The story
The Three Chimneys in Portree has cultivated a distinctive approach to Scottish cuisine since its founding as a Colbost village shop. Joy MacAskill transformed the original building into a tea room in the 1960s, serving freshly landed lobster and mackerel to early visitors. Shirley and Eddie Spears acquired the property in 1985, growing the operation until international critics recognized the kitchen as a global benchmark. Paul Green now leads the team, applying rigorous techniques to modernize the established Highland recipes.
Paul Green approaches his menu with technical precision, stripping away unnecessary complexity so each ingredient speaks clearly. The kitchen sources most provisions from Scottish producers, focusing heavily on sustainable shellfish and island-reared game. Alder-smoked salmon paired with Bramley apple purée demonstrates how contrasting textures can coexist without masking primary flavors. Red deer cooked with elderberry sauce or Gigha-harvested halibut illustrates how Scottish cooking balances technique with raw material. Recent Very Good ratings from the Good Food Guide validate this consistent focus on provenance.
Dining rooms overlook the kitchen pass, where guests watch chefs plate courses against the backdrop of Loch Dunvegan. The interior features bespoke ash wood furniture crafted by Perthshire designer Angus Ross, whose tapered legs and visible joints echo traditional proportions. A communal Kitchen Table seats eight diners for a Chef’s Choice tasting menu accompanied by curated wine flights. Natural materials and expansive glazing keep the environment grounded in the surrounding landscape rather than striving for theatrical grandeur.
Recognition
Details
History
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
* Paul Green (ex-Driftwood Portscatho) has been appointed executive head chef to replace Scott Davies, who is now at the Old Manse of Blair in Perthshire.* In the far north-west of Skye, on the shores of Loch Dunvegan, stands a whitewashed cottage – one of the most far-flung restaurants in Britain. Remote it may be, but down the years the Three Chimneys has earned an unrivalled reputation for fine cuisine, ever since Shirley Spear arrived in the mid-80s to cook the kind of homely food she liked to eat herself. Its reputation grew under chef Michael Smith (now at Loch Bay) especially when its starry clientele, with no enthusiasm for the long and winding road to Colbost, found they could land their helicopters on the edge of the loch. Chef Scott Davies followed Smith in 2015 and has maintained – and arguably improved – the restaurant's reputation. Using Skye’s superb produce, he creates light, refreshing dishes with flavours that ought not to work, such as his alder-wood smoked salmon with Bramley apple purée or – wait for it – pickled herring ice cream. Suffice it to say that they work superbly. He has abandoned the popular seafood platter but there is no shortage of fish on offer: oysters, scorched langoustines and oyster mousse; a soothing smoked haddock raviolo with mussel and horseradish velouté; halibut (reared on the Isle of Gigha in low-density inshore tanks) – a beautiful fish, served with brown shrimps, tender autumn vegetables and a side dish of smooth whipped potato with an umami hit of ‘bacon jam’ lurking in the base. It's not all fish, however: red deer is generously served with a faggot, sausage, dumpling and elderberry sauce; partridge is roasted with honey and spices; a crisp tart is filled with foraged mushrooms. It's a celebration of wonderful Scottish produce. Davies' cooking is technical and rigorous but never overblown. He keeps his flavours pure so that everything tastes of itself yet retains traces of the satisfying, homely cooking that was Shirley Spear’s hallmark. As for wine, expect an intelligent list of carefully chosen bottles with the emphasis on provenance, quality and terroir. The limited-edition Three Chimneys gin and Isle of Raasay whisky are also worth a punt.
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