Best of Scotland: Inside Bute Kitchen as island food and drink producers unite

Over 70% of the producers are led by female entrepreneurs, a fact that was celebrated on International Women’s Day this year. Isle of Bute Gin Distillery, Braw Liquor Club, Isle of Bute Coffee and the Isle of Bute Smokehouse are among the businesses challenging preconceptions about island living. Recently Highlands & Islands Enterprise provided funding for Bute Kitchen to train and retain hospitality talent, encourage the younger generation and support those looking to change careers or start their own business post-pandemic.

“What Bute Kitchen does is it provides an epicentre on Bute for people to collaborate and an opportunity for producers to get to trade shows, get to market and promote what they do. There’s the concept of farm to table producers but there is also the idea of making sure that service matches the produce so that covers the work we are doing in hospitality on the island” explains Cathleen Crichton-Stuart.

For the last two years, she has been involved with the collective through her work with the Isle of Bute Smokehouse, which changed name this year to attune with its strong island identity.

The oldest fish smoking kiln in Scotland sits in Rothesay, the largest town on the island and a holiday resort that’s rediscovering its relevance. Peter Barr founded the smokehouse in 1888, producing traditional kippers that were sent all over the world – there’s also a story that the west coast favourite made it to Queen Victoria’s breakfast table at Balmoral.

In the 1960s, the Ritchie family switched the focus of the business to smoked salmon. Following the Ritchie brothers’ retirement, the company was bought by Cathleen’s father, the late Marquess of Bute, and the smokehouse was extensively refurbished, building a food processing facility around the Barr kiln.

“The spirit of collaboration is extremely strong. I see that as a board member of Bute Kitchen but equally as one of the producers. It’s been uplifting to see the friendships and collaboration developing. We all want the Bute name, the island, to be associated with really high quality” Cathleen says.

The smokehouse continues a local tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. “The Barr family had a specific recipe that was used for dry curing and smoking fish. That same recipe was passed down to the Ritchie brothers. The Bute family bought the business off them about 11 years ago. My dad didn’t want that recipe to disappear. It’s lovely because the Ritchie family still come in at Christmas and help us at our busiest period” Cathleen says.

“Our head smoker, Alasdair, is really fantastic for the job, he’s an avid fisherman and passionate about what he does. One of the key differences between us and other smokehouses is that they use field drums to smoke the fish while we are one of the few that have a traditional kiln. We also use sugar in our cure as well as salt. The fish is hand-sliced and it really is an artisan product.”

The supply of fresh fish is brought over from Dunoon, practically close enough to see the smoke signals from Bute, “when the weather is wild it's easier with the ferry so we can always get our fish” Cathleen explains. “Kippers have been hard to get in the past 12 months, which is a problem everyone has had but hopefully that will be easier in future.

"The oak-smoked salmon and our smoked trout are our two core products. They are also my two favourites. I think it speaks to the quality of the process that the simplest product is the one that is hard to beat.”

Campbell MacFadyen is the development chef at Mount Stuart, the Gothic stately home that is a Bute tourist attraction and a showcase for local produce. He has been on the island for the last seven years and has seen how the passion of producers has revitalised local life.

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“Mount Stuart was a founding partner of Bute Kitchen and we have seen how we are stronger together than we are if we are trying to fight our battles alone” he says. “I think there’s some fantastic produce and a real drive from the producers to grow. I think this is going to be the year where we can really promote the local food and drink that we have.”

The house has 300 acres of gardens including a kitchen garden where the estate’s café sources fruit vegetables and herbs. “Our menu is produce-driven. It’s all about flavour and that’s what drives me. We can source a lovely bit of beef from a farm that’s two miles from my door, you are almost picking out your cow” Campbell says.

“Right now we are waiting for the spring lamb. Just this morning, the gardeners have appeared with a crate full of leeks so that will be turned into soups, tarts, quiches and whatever else. The milk and cream come in from farms just up the road. That’s what motivates us in the kitchen.”

“We plan ahead and we are driven by what’s ready during a particular season. We are already in discussions about what produce to grow next year, we are always looking ahead. If we are hosting a wedding at Mount Stuart I encourage the bride and groom to come and visit the garden and talk about the produce that we can put on the plate.”

We are now at the start of the season that Campbell most looks forward to as a chef: “The wild garlic has reared its head in the last fortnight, we’re not far from asparagus as well in Scotland. I’m one of the few chefs that is blessed with having a garden at their mercy and spring really drags you back into things after the winter.”

The small independent food and drink businesses that have sprouted around the edges on Bute have provoked a subtle renaissance in Rothesay and across the island, while giving new energy to the existing businesses that have weathered the peaks and troughs of tourist trends and food fads.

Macqueens of Rothesay opened as a butcher shop in 1976, Burnside Dexters has the longest established herd of Dexter cattle in Scotland and Zavaroni’s Café has been serving ice cream to visitors since 1920.

Adding to that, the Braw Liquor Club create locally sourced small batch cocktails, there’s cakes from Electric Bakery, Isle of Bute Gin is created with island botanicals, Spirit of Bute make whisky, local cheese is made with milk from Largievectrean Farm and Bute’s Fruits provide jams, chutneys and preserves. 

We are close to other west coast destinations that have boosted their food and drink credentials to match the impressive scenery – consider the proliferation of seafood restaurants at Loch Fyne, the artisan producers of Arran and sustainable fish farmers of Gigha.

Bute is not looking to compete for the summer scrum that descends on Skye or the convoy of motorhomes that arrive at Loch Lomond, but locals are ready to show a different side to the island. “I think the pandemic was an opportunity to come up with all these little ideas and make them happen” Campbell says. “I would encourage people to explore Bute, find the wee cafe and shops, take in the view at Ettrick Bay.”

Cathleen echoes the sentiment, saying “everything we make on the island has a story behind it” adding that her own favourite spot on Bute is Scalpsie Beach, “you look out towards Arran and you get beautiful views across to the mainland, you can do a loop out there and see a bit of the top to tail of Bute.

"There’s a signpost that I enjoy, it points in one direction to Rothesay and in the opposite direction to Rothesay. No matter what, you always know where you are going.”

This feature was published in Best of Scotland, free monthly with The Herald on Sunday and Sunday National newspapers. Read the latest edition here.