Restaurant at Kirkwall Hotel

Whilst it may not be every day that most people find themselves in Kirkwall, there are enough who do for the reputation of this waterfront hotel to travel well beyond the Orkney Islands. Not only is the hotel itself comfortable and well located, the restaurant is a prime example of Scottish cuisine at its best.

Not unnaturally the menu focuses on seafood, but the local beef, cheese and lamb do not go unnoticed. When did you last give thought to beef on a haggis-topped barley bannock, Orkney clapshot (tatties and neeps, for those of you who thought Burns had the prerogative on such matters), or scallops St Ola, a delightful dish made with some of the local renowned ale and cream? Your fancy may be tickled by Orkney beef carpaccio, served with homemade onion marmalade, but even if it is not be sure to make space for their famed Trumland tart. Made from the local Grimbister cheese and bitter chocolate it makes me wonder if one of Heston Blumenthal's protégés has strayed up north.

I am not saying we do not respect our butchers further south, but in Scotland there has always been a specially close relationship between the butcher (or Flesher as he used to be called) and the local community. The result was - and still is, despite supermarkets - meat about which one was able to feel quite personal, so things like black pudding, haggis and other often offal-based delights feature strongly still on a truly Scottish menu.

Another traditional consolation for which we have to thank the Scots, is whisky. For true connoisseurs, be aware that Highland Park has been made since 1798 on the rising ground behind Kirkwall. It is available, along with other delights from the competition, in abundance, and is rumoured to work wonders for the digestion, especially after a substantial meal.