Bill and I escaped for a few days in the north staying with friends in Sutherland.  As usual when driving the A9, we managed to sneak in a visit to the lovely Aran café & deli in Dunkeld, where it was great to see Jess Elliott Dennison’s Midweek Recipes sitting alongside Flora Shedden’s own beautiful book, Aran.

We were so lucky with wonderful, dramatic weather; brilliant sunshine one moment, torrential rain the next. Bill was meant to be fishing on a hill loch one day, but got distracted by four golden eagles in the sky above, fighting over carrion, jeered on by a murder of crows and witnessed by roaring stags on the surrounding cliffs.  Quite the natural showstopper!

After a few gorgeous days, we returned via Ullapool, a place I’ve long wanted to visit for the dual attractions of The Seafood Shack and the Ullapool bookshop.  Both more than lived up to expectation!

The Seafood Shack’s cookbook has long been a bestseller in the shop. The shack opened in 2016 and it’s intention is “to provide Ullapool with local seafood that is fresh and cooked simply yet delicious.”  

Buy the Seafood Shack HERE.