Food Heaven in Royal Deeside

There’s no slight of hand or sorcery used in conjuring up the fabulous flavours served up in one of the Cairngorms National Park’s most renowned restaurants – it’s the abundance of fine natural ingredients that inspires Chef Maciej Jarworski to create magic on a plate.

Living and working in Royal Deeside, Maciej (pronounced ‘Magic’), head chef at the Loch Kinord Hotel, is surrounded by an abundance of seasonal produce which provides both the inspiration and the natural flavours in his menus.

Diners have come to expect the best in food experiences at Loch Kinord in Royal Deeside, with the small Victorian hotel boasting an AA Rosette and Taste of Scotland approval. It’s also winner of Small Country Hotel in North-east of Scotland and was shortlisted in The Scottish Hotel Awards.

As you might expect of a small hotel set in an area of Scotland that is home to some of the finest quality raw ingredients and top-quality food innovators, fresh local produce including meat, game and fish to locally grown, seasonal vegetables, is the speciality.

“It’s a beautiful area and I love it here” says Maciej (39). “Deeside offers the very best in great produce. It’s big on game, we have Aberdeen Angus cattle, a breed that is known the world over, grazing in the fields around us and we have some great local suppliers, like Cambus O May cheeses.

“We only have to look to Aberdeen for fresh fish from the sea, and we have quality seasonal fruit and vegetables all year round.”

Arriving in Deeside in January 2012, Maciej was struck by the beauty of the area, and he’s not the only one.

Its a la carte all home-made, Maciej explains: “The menu has a distinctly Scottish feel, and you might find venison and rabbit terrine, local haggis truffles, and home cured gravadlax to start with followed by Venison with chocolate jus, Roasted Rack of Lamb or locally foraged mushroom risotto .

“There might be whisky and orange bread and butter pudding, cranberry crème brûlée or a selection of Scottish artisan cheeses to finish with.

“Freshly cooked, uncomplicated cuisine that’s easy on the palate means local flavours always shine through.

“In this area we can get the freshest of produce and we have a close relationship with our growers and suppliers. We are just five minutes to the farms, five minutes to the cheese producers, and are close to the estates where the game comes from. There’s a real relationship from farm or supplier to plate, and that’s an important part of how things are done here in Deeside.”

Make sure you do book ahead to reserve a table at Loch Kinord. The hotel is also part of Scotland’s Food Trail. http://www.scotlandsgallerytrail.com/scotlandsfoodtrail/

Maciej has given us a delicious sounding Chocolate Fondant recipe this month. We can’t wait to give it a try.

Chocolate Fondant

Makes 8

Ingredients

300g Dark Chocolate                           130g Plain Flour

250g Butter                                          5 Yolks

250g Sugar                                           4 Eggs

8 moulds/rings

Method

1 Melt Chocolate and Butter

2 Add eggs, yolks and sugar

3 Sieve the flour in the end and mix

4 Pipe into lined rings or buttered moulds fill up about ¾ up

5 Bake at 175 -180 degrees for 9-10 min

6 let sit for 2 min before de-moulding

For more foodie finds in the Cairngorms National Park check out http://visitcairngorms.com/toeatdrinkandshop