The ghosts of the old Lords of the Isles must have given a cheer
when, in 1969, Godfrey Macdonald married a vivacious young woman from
Lancashire. The following year, on the death of his father, he inherited
the title Lord Macdonald of Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald,
along with the massive financial liabilities which seem to have been
handed down with so many clan estates over the centuries.
In the 15th century Clan Donald - through the Lordship of the Isles
and the Earldom of Ross - controlled almost a third of all Scotland.
In the 21st century the clan chief courteously welcomes paying guests
to his home in a former shooting lodge on the remaining Macdonald
lands in Sleat on the Isle of Skye. The rest of the Skye estates were
largely sold off as part of the effort to clear the debts, and Kinloch
Lodge - originally built as a farmhouse - is now the seat of Clan
Donald.
Such a blunt summary reads like a riches-to-rags tale that would
have the 19th century's dispossessed Macdonald tenants rubbing their
hands in glee. The reality for the past 30 years and more has been
a campaign of shrewd accounting, hard work and unwavering determination.
The paying guests are part of a success story and you suspect that,
without the young woman from Lancashire, the outcome might have been
very different. There's no doubt that Lord and Lady Macdonald are
a solid team and complement each other perfectly. But the no-nonsense
practicality that sets the title aside, rolls up the sleeves and gets
down to the work in hand is very definitely Claire, with Godfrey apparently
playing a contented supporting role, though you suspect this to be
a mild deception.
Kinloch Lodge is tucked away near the head of Loch na Dal, just under
a kilometre from the main road linking Armadale and Broadford - far
enough to be secluded and near enough to be easily accessible. If
you pause on the approach to the hotel to look at the view down the
loch on a spring morning, sandpipers will be busy about the stones.
Wander along the shore and you'll find clear signs that otters come
and go here. The hillside behind Kinloch supports a thriving natural
woodland. Its birches fringe the edge of the gardens and its spring
flowers - primroses, bluebells, wood anemones - have claimed their
place among the cultivated flowers and lawns.
These woodlands, in times gone by, were home to a small community
whose trace is still to be seen further round the coast. Leitir Fura
was a compact village set in a clearing in the trees. It must have
been quite a place to live, high on the hillside above a small bay,
with an outlook down the Sound of Sleat towards Knoydart in the south
and across to Beinn Sgritheall and the sparkling islands of Sandaig
in the east - long before the monotone green of sitka spruce forest
was smeared over that far hillside and the slopes around Leitir Fura.
Accustomed to such places having held crofting communities, I was
surprised to learn that the people who lived here were in fact woodkeepers
for the Macdonalds of Sleat, at a time when the timber was a source
of income for the landowner. Birch and oak were sold to the tanning
industry, whilst oak was also in demand for boat and house building.
The inhabitants of Leitir Fura had the task of protecting the woodland
- they were not allowed to cut trees, or graze their goats in the
forest. The penalty for damaging this precious resource could be eviction,
as was the case for one family, when their children inadvertently
set fire to the great oak tree, Fura Mhòr, which had given the village
its name.
Eventually the people of Leitir Fura departed - like so many others
- to the other side of the world and the colour on the hillsides is
gradually becoming more varied as forestry practices change. This
woodland is now part of the Millenium Forest for Scotland initiative,
committed to restoring native tree cover. Visitors wander the footpaths
and wonder at the story of life in times gone by. Nothing stays the
same forever, and the old farmhouse of Kinloch will surely see further
changes before its time is done.
Your welcome to the hotel is as warm as the log fires that burn
in every grate and, while there is clearly a firm hand in control
of the well-oiled business that is Kinloch Lodge Limited, a genuine
interest in people as individuals shines through, coupled with a desire
to give customers the sense of being personal guests in a happy family
home. It works. The atmosphere at dinner in the evening is more like
that of a private house party than a hotel, with a continuous, subdued
hubbub of chat between tables subtly arranged to achieve precisely
this effect. Courses come and go at a relaxed but steady pace without
interruption, guests having been asked to choose in advance from the
daily menu. The food is first class without being pretentious.
It would be easy to curl up beside the fire in one of the several
drawing rooms and forget the outside world, but Skye intervenes continually
and magnificently, with views down the loch to Isle Ornsay and across
the moorland to the Cuillin in the far distance. The brief open-air
walk from the main house - Kinloch Lodge - to the more recent addition
across the grounds - Kinloch - gives the island a further opportunity
to make an impression, either with sun-on-sea brilliance (and you
linger), or with grey horizontal rain driven before a spine-chilling
gale (and lingering is not on anyone's menu).
There is a kinship between the two buildings, though several centuries
separate their construction. The old lodge dates from the early 1600s,
whereas the new house was completed in 1998. It's a skilful arrangement
that provides a family home for the Macdonalds as well as extra guest
bedrooms and a large, open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. This is
where Claire's famous cookery demonstrations take place and, though
you may be in Skye - tall, narrow windows look out on to the sea in
all its moods - you travel far and wide in the company of your hostess.
The "dems" were first introduced at Kinloch 16 years ago to boost
trade in the hotel during quiet periods. Now the programme runs from
October to May, each demonstration break including three nights' dinner,
bed and breakfast and light lunch, with two full mornings of demonstrations
and the afternoons free for personal recreation.
"We nearly burned down the residency of the British Ambassador in
Greece." As an opener to a cookery demonstration the remark is less
than reassuring, but this seasoned presenter certainly knows how to
catch her audience's attention and hold it, for a solid two-and-a-half
hours' performance of a quality that only sheer professionalism can
produce. During this time, she produces an array of food that most
of us would take an anxious day to prepare, from grated cucumber,
chive and lemon mousse, through monkfish, stirfried with tomatoes,
garlic and black olives, to strawberry and green peppercorn parfait
(there were eight dishes in all, the day I visited). A Claire Macdonald
demonstration is a masterclass that sends guests home with a sheaf
of recipes and the confidence to try them.
The demonstration flows seamlessly, helped along by a fund of amusing
anecdotes and asides (very often at the expense of the raconteur herself),
but always returning without hesitation to the matter in hand, be
it chopping herbs, boning fish or grinding black pepper. This last
"can look like so many dead midges", which leads to several minutes'
fulsome praise for the new midge magnets that are keeping the grounds
of Kinloch free of these pests and allowing Godfrey to gloat over
the decimation of next years' breeding stock of midges. Meanwhile,
the dish is well-peppered and it's time to prepare the next course.
Claire's passion for food, and for sharing her enjoyment of it, is
obvious. "Food should be fun", she exclaims and gleefully debunks
what she calls the "pomposity" of the British attitude to cooking.
"If I can do it, anyone can do it." But food should not be farce,
and she has little tolerance for the rash of slapstick cookery programmes
churned out by television. Nor does she suffer gladly those she deems
to be either fools or frauds or saboteurs of her own personal crusade
for local, wholesome produce. There's a flash of cold steel as she
rages against big arable farmers in middle England who oppose organic
production for economic reasons. A diatribe on the subject of tartare
sauce in plastic sachets has everyone laughing, but makes the point
- food may be fun but it's to be treated with respect. She changed
her Sunday newspaper ("...like changing your religion") because it
dropped her favourite food writer. You feel that to cross swords with
Claire Macdonald would not be without repercussions.
A fundamental principle at Kinloch is the use of food in its natural
season, locally-grown wherever possible. Claire is a great champion
of Scottish food in general and Skye food in particular. She uses
Scottish beef and lamb, Isle of Skye seafood, vegetables, herbs, salads
and soft fruit. The advent of the Skye and Lochalsh Horticultural
Development Association in 1994 gave new impetus to local growers,
several of whom now supply Kinloch Lodge as well as the increasing
number of other top-quality eating establishments throughout the island.
Claire Macdonald's cookery demonstrations are an integral part of
the island's food festivals, which she also promotes through her regular
writing. At Kinloch itself a polytunnel project is underway, so that
strawberries and asparagus can be grown even closer to home.
Claire describes herself as lazy and untidy - maybe she is in some
corners of her life, but when it comes to passing on her knowledge
of food and its preparation, she spares herself nothing and she makes
it all seem easy. Her enthusiasm is infectious. However, pay careful
attention, and behind the front-of-house appearance you will glimpse
the thorough groundwork that underpins these demonstrations. She works
with a "right hand woman", usually Araminta Dallmeyer (Minty). The
two have been friends for many years and they are a formidable duo.
Claire introduces a dish requiring sautéed onions and Minty quietly
slides a pan of sizzling diced onion on to the workbench. Claire chops,
mixes, stirs, pours and talks; used bowls and utensils disappear and
reappear spotlessly clean just as they are needed again. Intent on
following the recipe and the accompanying narrative, you need to take
a mental step backwards in order to realise that somewhere out of
sight there must be another kitchen where dishes are washed and onions
sautéed. There is. The house was specifically designed that way -
just one example of the forethought given to the whole business of
cooking à la Macdonald.
Halfway through the demonstration Claire interrupts herself to suggest
that guests might like to stretch their legs, have a drink of water
- and she carries on cooking. She has created an atmosphere so informal
that several people do get up and wander about, while Minty glides
in bang on cue, carrying glasses of water. A seemingly spontaneous
gesture is in fact a carefully-timed "interval". The audience is subtly
given further occasional rests, as Claire and Minty exchange brief
asides - "do you remember the time when…have you ever tried…you know
where I found the best…" - two friends apparently sharing random snatches
of conversation, but in fact allowing guests to relax their attention
for a minute or two.
When the practical demonstration is complete, guests are invited
to taste the results (delicious!) and chat with Claire and Minty until
it's time to go over to the Lodge for lunch. Everyone is made to feel
special, every comment and query met with interest. If it's to do
with food, it's important and given full attention. There is no suggestion
that time is pressing, feet are sore or head weary. Claire's energy
is astonishing, but the drain on it must be huge.
This standard of presentation is not achieved overnight. It is the
result of years of practice and relentless attention to detail. In
short, it is professionalism at its best, and a hallmark of Kinloch.
The hotel is renowned worldwide for the quality of its food, and Claire
Macdonald - award-winning cook, demonstrator, columnist, author of
16 cookery books and passionate ambassador for local produce and the
Isle of Skye - is one of its most vital assets. The respect with which
she is held in the world of cookery is justly earned.
However, she would be the first to agree that she is just one member
of a strong team at Kinloch. Increasingly in demand to give talks
and demonstrations away from Skye, she is supported on her travels
by Godfrey, at home by daughter Isabella and her husband Tom - who
clearly have the administrative side of the business well in hand
- and in the hotel by their quietly-efficient and friendly staff.
Marketing Kinloch is given high priority and demonstrates the same
meticulous planning as that given to the cookery demonstrations. A
glossy, promotional newsletter provides information about activities
and developments at Kinloch. There are two websites: one for Claire
and one for the hotel. The Claire Macdonald Shop based in the Lodge
has a thriving mail order service, and an online outlet has recently
been added to her website. She was receiving so many enquiries and
requests for advice that the Kinloch Monthly Menu Club was formed.
This is operated purely by email, with subscribers receiving a recommended
menu plan each month.
Never one to stand still, Claire is enthusiastic about plans for
a new shop, café and dwelling house to be built at a distance from
the main hotel, nearer the road. With the emphasis on quality and
local produce, she envisages a wider range of sale goods, fresh homemade
food, good soup, an open fire and comfortable sofas…she even has the
opening hours decided. With not a line drawn on the ground as yet,
it's still a dream to work for - but you feel this redoubtable lady
is very liable to achieve it.'