Skye’s world-famous restaurant with rooms, The Three Chimneys, has welcomed some of the island’s primary school kids for a lesson about cooking and local produce.
Head chef Paul Green and his team turned The Three Chimneys’ kitchen into a classroom for the group of nine to 12 year-olds from Dunvegan Primary School.
As part of the experience, the group of youngsters got the chance to handle a range of the local island ingredients that fuel its award-winning menu, learning about their provenance and seasonality.
The budding chefs also had some fun finding their way around a professional working kitchen for the first time, with Chef Green leading a cooking class for the group, where they made several dishes to enjoy for lunch – black garlic, onion and oregano rolls; crab tagliatelle; Vatten Croft lamb; and strawberries with mint and vanilla yoghurt mousse.
The Three Chimneys’ work with Dunvegan Primary School is part of its ongoing commitment to annual fundraising and support for the island’s communities and charities.
Every year, the staff team vote to select a local community group or charity to support with funds raised through voluntary guest donations – and this year, their chosen community partners are Dunvegan Primary and Carbost Primary, which is near sister venue The Three Chimneys at Talisker.
Kieran Walker, general manager of The Three Chimneys, said: “Our latest partnership with Dunvegan Primary School really has been a recipe for success. Creating a fun, hands-on space for budding young chefs to learn about cooking and local Skye produce has been such a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
“We’re hoping that our kitchen classroom experience will go some way to inspiring the next generation of hospitality professionals on the island and connecting them with their local environment.”
Walker added: “Thanks to the generous donations of our guests, we’re committed to providing ongoing fundraising support to local charities and community groups on the island, including Dunvegan and Carbost primary schools.
“The Three Chimneys is rooted in the communities that make the Isle of Skye. Over the years, we’ve also supported Portree Food Bank, Skye Mountain Rescue, RNLI Portree and the Scottish Ambulance Service Station at Dunvegan.”
Mrs MacGregor, class teacher at Dunvegan Primary School, said: “The children had an amazing experience at The Three Chimneys where they were lucky enough to see locally grown food cooked in a real restaurant kitchen and then try it for themselves.
“It gave them an insight into the vast amount of produce that’s available on their doorsteps and how it can be turned into a first-class dining experience for people from all over the world.”
Head Teacher at Dunvegan Primary School, Miss Muir, added: “Experiences like this really help pupils see how the skills they are building in the classroom connect to exciting real-world opportunities.
“It has been wonderful for our children to discover just how many amazing careers are available to them here on Skye, and to be inspired by the creativity, teamwork and talent they’ve seen in action at The Three Chimneys.”
