Duck’s at Kilspindie have a simple code when it comes to cooking and hospitality, producing fresh flavoursome locally sourced food with a warm welcome and ensuring a relaxing stay. Both the Aberlady Restaurant menu and the food served in the bar have won accolades from regular customers and the industry.

East Lothian has many local suppliers giving the hotel easy access to lobster, asparagus, leeks, crab, honey and fresh eggs delivered daily from Gosford Estate three minutes down the road. Kilspindie also believe that good wine, beer and whisky are essential ingredients to a fine dining experience, and this is reflected in their range of award-winning wines and whiskies.

Kilspindie House Hotel is the ideal base for exploring all that Edinburgh and Lothian have to offer – beautiful countryside, sandy beaches and historic buildings. The hotel is also close to a variety of attractions including 19 golf courses within 15 minutes of the hotel. Kilspindie’s chef, Johnny Dunbar, started his career in East Lothian before moving away to learn his trade. He has a wealth of knowledge of local suppliers and tries to keep the food seasonal, local and simple. The hotel has 26 rooms, a private dining room, function room and conference and wedding facilities.

During the winter months there is a big focus on food, with rooms for an overnight stay around £20 if guests eat in the restaurant. This offer runs from mid-October to mid-April.

Seared scallops, runny black pudding, braised chicory & pancetta dressing

Ingredients

12 king scallops

12 pea shoots

50g diced butter

Salt and pepper

Runny black pudding

Ingredients

250g diced black pudding

450ml chicken stock

Knob of butter

Salt and pepper

Method

Bring chicken stock to the boil and simmer, melt butter over a low heat, add black pudding and cook until black pudding has softened. Transfer to a liquidiser, add a small amount of chicken stock and liquidise adding more stock until consistency of thick double cream. Check seasoning, keep warm.

Braised chicory Ingredients

1 head of chicory, quartered

100g butter

50ml white wine

50ml water

Salt and pepper

Method

In a shallow baking tray melt the butter and add the chicory, season, allow to colour lightly. Add the wine and water and place in a hot oven. After 5 minutes turn the chicory and baste with the cooking liquor. The chicory is ready when core is tender. Keep warm.

Pancetta dressing

Ingredients

35g sliced smoked pancetta

100ml olive oil Juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Method

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a hot pan and add the pancetta. Move the pancetta around the pan to ensure even cooking. When the pancetta is taking on the appearance of crispy bacon add the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil and remove from heat. Allow to cool then add the herbs and season well.

To cook the scallops and assemble the dish, place a sauté pan on a high heat with a drizzle of oil. Season the scallops and place in the pan, moving in a clockwise direction. Do not move the pan about. After 45 seconds turn over the first scallop in the pan and continue turning in a clockwise direction. After 30 seconds add the diced butter allow to foam then remove the pan from the heat.

Spoon the melted butter over each scallop. Place the chicory on the plate followed by three circles of runny black pudding. Sit a scallop on top of the black pudding. Spoon the pancetta dressing over the chicory and top each scallop with a pea shoot.

Wild boar burger, celeriac and apple remoulade & quail’s egg

Wild boar burger

Ingredients

400g minced wild boar

2 shallots finely diced

1 tablespoon choped flat leaf parsley

1 teaspoon chopped sage

Salt and pepper

Shisu cress for garnish

Method

Sauté the shallot till softened without colour, allow to cool.

Mix all the ingredients, season well.

Cook off a small amount, taste and adjust seasoning.

Split mix into 4 and shape into burger

Celeriac and apple remoulade

Ingredients

1 medium sized celeriac peeled and shredded

3 granny smith apples peeled, cored and shredded

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon creamed horseradish

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely sliced chives

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and check seasoning

Method

To cook and assemble the dish, heat a pan over a high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the boar burgers, ensuring good colour on each side. Using two spoons quenelle the remoulade and place on the left side of the plate. Fry four quail’s eggs. Place the burger in the centre of the plate with the egg to its right. Garnish the top of the remoulade with shisu cress.

Organic salmon, potatoes. saffron potatoes, courgettes, baby fennel, mussels & salsify

Ingredients

4 180g fillets of organic salmon, scaled and pin boned

16 barrel shaped potatoes

1g saffron strands

8 bulbs of baby fennel

16 barrel shaped pieces of salsify

3 yellow courgettes cut into ribbons using a peeler

3 green courgettes cut into ribbons

20 large mussels

1 finely sliced shallot

100ml white wine

400ml fish stock

100ml double cream

50g diced butter

1 table spoon finely sliced chives

16 sprigs chervil

Salt and pepper

Method

In a saucepan cover the potatoes with cold water, add the saffron and a hefty pinch of salt, bring to the boil, simmer for 4 minutes, remove from heat and allow the potatoes to cool in the saffron liquor. Heat a saucepan, add the mussels, shallots and white wine. When the mussels start to open remove them from the pan, reserve the liquor.

Blanch the fennel and salsify in salted water. Refresh in iced water. Pass the mussel liquor through a fine sieve, add to the fish stock and cream and reduce by half. To cook the salmon and assemble the dish, gently bring the potatoes back up to heat taking care not to over cook. Season the salmon fillets and in hot non stick pan with a little oil place skin side down. Do not move the pan around.

In boiling salted water reheat the fennel and salsify with the courgette ribbons. Remove, drain and toss in a little butter. Season and keep warm. Whisk the remaining butter into the reduced stock. Do not boil.

Remove the mussels from their shells and add to the sauce. Check the seasoning. When the salmon is three quarters cooked turn it over and remove the pan from the heat. There is enough heat in the pan to finish cooking.

To serve Place the courgette ribbons in the centre of the plate and arrange the potatoes, fennel and salsify around the outside. Place the salmon fillet on top of the courgette, spoon the sauce and mussels over the vegetables. Place a chervil sprig on each potato.

field facts

Duck’s at Kilspindie House Hotel, Main Street, Aberlady, East Lothian EH 32 ORE. Tel: 01875 870 682, email: kilspindie@ ducks.co.uk www.ducks.co.uk