8 YOURWEEKEND

Jane Cumming
discovers a rural
idyll where quality
is the key

ould you like to try a

piece of our chefs
sourdough bread?
What a fantastic way to be invited to
start a meal. And to be followed by our
waiter saying: It is made with
Windswepts Aurora beer and served
with seaweed-infused salt and fresh
butter.
Wow.
Not only do you know you have a chef
who is taking real pride in their kitchen,
but they are sourcing high-quality ingredients and showing great innovation in what they serve.
This is the level of skill I would expect
from a luxury city hotel or top restau-

THE PRESS AND JOURNAL

Thursday, June 4, 2015

YOURWEEKEND 9

THE PRESS AND JOURNAL

Thursday, June 4, 2015

FINE DINING IN A PERFECT LOCATION

TRAVEL

This is the level

of skill I would
expect from a
luxury city
hotel or top
restaurant

rant, but was surprised to find in a relatively small coaching inn, the Taynuilt
Hotel, Argyll.
Im not being snobbish when I say
that. I am well aware how hard it is for
proprietors of many of our smaller rural
retreats to maintain high-quality service when they just dont have the volume of visitors to guarantee the numbers necessary to produce freshly
prepared food consistently.
How can you survive if one day you
are catering for two men and a dog on
a walking holiday and the next for twodozen hungry, well-heeled diners occupying some of the most expensive stalking or fishing lodges in the world?
The current proprietors are striking a

good balance. The Taynuilt Hotel is a

traditional coaching inn with all the
features you would expect. Low ceilings, rooms leading off rooms, awkward
staircase, open fireplaces and quirky
sloping floors are all testament to the
age of the place.

With cheery displays of tulips on the

roadside, you would never mistake this
for a multinational chain hotel. But it
succeeds in providing a level of comfort
that most discerning travellers will appreciate, including a fabulous fourposter bed.

The room we stayed in faced the front

and was bright and spacious with a
good-sized shower in the bathroom. We
were only there one night, but it
had plenty of storage for a longer stay.
With Molton Brown toiletries and
good-quality towels and bed linen, I was

delighted with the standard of accommodation.

The Wi-Fi was easy to access
throughout the premises, which is often
important for the modern-day traveller.
We visited the hydro scheme at Cru-

achan and had a walk along the front at

Oban to whet our appetite as the restaurant has a great reputation.
Our evening meal was superb. As well
as the bread (did I tell you about the
fresh sourdough bread with seaweedinfused salt? Yes, I know I did, but it
deserves another mention) I was very
impressed with the menu. It had old
favourites like macaroni cheese and
meat pie which would keep the most
conservative of palates happy, but also
contained some contemporary dishes
to excite the most modern diner.
My husbands spiced tomato and
split-pea soup was fantastic. This was
no simple bowl of heartwarming fare,
but a zingy plateful of flavour that
danced on the tongue. I had duck-liver
pate. It was beautifully presented in a
tiny Kilner jar topped with clear jelly.
My husband had the burger for his
main course. Gourmet burgers are the
big thing these days, with chefs competing to outdo one another with the
complexity and intricacy of their creations. This was a big fat juicy burger
full of honest beef flavour and little nonsense. Served on a brioche bun with
chips, fresh tomato salsa and a salad, it
was just sublime.
I ordered the asparagus, heritage
tomato and edible flower salad. What a
picture of a dish. Every component was
as fresh and crisp as you would have
expected had you picked it from your
garden that morning. It had delicious
salty slivers of creamy Parmesan and

every mouthful was a delight. It seemed

light on the asparagus I found a few
thin shavings amongst the leaves, tomatoes and cheese, but they were more of
a garnish than the main event the description implied. However, Im being
picky as, overall, it was fantastic.
For dessert, I had a stunning apple
crumble with a genuinely crisp crumble
topping. My husband, however, chose
the homemade ice cream. He made a
wise choice. Again, we saw a professional kitchen showing attention to detail, creativity and skill in producing
perfect ice cream which would grace
any Michelin-starred city restaurant.
After such a fantastic meal, I wondered if I would ever eat again but, following a perfect nights sleep, I was
down for breakfast in the morning. I
could not quite face the full breakfast
my husband consumed, but my scrambled eggs and bacon were as good as
any Ive tasted.
The Taynuilt Hotel is a perfect location for touring beautiful Argyll and the
Inner Hebrides. It is an often overlooked part of Scotland, but this quality
of food and service deserves greater attention.
A superior room at the Taynuilt Hotel,
only 12 miles from Oban, is 95 per room
(not per person), including breakfast. The
chef is local and took over in December,
2012.
Taynuilt Hotel, Taynuilt, Argyll and
Bute PA35 1JN. Phone 01866 822437.