The Captains Galley - Scrabster, Thurso

So whilst we currently live in Orkney surrounded with great grub and fantastic seafood, we've often sat at the ferry terminal looking longingly at the sign by the terminal which shouts 'fresh seafood', 'The Captain's Galley', which opens for dinner just shortly after we normally set sail home to Orkney. A seafood restaurant set in a restored ice house, with a fantastic reputation, we've long wanted to go. So as this winters wee 'break' we decided to pop over for an evening, to sample their fabulous menu and it did not disappoint.

A warm and friendly welcome greeted us as we were shown to a comfy cosy room with squashy sofa's and plenty of ambient music. Drinks and nibbles provided swiftly and a warm friendly smile with the menus. 'Take your time, there's no rush' we were told and indeed there wasn't. What a perfect way to wind down on a Friday night but take in the ambience of a bonnie wee restaurant on the edge of a cheerful busy port. These guys have a reputation for being warm and friendly and they certainly were, we even managed to get a bit of chat about the garden, which as all of you know, is my other great passion. Mary and her staff are attentive, whilst giving you peace to enjoy your evening, that's a real skill, hats off to you all, it was the perfect balance.

And so to the grub, the menus (on a Friday night there are two, the full menu or a 'fish and chip' menu') - both looked stunning but opting for the full menu didn't disappoint. Have a peek at the sample menu here always full of incredibly fresh local produce.

To start, I chose the Langoustine bisque with a skewered prawn kimchi, himself Oysters cooked with pork belly and seaweed. For mains, I devoured pan seared Hake with mussels in vermouth, himself, blackened Saithe with corn succotash, colcannan and guacamole.

I do love it when you see fish you've never tried, like Saithe, or fish you love like Hake on a menu, its always good to try something new in a place where you know it will be cooked to perfection. And perfect it all was, which given my own pickiness when it comes to eating out, was never in doubt - but when you try a new place you certainly want it to live up to is reputation, and they certainly did!

A wee 'Amuse bouche' of Jerusalem artichoke soup sprinkled with artichoke wafer thin crisps, was perfection and a grand start to what was to be a fantastic meal. Take a tour through some of their special dishes here, although to be honest, its all pretty special. The portions are so generous we didn't indulge in a sweet or the local cheese board all of which looked stunning as they were given to other diners. Whilst we didn't expect it, our bill was reduced to reflect our choice to skip dessert, a nice thoughtful touch as we'd certainly signed up for the whole experience.

So if you find yourself in the far north east of Scotland, possibly enroute to Orkney, take some time either end to sample the hospitality and great grub cooked at this wee gem. You certainly won't regret it. And so lovely to see folks practise what they preach - they're a strong green ethos and certainly stick firmly to their own principles.......didnae see much of Jim, I guess he was too busy cooking, great chap! We certainly appreciated his efforts. And don't just believe me - gets a great write up on Fish2Fork too!

And, once you get to Orkney, whilst there's a plethera of fabulous places if somewhere like 'The Captains Galley' inspires, you'll surely love 'The Creel' in St Margarets Hope, Orkney. These restaurants may just be long lost siblings, sharing many great traits, fabulous service and stunning local produce cooked to perfection.

As we sat at the ferry port the next night to return to Orkney, we also saw that Jim has a wee 'takeaway' on the far right of their restaurant. We peeked up to see that as well as a lot of great looking fish and chips he had a board crammed with specials. Maybe next time we can try that out too! Opening hours listed below.

So, that place you've always wanted to visit - why not give it a go? That's what we did and we were certainly well impressed. As we were finishing our meal a couple of fisherman sat at the table next to us and ordered their tea - cannae be bad if the boat chaps use it too eh? Sorry no photos of the grub - himself and I were oot for a wee romantik evening, so phones were banned. Much nicer to just enjoy things too rather than keep snapping at them!

Back to the frugal eating for us for a while, another adventure around the corner soon, no doubt!

Until next time - happy scoffing!

The Captain's Galley, located here

Phone - 01847 894 999

Email contact page here

Jim and Mary Cowie

The Captain's Galley

The Harbour

Scrabster

Thurso

KW14 7UJ

01847 894999

Winter timetable serving Thursday Friday Saturday 7pm till late. Monday Tuesday Wednesday available for private parties minimum of 6 people. New Quality Takeaway Open Tuesday thru Saturday 4pm till 6.30pm

The Peedie Chippie, Orkney

Image by Elliot Erwitt (link)

So, its National Chip Week - as a huge fan of potatoes, I'm happy about that. So in the spirit of this national event I took myself off yesterday night for a poke of chips, you know, just to join in. 

Nae far fae me hoose, about a 1/2 a minute walk in fact, The Peedie Chippie turns up every Friday from 4pm-8pm its peedie van loaded with goodies. It's just fabulous. Perfect, fish, awesome chips and a view out to Finstown Bay with its seals, wee boats and bonnie skies that just accentuates the experience ever more. If you're ever thinking of what to eat on Friday night in Okney, why not pop to Finstown and give it a shot. Its around the island on other days I'll scurry off and find out where and when and publish below. I see Sian's told us its in Stromness on a Saturday night.....

. And, no we don't all go out for chips in our kilts - this is a photo from the Telegraph depicting the local pipe band in all their splendour out grabbing a poke of chips after their practise in the community car park. Yes, you'll often see them there - oddly that doesn't seem strange at all, they need to practice don't they. I'd not like them to do it in my front room, no offence, but bag pipes and drums are LOUD and all that marching is bound to create some dust bunnies isn't it.

What's your local favourite chippy - why not nominate it here and what do you have on yours - I'm a salt only gal. Until next time - look out for your local chippy! Happy Scoffing.

Neeps for sale

As I ambled by the Stromness Chippy the other morning I saw this delightful sign. And, priced at a bargain for such giant neeps. If only it hadn't been 9am and chips still snoozing until lunch time. Its a fine chip shop too and serves mushy peas, in case you were in the mood. But, back to the Neeps, they are Swedish Turnips to you and I, just in case you wondered. And they are fine fodder for making a hearty meal out of including my favourite of clapshot - yum, which is claimed to have been invented here, not sure about that but I'll say for now, its a hearty Scottish dish from many a region!

I did rather like the ingenuity of their sign, quite accurate too as these were enormous. A bit more exciting that the sign in another shop in town. But, given the time of year, I guess some folks aren't maybe as excited about neeps, they are a plenty at the moment. This basket full was also full to bursting at the local tool/ironmongery shop. My word the difference in price between the peeider (smaller) toon of Stromness  (60p a neep) and the city of Kirkwall (80p a neep) some 15 miles east.  I also saw neeps at the charity shop for a similar kinda price - still a bargain at under a quid in my mind! Think of those poor neep farmers having to pull each enormous beast out of the soggy ground.

Its taken me a good 13 years to fathom that Orkney grub is a plentiful and luscious, however finding out where to buy it from is often delightful and unexpected.  There are also neeps in the local garage for sale, where else eh?

Until next time - get a bit of local grub under your belt - wherever you happen to discover it, I'm sure it will be a bargain - Happy Scoffing!

I'm off out neep spotting :) if you see any more local ones which are bargainous do let me know - I love a bit of neep research :)

Mushy peas and chips!

Possibly the finest dinner on the planet - mushy peas and chips. Frugal, filling and fwoar! And, yes I have NO class. I'm fine with that.

I'm so glad I saved 'half a tin' of peas for a later time and froze them. YUM YUM.

Ok, so its not everyones fodder of choice, but I'm a happy lass. One large potato fried up as chips, one slice of bread and butter, half a tin of the glorious godly mushy peas.  And British no less. And although the website tells me they're 16p a tin, I think I paid more than that, but they're still a cheap meal. If my spud was a home grown one, this is a 7p meal :)

Until next time, what's your favourite cheeky, frugal comfort on-your-own meal?

Come on, spill the beans (or the peas!) - Happy Scoffing.

The Merkister Hotel, Orkney

The Merkister Hotel, Orkney - Image reproduced from their own website.

So, on that day of all hearts (Feb 14th), we ventured out for a meal to The Merkister on the side of a bonnie Orkney loch. A bonnie wee spot with a grand bar and plenty comfy seating galore. We've eaten in the bar before and it was grand, so this time we tried the restaurant, which is really bonnie. They're in the Michelin Guide too. The setting was gorgeous, the food divine and the choices of seasonal local food quite outstanding.

A starter of Orkney Cheese in crumb with a seasonal fruit jelly. Image from their own website.

All in all a reasonably priced meal which was beautifully cooked and presented. No photo's from us as we respected the sign on the door saying please switch off laptops and phones when dining. Fair enough, I'd say.

Was it lovely, yes. Would we go back, probably. The food was great, the service fantastic and the atmosphere and ambiance just lovely. Well worth a trip. The menu changes daily so its always fresh and up to date. Pretty reasonable for good beautiful local food too I'd say. All sourced from the local butcher, fisherman and growers when they can source it. Orkney Aberdeen Angus steaks too as well as a plethora of beautiful fish and seafood.

A couple things I'd think they could perhaps improve to turn it from fantastic to amazing - sliced loaf bread offerings at the start of dinner, aren't really my thing that's for sandwiches at home, some nice bread or rolls would have helped continue the special ambience! And, sadly in my book, they committed regular but,  heinous crime of soggy side veggies. Beautifully presented, great choice, but soggy beyond belief and barely touched by our chops. Had I been a baby teething or weaning perhaps I'd be happier, but I'm not. A few wee tweaks could see that good though eh? 

They look like they do cracking lunches, free wifi and excellent coffee so maybe another trip would be a good idea. Its in the bonniest location which of course is best viewed when its not dark outside!

Until next time - have you tried somewhere new and local to you? Go exploring! Happy Scoffing!

Merkister Hotel, Harray Loch, Harray, Orkney, KW17 2LF

Tel: 01856 771366
Fax: 01856 771515

Or email contact here

Getting there. Halfway between Kirkwall and Stromness on the A965, take the A986 approx. five miles along the road. The Hotel is signposted left at Russland road and is situated at the loch side.

Beans on toast

Today was fresh and chilly and definitely a 'beans on toast' kind of day.

Mind you in my book everyday can be a beans day, as long as they stay OFF the toast.

I don't like soggy when soggy isn't expected! But I do LOVE comfort food like this when I'm cold and hungry after a long walk.

Until next time, what cupboard favourites do you love? Happy Scoffing.

Two week famine? I think not.

You'd think as I've been quieter than a mouse locked in a larder full of cheese, but truth be told, I've not been eating.

It's shocking, unlikely you'd think, but sadly true. I've had the flu - and my appetite disappeared, I don't recommend it. Thankfully the flu has gone and the appetite, thankfully, its found its way home again. I was a it worried! And what might you ask is this loaf of bread doing plonked in front of your eyeballs? When sick I revert to my favourite nosh, toast with butter. Not marg, I know its cheaper, I like butter, we use it most days, in moderation, its just gorgeous. And, being a self confessed heathen, whilst I LOVE bread, my favourite is a local white sliced loaf made here in Orkney. At £1.60 a loaf, its a peedie bit of an ouchy when you buy it. However, needs must when a girls crook and she only wants half a slice of toast.

Until next time, the old favourites should be embraced now and again. Happy Scoffing