RURAL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Downright Gabbler in Beauly is 'a write good night'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
If you are looking to feed your belly, your soul and your mind, the Downright Gabbler in Beauly certainly serves it all in gastronomic and enthralling platefuls.
This novel restaurant provides locals and tourists the opportunity to learn more about Scottish culture and history, dining on fine Scottish food while being immersed in a storytelling experience.
Based in an old coaching inn dating back to the 1830s, it has been transformed by the Coutts family and is now the venue for a series of events each month with a focus on different aspects of Scottish heritage.
Fellow reporter Val Sweeney and I took up the invitation to go along to one of the events, A Write Good Night, focusing on Scotland’s rich tradition of storytelling and some of the people who contributed to our vast literary heritage.
We were welcomed into the elegant dining room, by the storytelling master himself, Garry Coutts, who knows how to spin a good yarn. His knowledge of all things Scottish literature would put even a philologist to shame.
His daughter Kirsty Coutts is a chef by trade, and is the culinary whizz behind the dishes, using Scottish ingredients, which are perfectly paired with the historical experience.
With a maximum of just 12 places, the dining room is cosy and intimate, creating a convivial atmosphere.
As the feast of stories and readings began, Garry discussed the beginnings of Scotland’s roots, and our long history as bards.
Giving us chance to digest his thought-provoking words, we were served our first dish of the evening – a classic haggis, neeps and tatties, with a twist.
The food was delicious, with the perfect spice in the haggis, paired with buttery mash and neeps - the perfect accompaniment for learning more about how we used oral means and written works to pass on knowledge, wisdom and tales from one generation to the next.
The next course, pan seared salmon with pea potato risotto and seasonal vegetables, which by some magic was decadent yet refreshing – and set us up for more metaphorical food for thought as Garry transported us forward a few hundred years to discuss the works of Scotland’s - or the world’s - best known poet, Rabbie Burns.
We also touched upon the works of Sir Walter Scott, and his career as a lawyer and a poet.
My favourite dish of the evening (or at any meal) is always dessert, so I was excited by Kirsty’s play on a ‘deconstructed’ Scottish teacake that elevated every element of the much-loved snack to Michelin star perfection.
While we devoured the confectionery treat before us, Garry took us on a journey of more recent authors such as Nan Shepherd, and Douglas Stewart’s Shuggie Bain.
Now, any dinner is best ended with a range of cheeses! And the team at Downright Gabbler, did not disappoint as we were served up a range of delightful local artisan cheeses and quince.
The evening can perhaps be described as guided culinary and literary tour with a unexpected and delectable discoveries along the way.
We were introduced to Mrs Oliphant, a prolific Victorian writer, who produced more than 100 novels after being widowed with three young children and an accumulation of debts, and Jessie Kesson, who was born in an Inverness workhouse and later went on to write novels and radio plays.
There is even an intriguing yarn lurking behind the venue's name, Downright Gabbler – the unkind label given to Scots-born activist Frances Wright, an exponent of female suffrage, and outspoken critic of slavery, who undertook a lecture tour in America in the 1820s. But that's a whole other story...
Speaking about the Downright Gabbler experience, Garry said: “My wife Jane and myself love doing food tours and experiences when we are travelling, so we thought why not bring it to the Highlands.
“We have such incredible local produce and such a rich history, that we thought it was a good idea to pair the two together.”
So if you are looking for a date idea, or a night out to wine and dine some business clients and want to avoid lots of small talk, then get yourself booked into the Downright Gabbler.
