Slow Food Highland Dining and Storytelling in Inverness
Overview
Available languages
2 hours
Mobile ticket
Scotland Food and Drink selected my experience as one of the best fifty Food and Drink Experiences in 2025, and I am delighted because it is important for guests visiting the Highlands to eat the best of what the region has to offer, incorporated into traditional recipes, and I can guarantee a thoroughly Highland experience. The Cleikum Social Eating Club has been modelled on the Cleikum referred to in Sir Walter Scott’s “St. Ronan’s Well”, and who did more than the latter to introduce the Highlands for romantic destination travel?
I was born and brought up in Inverness, and am enthusiastic about the visiting potential of this area, and know it well.
I was a hostess/guide in the observation car of the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh during the summer season when I was at University. I provided a running commentary during the journey, and helped travellers with suggestions on where to eat on arrival, what they should see in the area, and information on the Isle of Skye.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Dinner
Private transportation
Wine and Whisky Pairings available.
What To Expect
Taste your way around the Highlands, enjoying food that is good for you, good for those who grow or rear it, and good for the planet. I aim to safeguard "forgotten foods", the recipes you only find in real family cookbooks. The first thing to remember is that I'm not about "putting dots" on plates, I'm about real home cooking, typical food that is strongly characterised by local culture and history. The food that families cooked for generations, that tell stories and represent the true culture of a place.
Sample Menu
starter
Partan Bree
A rich, creamy crab soup: Partan means crab, and bree means liquid.
dessert
Cranachan
“The uncontested King of Scottish Desserts”: cream and seasonal raspberries, Scottish honey, oatmeal and Whisky.
Options
Slow Food Highland Dining and Storytelling in Inverness
Reviews
23 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Karen rocks it!
Greg d,
Aug 13, 2025
- Viator
5.00Karen. was a joy of a host and her food was plentiful and uniquely good. She is very facile with Scottish and Italy/French cuisines and went out of her way to pair the elements. MAKE SURE to take the wine pairings as well. Very fair value. Very cozy setting. Loved out time there!!
Extremely poor customer service: beware of unadvertised extra charges!
Jason B,
Sep 30, 2024
- Viator
1.00The experience itself was fine, good food and good conversation. The problem we had was when we were finished, Karen requested we pay an additional $40 per person for wine. This was a surprise to us as there was nowhere in the experience description that we would be charged extra. When I politely questioned this charge, Karen insisted that it was “implied” so I should have known. She then went on to say that I was the first person to ever bring this up and that we had stayed for an extra 30 minutes at her home (timing of which we had no control over). Her demeanor in handling our inquiry felt very rude and unprofessional, as there was no reason to make us feel as though it was our fault for asking about this. (I did not demand a refund, I only asked politely if she would consider refunding the add-on charges.) Therefore I would not recommend this experience, as Karen appears to not care about her customers. We were disappointed that she went out of her way to provide such rude customer service, rather than simply acknowledging this charge wasn’t clear in the listing and perhaps updating it so others will understand in the future.
Truly Special Dining Experience
Katie B,
Sep 14, 2024
- Viator
5.00Absolutely loved every minute of this dinner with Karen — truly, this was the highlight of our trip. An easy and fun conversation with so many great stories shared over an amazing Scottish meal. 20/10 would recommend to anyone and everyone.
Very disappointed
Eve R,
Sep 13, 2024
- Viator
1.00Very disappointed, not value for the money we paid, either the food or the environment We had muscle soup and bread for starters followed by mackeral and potatoes with cranockan for pudding, only water to drink( although we did say we didn't want wine) and were not offered coffee and there was no story telling. This is the opinion of my friend who I went with and myself
Excellent food with entertaining host
Elizabeth A,
Sep 9, 2024
- Viator
5.00Karen is an amazing host , highly recommend this experience. She told us stories that brought the food to life and made every bite a part of the journey . The food itself is worth the price of admission but Karen’s story telling skills were the cherry on top.
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