PAME L A B R UNTON INVER IN LOCH F YNE , SCOT L AND
To open a restaurant in a remote location requires confidence. To open in a remote spot offering fine dining with locally produced and foraged foods requires self-belief — lots of it. But aſter eight years running Inver, their restaurant with rooms, chef Pamela Brunton and partner Rob Latimer are booked up weeks, even months, ahead for their six stylish cabins that come with a breakfast hamper stuffed with inventive freshly baked pastries. There are views over the loch and Old Castle
Lachlan through the restaurant’s windows, which run its length, while the homey, Scandi-chic interior provides a relaxed backdrop to Pamela’s elegant plates. “It used to serve fish and chips,” laughs Pamela,
who first spotted the building on a cold and grey November day. “We loved the sense of light and space, and the connection to the landscape. We had been looking for our own place in Scotland for a few years before we saw this, and I said if this isn’t it, then I don’t know where is,” she recalls. Born on the East Coast of Scotland in
Carnoustie, Pamela worked her way around various top kitchens, including Sweden’s Fäviken, squeezing in a Masters in Food Policy along the way “to help me understand better what was going
on with food and the environment.” Her education paid off, as Inver boasts a Michelin Green star. As well as building a network of local suppliers,
she forages for some ingredients herself, turning out dishes such as langoustine and sorrel, and courgette, Corra Linn and meadowsweet. Pamela credits the landscape and her proximity to the water as a key inspiration. Her produce highlights include lamb and
beef from native breeds that graze on west coast beaches, and various types of seaweed — to flavour sauces and condiments, fried as a garnish, and added to seawater biscuits for cheese. “A big part for us is telling the story of where
we are,” explains Pamela. A new dish features a fermented barley pancake modelled on a traditional Scottish bannock, but there are plenty of more exotic ingredients incorporated too, such as black limes and Indian spices. “We’re not trying to be a Scottish historical
theme restaurant — we have a very inclusive approach to ingredients and flavours. I believe Scotland is a country that has learned a lot from the world, and from our immigrant culture,” Pamela says. Roll on her first cookbook, due to be published next year.
inverrestaurant.co.uk
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Inver gorse martini; Eassie Farm asparagus, buttered egg yolk and flax; dining room at Inver
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nationalgeographic.com/travel
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