Journal

On a sunny morning in May, I crossed bustling London to arrive at Heathrow Airport - excited to escape my beloved home city for a few days.  It was a quick flight to Aberdeen, with a smiley driver standing ready to meet me at the airport exit.  As soon as we began the drive to Glen Dye, one of the luxury hotels in the Cairngorms national park, it was impossible to escape the vibrant yellow of blooming flowers on the gorse which ran alongside almost every road - interspersed with fields of muscular Aberdeen Angus cattle. 

I was welcomed by the owners, Charlie and Caroline Gladstone, and quickly handed some fresh lunch, a cold drink and ushered to a chair to watch the fantastic chef Gill Meller demonstrate open wood fire cooking.  Using fresh, local ingredients - including the biggest scallops I’ve ever seen - he expertly prepared a meal over the fire in front of our eyes.  The importance of using all of your senses: touch over the fire to feel the temperature, see the colours of the embers, hear the sizzle of the oil to know when it’s ready for ingredients, smell the food as it’s cooking to know it’s ready - this was not an exact science, but instead using instincts, experience and the confidence to give it a try - which can result in the ultimate satisfaction (in my opinion!). 

Then it was time to explore - I wandered around the grounds listening to the birdsong and the water trickling along the River Dye, which runs through the 15,000 acre private estate.  I sat in an idyllic spot on a mossy rock by the river, rolled up my pants and dipped my toes into the flowing water.  I felt connected to nature, a world away from the hectic day-to-day city life I am accustomed to - it was very, very, peaceful. 

The Woodshed

The sun continued to shine as the evening drew in, where we watched a local band play just outside the Woodshed, which is the main space at Glen Dye.  From whisky tasting, to yoga, to seasonal feasts, or even private film screenings, the Woodshed is a hugely flexible room and even has a professional kitchen, so the culinary options are endless.  Large wooden dining tables were placed in the neatly decorated room and personalized handwritten menus were on each plate - with dietary requirements clearly taken into consideration with care.  A wonderful three course meal was introduced by the chef, Gill Meller, who explained the process of slow cooking the local, Scottish venison, or oyster mushrooms for the non-meat eaters, as well as the seasoned vegetables and sweet dessert.  By the time the meal was fully devoured, it was time to either head to the on-site cozy pub, The Glen Dye Arms for a night cap, or get snuggled up into bed. 

Wreath Making

Out on the grass, there were long wooden tables set up ready for a foraged floral wreath workshop. Bags full of yellow flowering Scottish Broom, which I had thought was gorse, but Jill Ritchie, a local florist who ran the session quickly let us know otherwise.  With a clear passion for all things flora, she used bendy cherry branches and wire to create a wreath in moments, filling it out with lush evergreen twigs, Broom flowers, moss and a whole lot of creativity.  Then it was my turn.  Using all of the local flowers and greenery - some of it cut off the trees in front of our eyes - it was wonderful to see how every individual created something so different with the same tools.  Proudly, we displayed the wreaths on the fence, happy to have made something with our own hands.  

Another delicious meal followed, prepared by Xanthe Ross, from her debut cookbook.  Sitting out on the grass in the sunshine, with a glass of wine, or a gorse cocktail, or a spring water, tucking into a hearty tomato and burrata rigatoni dish, with poached pears to follow was a real delight.