The Stein Inn is Skye’s oldest pub, but in recent years has had a new lease of life due to owner Charlie Haddock.
I sat down with Charlie, who says she swapped stilettos and corporate ladder climbing for Crocs and a kitchen, but she “wouldn’t have it any other way”.
‘Real life turned out better than fairytale,’ says inn owner Charlie
Charlie Haddock’s story reads like the script of a Hallmark movie.
She was a London executive, her partner was a celebrity chef.
Together they uprooted their lives to turn around the fortunes of an old Scottish inn discovered during a wild camping trip.
But unlike the saccharine outcome of a made-for-TV drama, Charlie’s fairytale ending is less about romance and more about hard work, determination and injecting her whole self into every aspect of running Skye’s oldest hotel, The Stein Inn.
Oh and spoiler alert… she’s absolutely nailing it.
Not only does the mum-of-two serve 100 covers a night at the Waternish restaurant, but the only celebrities now seen at The Stein are the Hollywood A-listers and culinary stars who keep coming back time and again.
‘When the going got tough, I stayed and worked’
It’s in the lull between turning around the bedrooms of her inn, and evening dinner service when 48-year-old Charlie sits down to chat with us.
Originally from Cheltenham, she hasn’t lost her well-spoken southern accent, but there’s a definite island lilt now in the mix.
Chef, shopper, occasional housekeeper and regular toilet cleaner, Charlie decides to tackle the elephant in the room first.
“I’m sure you’ll have read that when we first started out here, my partner was Paul Rankin?”
I had heard.
The Great British Menu chef hailing from Northern Ireland made headlines when the inn was purchased.
But the grand plan for Charlie to run “front of house” while Paul cooked, was shortlived.
“Thankfully it’s always been my business,” she says.
“It’s in my name and always has been. So when the pandemic hit, and Paul left us, well, I believe that when the going gets tough, the tough stay around.
“I stayed, and have worked hard every day since.”
The Stein Inn is less Michelin star and more Skye heart and soul
With two children: an 18-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son, a business, and a life in a new country to think about, starting again was surely daunting.
“Yes, but it’s not a sob story,” she adds.
“I found my voice, and my passion again.
“The Stein Inn is now me – and my heritage – through and through.
“It’s less Michelin star and more the very best of what Skye has to offer with my heart and soul thrown in.
“It’s how I was raised by my dad, another great cook. Passion for people and produce.”
Fresh fish just metres from the doorstep of the Stein
Charlie’s been a resident of Skye’s Waternish Peninsula now for more than five years.
With a staff of around 10, including local seasonal workers, the restaurant and pub are open seven days a week.
Dishing up langoustines, lobster, and fish fresh from the waters at the foot of their path, Charlie’s food ethos is best summed up as ‘less is more.’
“I like to keep everything simple,” she tells me.
“I want to taste lobster, I want to taste tomato. Too many ingredients added actually takes away from the authenticity, simplicity, and taste.
“Everything on the menu is what I want to eat myself.”
Swapping the red carpet for Skye history, Hollywood royalty stop by
With her seasonal, fresh produce (never frozen; she doesn’t have a freezer big enough), Charlie has certainly garnered the attention of those in the know.
Oscar-winning actress Francis McDormand and her director husband Leon Cohen recently stopped in.
“I actually put them together a bit of a ‘cook at home’ parcel with fresh mussels,” she tells me without a hint of self-pride or boasting about her top-tier clientele.
This is probably why I’m the one to raise the subject of Nigella, whose testimonial is proudly on the homepage of the inn’s website.
‘We were too busy for Nigella… so she had to come back’
“She [Nigella Lawson] actually came in when we were jam-packed.
“We had nowhere to put her so she had to come back. She spotted my son Jack and spent some time talking to him. When she returned later, Jack helped serve her.”
What followed was a series of Instagram posts gushing about Charlie, the Stein Inn and, of course, the food.
After describing her meals of whitebait, mussels, fish and chips, haggis bon bons and langoustines (she visited multiple times, by the way), as “transformative”, and that finding Skye’s oldest inn was like “striking gold” she summarised her visit.
“And that’s the thing about the Stein Inn,” Nigella wrote. “It’s not just a place, but a truly and enduringly happy-making experience.”
It’s incredible when you consider Charlie’s kitchen is only big enough only for two people at any one time and runs on just four gas burners, a grill, and two fryers.
‘I know my parents would love the Stein Inn, I feel them here with me,’ says Charlie
For Charlie, however, the greatest satisfaction comes from building a place for family and friends.
“My kids come home from their schools in England, and they swim and fish in the loch.
“They both help in the inn too. The fishermen from around here drink at the bar. I use local produce, and we run events for the community.
“This was always my heart. To replicate the long table and hearty food I grew up with.
“I feel my parents would have loved this place.
“I sense that, and know so much of who they are is right here with me.”
Reflecting on her tenure in the Inner Hebrides, and all her journey’s twists and tales, Charlie’s story feels redemptive.
“You know, I never came with any arrogance,” she says.
“I feel lucky to still be here and to call this place home.
“It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. But for me it’s so much better. To be surrounded by so many people, who enjoy being at home with us here at the Stein, is wonderful. Truly.”
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