Rustic, country Aberdeenshire restaurants don’t come much more quintessential than Clatterin Brig Restuarant.
Perched at the foot of Cairn o’ Mount and surrounded by greenery, you won’t reach any other vicinity for at least a mile from here.
It’s this tranquil charm that Moira Prentice, the restaurant’s current tenant, believes gives Clatterin Brig its je ne sais quoi.
Hearty dishes made with finesse are the star attraction here. Cullen skink, luscious cakes and daily specials always ensure variety, with vegan, gluten-free and other dietary requirements also easily catered to.
But what’s most special about this restaurant is its sense of community.
Whether it’s visitors who stop by regularly or even just once a year, building relationships with customers is what Moira has enjoyed most after realising her dream of running her own restaurant.
We spoke to Moira to find out more about Clatterin Brig Restaurant.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Forfar originally, but have lived in various parts of the north-east throughout my life. My background before this was in finance and accountancy, which I worked in for around 40 years. I was also a self-employed bookkeeper. I like to read, listen to music and go out to socialise – not that there’s an awful lot of time to do that whilst running a restaurant!
Was running your own cafe or restaurant something that you always wanted to do?
I always wanted to have my own coffee shop. It was a dream that my mum Flora and I shared for many years. But unfortunately, she passed away just six months before I took over this place. My mum was always a very good cook and a very good baker. She had a great love for cake stands, traditional tea sets and all sorts of things, which she passed onto me. It was just always something that one day we thought we might do together.
How did the opportunity to take over Clatterin Brig come about?
A friend of mine had this place before me. I was made redundant from one of my previous jobs, so I came to work for her and I just fell in love with the place. I’d known about the restaurant from a very early age and had come back and forward here a few times. But when my friend and her family decided to move their focus over to their other restaurant in Auchenblae, they put this venue up for rent. So, I thought I’d take it on! I first opened for service on October 1 2019.
What makes Clatterin Brig stand out from other Aberdeenshire restaurants?
It’s a very rustic, country restaurant in a beautiful spot. We sit right at the bottom of the Cairn O’ Mount, which at the top has a lovely view spot where you can see all over Aberdeenshire and Angus – on a good day! In the surrounding areas we have Drumtochty Glen which is great for walks and people often take their horses there. It was actually opened in May 1958 as a purpose-built restaurant and Prince George Valdemar and Princess Anne of Denmark came here to do the opening honours.
Can you tell us about your food offerings at Clatterin Brig?
Our chef, Greg, always puts nice touches of imagination into our dishes. Some of them might be traditional things like steak pie and hunter’s chicken, but others have more global inspired flavours like sticky chilli king prawns. We have daily specials here. Our Cullen skink and Sunday roasts are always big sellers, but our steak baguette is definitely my favourite dish that we serve here.
There is plenty of variety in our home baking as well. I would say our custard creams, empire biscuits and Victoria sponge are our top three most popular cakes and bakes. We also cater for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan customers at the restaurant.
What about some of your drinks offerings?
We do have an alcohol licence and we mainly stock beers and wines here. For beers, we have popular Scottish brands like Brewdog, Innis & Gunn and Tennent’s. These all go down well. We also have a range of red, white and rose wines which customers enjoy. There are also alcohol-free beer options too.
What typical clientele would you usually welcome to the restaurant?
We have all sorts of people visiting the restaurant. If people were coming off of the A90 across to Ballater and Braemar, one of the first places to stop off would be here. So, a lot of holidaymakers and day trippers like to stop by.
How strong is the sense of community at the restaurant?
Very strong. I posted on our Facebook page recently after we received some negative comments from reviewers online. I have no problem with people making complaints whatsoever, but I’d rather people could come up to me personally and tell me them rather than leaving comments online.
I was actually overwhelmed at the number of people who took the time to just leave a message of support. It was lovely to see the people that did show their support and it gave me the encouragement to keep on doing what we’re doing, because it seems to be working for so many of our customers.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
This is the most beautiful outlook from an office that I’ve ever had! The scenery around here is amazing. Meeting people, making friends, it has all been a really good experience. Being a sole trader, I do most of the work here myself with the help of the staff, which means it’s hard going at times.
But we have a strong team here. I’ve met plenty of amazing customers who keep coming back to visit and I couldn’t do it without my amazing staff and my children, Dale and Jess, who are always there for help and support despite both having full time careers – it’s them who really keep me going.
Future plans?
Short-term, I just really want to see the restaurant still come through amidst all these price increases we’re seeing at the moment. I’d love to have another good summer next year like we did this year. Beyond then, we’ll see what happens!
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