A weekend at a caravan at Nairn bizarrely found us at a remote pub on the Black Isle after a recommendation from friends.
A lovely Sunday drive following the scenic Moray Firth and over the Kessock Bridge and we arrived in Culbokie, a small village just 12 miles from Inverness and three-and-a-half miles from Dingwall. Culbokie means “the haunted nook” and the Culbokie Inn is easy to spot on the main street sandwiched between a few houses.
We parked around the back, which commands fantastic views across the Cromarty Firth, Ben Wyvis and beyond. In the better weather, there are a few tables where you can have a drink outside admiring the glorious countryside, but despite being late spring, it was rather chilly, so this wasn’t an option for us that day.
Stepping through the back door in to the public bar, we were greeted like long-lost friends, the friendly staff and locals inquiring where we had come from and making us feel immediately at home.
The bar also accepts dogs, so our cocker spaniel, Olly, promptly found his ideal spot beside the roaring log fire. The owners, Anne and Duncan, are relatively new, having taken over the inn just over two years ago, and it’s a family affair as their daughters also help to run the place, while “Grannie” even hones her home-baking skills, making the most delicious tablet that is served with the coffees.
Anne and Duncan also own a nearby farm, so a lot of the produce and meat is sourced from right there on the Black Isle, so it is as fresh as can be.
A small blackboard on the bar features that day’s specials, and after spotting roast beef with all the trimmings and apple crumble on it, I didn’t even need to look at the menu, my mind was made up.
Others in our company deliberated over the menu, which had a really good variety of courses including Moray Firth fish pie, curries, steaks and macaroni cheese. Meals are served in the dining room, which is more modern than the traditional public bar, with white walls, wooden floors and contemporary tables and high-backed leather chairs. It is just a pity that the windows overlook the road rather than the amazing views that are quite wasted from the car park.
Dogs are not permitted in the dining room, but the staff were only too happy to look after Olly in the public bar while we dined; great service indeed.
For starters, my husband opted for the haggis, neeps and tatties with a whisky sauce, while our friends ordered homemade nachos to share. My husband devoured the haggis and found the sauce a delicious accompaniment without overpowering the flavour of the haggis.
And it sure was a wise decision to share the nachos. Served with sour cream, guacamole and topped with melted cheese, this generous portion was polished off in record time. My mouth was watering at the divine aromas wafting from the kitchen, and I was delighted when my plate arrived.
Wonderful slabs of tender melt-in-the mouth roast beef under a blanket of thick gravy, roast potatoes, perfect fluffy on the inside while crunchy on the outside, Yorkshire puddings, and vegetables, all culminated in one of the best Sunday dinners I have ever had (sorry mum if you are reading this).
Around the table my fellow diners were all enjoying their main courses, the majority opting for the roast beef like myself. Hubbie gave his Hunters Chicken a big thumbs up; a juicy, tender breast of chicken wrapped in bacon, smothered in a tasty and generous amount of barbecue sauce and topped with melted cheese.
As previously mentioned, I already noticed apple crumble on the menu, and nothing else was going to sway me, while others at the table ordered the sticky toffee pudding.
The home-made crumble had just the perfect amount of fruit-to-crumble ratio and was served with a light creamy custard. It brought me right back to Sunday dinners when I was younger, simple but oh so delicious. Later, reunited with Olly, we relaxed in the bar with our coffees and Grannie’s calorie-laden tablet, wishing we could have stayed there all day.
The Culbokie Inn may not be a high-class establishment of fine dining, but for uncomplicated home cooking, the warmest of welcomes and a car park with spectacular, views it is definitely worth a visit.