The story
Edinbane Lodge occupies a 16th-century hunting lodge on the Isle of Skye, carefully restored and opened as a fine dining restaurant with rooms in 2018. The building’s history as a place of self-sufficiency and culinary invention informs the kitchen’s approach today.
Calum Montgomery was born and raised in Portree, Skye, and comes from a family with deep roots on the island. He began cooking at 14, training under MasterChef winner Gary Maclean, then worked at Kinloch Lodge and Ullinish Lodge, becoming Head Chef. A stint at the two-Michelin-starred Frederikshøj in Denmark gave him a fresh perspective on ingredient-driven cooking. In 2017, he and his family transformed the old hunting lodge into Edinbane Lodge.
Montgomery’s personal accolades include Masterchef of Great Britain, Scottish Chef of the Year 2025, and the Peter Dukes Fellowship Award 2026. He has appeared on BBC’s Great British Menu in 2022 and 2024, and has cooked at guest residencies in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and New York.
The multi-course dinner menu evolves with the seasons, driven by a passion for the abundant natural produce of Skye. Ingredients are sourced locally from family and friends who work the land and fish the surrounding waters. The kitchen embraces traditional preservation techniques while incorporating modern innovations, resulting in what the Michelin Guide describes as “imaginative menus showcasing bold, natural flavours.” This is Modern Cuisine rooted in place – a style that honours Skye’s culinary heritage while looking forward. Every dish is created in the Lodge kitchen, much as it was for generations when self-sufficiency was a necessity.
Edinbane Lodge holds a Michelin Recommended distinction for 2026, and has been in the Michelin Guide since 2019. It was the first restaurant in the Highlands of Scotland to receive Four AA Rosettes (2022) and has been named Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Excellence Awards (2023) and by Visit Scotland (2024). The Good Food Guide rates it “exceptional,” and it appears in Harden’s Guide with a 5/5 cooking score. La Liste includes it among the top 500 restaurants in the world. This recognition underscores the restaurant’s mastery of Modern Cuisine, balancing tradition with innovation.
The restaurant’s awards reflect not just the quality of the cooking but the integrity of its sourcing and the vision of its chef. For those seeking a true taste of Skye, Edinbane Lodge offers an experience that is both grounded and refined.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Veer off the Portree to Dunvegan road in northern Skye to find the leafy little hamlet of Edinbane and what was, until 2017, a derelict 16th-century hunting lodge on a shaded riverbank. Converted into a restaurant with rooms by a young local chef, it is now one of the most talked-about kitchens on the island. The decor is traditional, cosy but understated design-wise, ranging from low-beamed ceilings, dark wood panelling and teal paintwork to tartan carpeting in muted hues and chocolate-brown leather chairs. The background music steers a similarly safe course, a medley for the middle-aged. The interiors might not make your pulse race, but the menu will. Immediately attention-grabbing is Calum Montgomery's focus on provenance. A separate sheet accompanying the 10-course taster lists the fishermen, foragers and crofters by name, many of whom are friends and family: Calum’s uncle Alasdair caught the hake and monkfish, while his cousin Peter MacAskill harvested the rope-grown mussels (served barbecued and topped with a silky potato mousse). The distance from producer to plate is noted too, with the wagyu beef from Perthshire the biggest schlep (198 miles). At our test meal, this arrived with truffle and red wine jus, plus a solitary chip-shaped, satisfyingly crunchy roast potato and carrot (puréed and pickled). Equally impressive was a giant scallop, hand-dived and plucked from the waters off the small island of Rona, meaty and tender, served on a smoky seaweed butter sauce laced with diced cucumber. An unexpected highlight was the bread course. The warm, steamed brioche with its sprinkling of crispy ham and chives was soft and moreish, smeared with an unctuous wild black-garlic butter, the herb gleaned from the lodge's grounds. Another wild picking, meadowsweet, features in the pre-dessert ice cream and is also one of the botanicals in the house gin, made by a local distillery. Even the 'handcrafted' tonic water, (from Walter Gregor in Aberdeenshire) has well-documented provenance. There's a wine flight matched to the tasting menu, of course, while the carefully curated list focuses on the Old World with nine by the glass – although the signature cocktails and local beers (try the Cuillin Brewery's Seaweed IPA) are every bit as noteworthy.
4 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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