Producers' invitation to fall in love with North Highland food and drink this Valentine’s weekend
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Lockdown may be threatening to make this year's St Valentine's Day the least romantic in recent memory, but a group of Highland food and drink businesses are appealing for the public to show some love to their local producers this weekend.
Including a brewery, a distillery, a coffee blender and some of the region's best known independent and family-run cafés, restaurants and food and drink retailers, all are based along the North Coast 500 (NC500) touring route, with several offering special deals or products to help make even a lockdown weekend special.
What began as an initiative to bring some fresh opportunities to the North Highlands, NC500 was estimated to have boosted the economy by £22.89 million and created around 179 full-time jobs in 2019, but all this is now at risk due to the devasting impact of the global pandemic.
While lockdown continues, Black Isle Brewery, Highland Farm Café, The Storehouse at Foulis, Dunnet Bay Distillers, Mackays Hotel in Wick, Inverness Coffee Roasting Co and The Redshank catering company and Fish 'n' Collect are now offering a variety of collection and home delivery services for customers to enjoy.
This includes some very special offers, such as the new Valentine's beer box from the Black Isle Brewery at Old Allangrange, Munlochy, Scotland’s only organic brewery. Available for UK mainland home delivery, not just local customers, it contains seven beers and two Spelt lager glasses for £47.50, including Frei Pils Gluten Free Pilsner, Best Laid Plans, Passionfruit Sour, Imperial Hibernator Stout and Equations #2 Red Wine BA Saison.
Similarly, the family-run Highland Farm Café at Mountgerald near Dingwall is helping lockdown romantics make the best of their situation with a special Valentine’s afternoon tea or a romantic three-course meal that can be heated at home.
A range of gift vouchers, ready meals, gifts, hampers and hot takeaway food is also available. To avoid disappointment, all orders should be placed by 4pm on Friday, February 12, and local delivery is available.
The nearby Storehouse at Foulis Ferry is also offering a selection of meal kits to treat someone special this Valentine’s Day, which are available for local collection and delivery. They include tear and share pizza and fondue for £35 and Valentine’s weekend steak and cake for £45, all washed down with a Happy Chappy from Cromarty Brewery, Rock Rose Gin with Cushiedoo’s tonic or a hand-picked bottle of wine from The Storehouse selection.
Rock Rose Gin makers Dunnet Bay Distillers have also launched a new refill subscription service, Refill Rewards Club. Members will receive a box containing their chosen refill pouch, accompanying mixers, garnish and a wee surprise or two to enjoy in the comfort of their own home. When you’ve topped up your bottle, simply pop the empty pouch into the postbox – no stamp or envelope required – and Dunnet Bay Distillers will take care of the recycling. Monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly deliveries are available.
Fellow Caithness business Mackays Hotel in Wick celebrated its 65th anniversary as an independent family business in 2020. Owned and operated by third generation of the Lamont family, Murray and Ellie, along with their 34-year-old daughter, Jennifer, during lockdown, the hotel has provided meals on wheels home delivery and takeaway service for people in and around Wick.
It has now launched a special Valentine’s Day "At Home" package for the local community to collect from the hotel on Friday 12 and Saturday 13. The special menu includes prawn and crayfish cocktail; chicken, truffle and herb terrine; slow cooked beef feather blade ragu; baked haddock with balsamic cherry tomatoes; strawberry mouse; lemon posset and chocolate brownie.
Inverness Coffee Roasting Co, run by Kevin and Heather Donnachie, uses ethically sourced green beans which are roasted locally. Although the Chapel Street shop is temporarily closed, coffee lovers still have ready access to a full range of roasted coffee beans and regular subscription options. Team Bean personally deliver in and around Inverness and post first class UK-wide.
Husband and wife Jamie and Ann Marie Ross offer a choice of two outlets.
Although The Redshank mobile seafood food truck does not currently offer home deliveries, its location and latest menu can usually be found on the Redshank website and social media channels.
As a lockdown alternative, Jamie and Ann Marie have introduced their Fish ‘n’ Collect service, including fresh fish and shellfish, ready to re-heat home cooked meals, Redshank meal kits, soups and sauces. They offer home deliveries around the local area of Inverness and surrounding villages. Safe collections are also available from their production unit in Smithton.
