Customer Reviews

The Three Chimneys

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Visiting Scotland last summer, we were lucky enough to reserve a table at this remote and wonderful restaurant. We snapped up the cookbook immediately, partly because we love to cook, but also because the photographs of Skye are so much better than any we managed to take. As a cookbook, it is true to the simple, exactingly prepared food served at 3 Chimneys, featuring lots of seafood, beautiful broths and local dairy. Consequently, these recipes work only if the ingredients are perfectly fresh, because they have nowhere to hide: if your mussels are sauced, the sauce is made from their own broth. The shortbread (which is deceptively light) lives and dies by the quality of the butter used. And when approached this way, glorious food results. Ms. Spear is careful to explain the steps of each recipe, the order in which recipes should be made (like a lot of restaurant food, there are recipes within recipes)and how much time to plan for each. That said, it's not a perfect cookbook. You will need a scale that measures grams. The recipes seldom reveal how many servings will be produced (4 to 6, in my experience). And there are little mysteries sprinkled throughout: what is "medium oatmeal", and is it used raw or cooked? The cooking times are too short for steelcut oats, and I can't believe Ms. Spear uses instant rolled oats. However, even these quirks feel true to the spirit of a place that gives the diner less a slick, packaged restaurant experience than a gift of passionate care for beauty and sustenance.