The Albannach

‘Splendid isolation’ just about sums up the topography hereabouts, and The Albannach makes the most of its gloriously remote location on the wild, windswept moors overlooking Lochinver. Since 1990, Colin Craig and Lesley Crosfield have transformed this tall white house into a Scottish retreat par excellence, with the bonus of food driven by the seasons. Despite geographical and meteorological constraints, they manage to garner sufficient produce from land and sea for a daily dinner menu shot through with high ambitions and technical finesse. On a typical night, you might kick off with mousseline of wild halibut accompanied by lobster sauce and langoustine, followed by a risotto of Assynt chanterelles; the centrepiece is generally something meaty (perhaps roast saddle of wild roe deer with candied beetroot, truffle squash, ‘croft’ baby turnips and gamey port sauce), then come Scottish cheeses, before proceedings conclude with dessert – hot citrus soufflé with bitter chocolate ice cream and brambles, say. Colin’s alluring, keenly priced wine list is a deeply personal labour of love.