locations to escape from reality.
