Feb 2009. East Scotland award - 'Silver service at Glamis Castle'
The Victorian Kitchen Restaurant at Glamis Castle is celebrating its achievement in becoming the first visitor attraction in Scotland to receive the highly respected ‘Silver’ in the Eat Scotland Awards.
Created by the country’s tourist board, Visit Scotland, the purpose of the Eat Scotland awards is to identify the eating places that show innovation in the fare offered and to single out for praise those that deliver food and service of the highest quality. Glamis Castle exceeded the standard in many areas and was congratulated in particular for its efforts to serve locally supplied fresh produce, as well as its commitment to promoting regional specialties such as the Forfar Bridie and Arbroath Smokie.
Glamis favourite dish; the Forfar Bridie, “a meal in itself” is not dissimilar to a Cornish Pastie containing a rich filling of Scotch Beef, home grown onions and some well kept secret ingredients to make a wholesome and tasty winter warmer all served with potato and leek mash, the leeks freshly picked from the Castle Garden.
The judges comments included: “The Victorian Kitchen Restaurant within Glamis Castle has an historical ambiance, which is further enhanced by the local countryside and historical figures adorning the walls. The old copper pots and pans, along with black iron ranges and ovens ... give an insight into how an original Victorian kitchen would have looked. The food (was) of a very good standard and the staff (were) friendly and efficient.”
David Adams, general manager at Glamis Castle, pointed out: ‘Hospitality is a Glamis tradition and the eating experience is as important as the warmth of welcome we offer our guests. Good, local and authentic food served by people who genuinely care goes a long way to creating a memorable visit. We are obviously thrilled that the Victorian Kitchen Restaurant is recognised in such a way.’
The Victorian Kitchen is run by Prestige Scotland, the company behind much of the great food served in Scotland every day. The company has also previously received recognition from Eat Scotland for its work at Blair Castle.
Alyson Cawley, Managing Director of Prestige Scotland, commented, “We’re exceptionally proud of Glamis Castle and the team at The Victorian Kitchen Restaurant. They work incredibly hard to keep their menus current, using new and traditional produce sourced locally and responsibly. We have very talented chefs in Scotland and for our team at Glamis to be recognised by this prestigious award is an exceptional achievement.