Café Cùil

From hand-dived scallops to hand-rolled tattie scones, Café Cùil’s Scottish fare was an immediate hit with locals when it first opened in Hackney, East London, in 2020. But just five weeks later, the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the world, and Clare was devastated to have to close the café’s doors. Moving back home to Skye to see out lockdown, she reconnected with the land and its abundant produce, rediscovering her love for the island. ‘It was then I decided that Café Cùil was coming home, and I found a much better, bigger and brighter premises on Skye,’ Clare explains. 

The setting lies at the heart of the café’s menu, which evolves with the island’s seasons. ‘This inspires us to keep an eye out for what’s available around us,’ says Clare. ‘Every week, our team forages for ingredients — whether gorse flowers, wild garlic, meadowsweet, or wild mushrooms.’ Her favourite dish to cook during autumn and winter is chanterelles with miso butter and hazelnut pesto. ‘The mushrooms have an earthy flavour like no other, and can only be hand-foraged, which makes them extra special.’ 

Clare is rightfully proud of the relationships she has with Café Cùil’s local suppliers. ‘My shellfish supplier, Calum, will drop off lobsters and langoustines to the door and only ever speaks to me in Gaelic, which I love!’ Indeed, Cùil (pronounced koo-il) is Scottish Gaelic for ‘cosy nest’ or ‘nook’. ‘That is the vibe I wanted to create in the café. 

And as a fluent Gaelic speaker, I have always wanted to use my business as a platform to celebrate my Highland heritage. We even have bilingual menus to encourage visitors to embrace Gaelic!’ 

The cosy space is filled with sheepskin rugs and local artwork, and flooded with natural light from huge windows overlooking Loch Harport. ‘We’re incredibly lucky here at Café Cùil to be right by the sea, just outside the village of Carbost and only minutes from some of Skye’s most famous landmarks — including the Fairy Pools, the Cuillin mountains and Talisker Distillery.’ 

If a visit isn’t on the cards, Clare’s new book, 'Café Cùil Cookbook: Recipes from the Isle of Skye,' allows you to indulge in some delicious armchair travel. A celebration of modern Scottish food culture, the book tells the story of what it’s like to live and cook on the west coast of Scotland and features the best of the café’s recipes over the years. Whether it’s spicy lobster rolls or Skye sea salt brownies, every dish is packed with local flavour. 

Clare is part of a wave of eateries reshaping Skye’s culinary landscape. ‘It means the world to be running a restaurant back on the island,’ she enthuses. ‘The community is very supportive of young people moving home and starting businesses — we need more of it.’ If more homegrown talent were to follow in Clare’s footsteps, the future of island dining could be very tasty indeed.

Words: Rosie Steer // Photography: Clair Irwin & Lynne Kennedy