Susan Welsh, The Press and Journal and Mary Cowie, Captain's Galley

Jim and Mary Cowie, owners of the Captain’s Galley in Scrabster, opened their business in 2002 with a clearly defined ambition – excellent service combined with top-quality local produce.  The accolades and awards gathering on their window sill are proof that their formula for success works well for this Caithness restaurant.

Jim and Mary who are Sutherland born and bred have lived in Caithness for 33 years, spent three years sympathetically renovating the  historic lichen clad old Scrabster Salmon Bothy and Ice House, retaining as much of its original character as possible. A quiet mid-week opening night soon gave way to a bustling restaurant with a strong local following. 

Jim takes up the story: “With a sound business background giving a solid foundation to build from, it was a case of giving the business time to develop. We wanted our restaurant to be a place where people could enjoy the excellent quality of seafood we knew was available in the area. In line with our ethical and environmental policies, all our main ingredients are sourced from within a 50 mile radius of the restaurant – and take my word for it we’re spoiled for choice! Tonight we are offering lobster, king scallops, queen scallops, langoustines and (spoots) razor clams – and that’s just the shellfish.”

Jim has worked in the fishing industry all his life (experiencing many of its various facets during his career). Together with Mary’s nursing background, meaning she is very much a people’s person and customer focused, this has stood them in good stead when developing the Captain’s Galley. Extensive travel throughout his career has given Jim the opportunity to experience some of the very best eateries around the world and provided inspiration for the development of their own restaurant.

Jim explains: “Our business is customer-driven. Every evening, without exception, our customers are able to read on the menu exactly where all our seafood and meat have been sourced – down to the name of the boat that caught the fish, or farm, croft or estate for the meat. We also believe that consistency is essential in building trust between supplier and customer alike. If someone visits our restaurant, we want to make sure that every subsequent visit – be it in one week or one year – is at least as good, if not better.”

A top restaurant is nothing without its customers though, and Jim is quick to recognise this: “Our business enjoys fantastic support from our local customers, and this is both appreciated and really important for us – not least because it enables us to remain open all the year round. We regularly cater for birthdays, engagements, retirements, and we have now hosted our first wedding. We enjoy excellent support from the corporate sector too. We have always strived to keep the essence of our business and what we wanted to achieve – a small restaurant, the kind of place where we would like to eat in ourselves, serving the best local produce available each day and according to the season.

For Jim and Mary winning awards is not just about collecting accolades, however: the awards bring a very valuable contribution to many aspects of the business and are all important in their own special way. “Its been really great for us to win the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Award for the Taste of the Highlands & Islands Restaurant of the Year because it recognises the commitment, importance and effort we place in sourcing local produce and, in turn, offering much needed support to small and medium local producers, We also really appreciate the recognition that this and other awards have brought for the business,” explains Jim. “The awards offer a potential level of publicity that is difficult for small businesses to afford. For example, there without question an increase in the number of people planning their trip to the north highlands around a visit to the restaurant. And internet bookings have skyrocketed this season.”

Jim is well aware that running the restaurant is a team effort. He explains: “As well as the initial publicity, winning an award boosts staff morale in a way no words from an employer can do. And it’s great for team building as each award is rewarding all our employees for their respective roles in the business. In our case, we also thank our local suppliers whenever we win an award – our restaurant depends on their wonderful products. We work closely with many local producers and, as well as benefiting from their wealth of knowledge, we’ve made countless new friends who in turn we often welcome as customers in the Captain’s Galley!”

Website: http://www.captainsgalley.co.uk