We had a day off during the week, and went to meet friends for lunch at The Whitehouse, in Lochaline. We went across on the ferry from Fishnish as foot passengers, and walked up the hill to the restaurant which adjoins the village shop and post office.
The Whitehouse is not a big restaurant so it is advisable to book. Our lunch was really delicious. I would not make a good restaurant reviewer as I cannot remember what all the dishes were, but what was wonderful was that the provenance was there – the lamb which Farmer had came from a croft a mile or so from the village, the herbs and flowers for my Whitehouse Kailyard were picked outside the restaurant door!
Farmer had this as a starter, it was Venison Bresaola. He said it was very very good.
This was the Best end of lamb from the croft up the road.
Locally hand dived scallops.
This was my ‘Whitehouse Kailyard’ – a gratin of potatoes and Mull blue cheese, under lovely steamed veggies with beautiful herbs and flowers on top. It tasted as good as it looked! A kailyard is a Highland term for the area where a crofter or cottager would have grown their vegetables, their kail. I call the stonewalled area in the Haunn gardens the kailyard, the stone walls protecting what was growing from the browsing livestock.
Finally, Farmer’s pudding which was a baked whisky cheesecake with rhubarb, and a flavoured ice cream (I can’t remember what flavour though!)
You could combine a visit to the Whitehouse with a little explore around Morvern. About 10 years ago, the membership of Holiday Mull were invited by the Sunart Oakwoods Initiative to spend a day discovering the woodland and wildlife of the Morvern peninsular. It was a lovely spring day, and we were taken to several interesting places, including a wildlife reserve just off the main road in and out of Lochaline – ideal for a stop off on your way to the ferry, and a wildlife hide near Salen, which is right on the loch, and apparently a great place for spotting otters. We had lunch in the community tearoom at Acharacle, heated by wood chip!
