Undiscovered Scotland

 

As you would expect at a hotel of this size, there are a number of dining options at the Craigellachie Hotel available to staying guests and other in need of sustenance. You can read our hotel review for the Craigellachie Hotel here.

Light meals and snacks are served in the Quaich Bar throughout the day. There is also a range of options available for those wishing to dine privately, whether for a family occasion or a business function. There are a number of function rooms and one of them, the Spey Room, is ideal for private dining. This is found on the main floor and has views out over the valley of the River Spey. It can accommodate 15-20 for small functions or private dining.

The core of the dining experience, however, is the Ben Aigen Restaurant, named after a nearby hill and on the lower ground floor of the hotel. This is subdivided into a number of separate rooms, which offers great flexibility and allows private dining to take place within the restaurant. The restaurant has considerable character, something assisted by the bare stone walls which have been left exposed in places. Access between the main floor and restaurant on the lower ground floor is via stairs or via a detour that takes you outside the hotel.

The hotel seeks to source the best Scottish ingredients for use in its menus. These include Aberdeen Angus beef; Cabrach lamb; local game; seafood and shellfish from the Moray Firth; and salmon from local rivers.

The lunch menu offers a choice of cold starter including salads and sandwiches. The hot main course can include the choice of traditional fish and chips, an omelette, or a seafood salad amongst others. A choice between four sweets completes the meal. Or, of course, you can opt for a single course from either the hot mains or cold starters menus.

The dinner menu tends to offer around six choices for each of the three courses. So you might opt for a starter of haggis neeps and tatties with whisky cream; or a smoked salmon tartare with celeriac aioli. Main course options when we visited included a casserole of Glenlivet venison and a tenderloin of pork with Parma ham.

Breakfast is served in the Ben Aigen Restaurant. Starter buffet course options include continental breakfast, meats, cheeses, fruits, cereals and yoghurts. Croissants and pain au chocolate are also on the menu. The buffet during our stay was in a neighbouring room and was well laid out with plenty of choice. Main course options included kippers, haddock, smoked salmon or the full cooked breakfast (or any parts of it) complete with eggs cooked to your taste. You can read our hotel review for the Craigellachie Hotel here.