Today

Never mind mountain bikers and hillwalkers, the Highlands and Islands is fast becoming a "must visit" destination for food lovers.

A fine dining scene has developed around the region over the years, with a host of restaurants in the Highland capital of Inverness and in remoter areas of the Highlands producing world class meals.

There has also been a strong emphasis on using the finest local ingredients, taking advantage of the fact that the Highlands and Islands has some of the best local produce from the land and sea on its doorstep.

Now foodies have even more reason to enjoy a culinary visit to the region as some of the Highlands' premier dining establishments are encouraging customers to sample their haute cuisine at a fraction of the usual cost.

From September 28 to November 30, the special Dine Around Highlands promotion at 37 participating top quality restaurants from Ballachulish and Aviemore to the Highland capital of Inverness and from the romantic island of Skye to Scrabster and Thurso in the far north will guarantee customers a choice of gourmet meals at either £15 or £25.

The fixed-price menus will be offered by a diverse range of bistros, restaurants and hotels throughout the Highlands who have signed up with the innovative Dine Around concept, developed originally by VisitScotland for the competitive Glasgow and Edinburgh food scenes.

Locations are varied across the Highland region from a traditional country house hotel at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park to a bustling city centre brasserie. Each participating restaurant has its own distinct characteristics and flavours which food lovers will find exciting and enjoyable.

Jim and Mary Cowie, of the award-winning Captain's Galley in Scrabster, said: "VisitScotland's Dine Around Highlands promotion is a superb way to encourage more people, both locals and tourists, to try out some of the best food in the country at some of the Highlands' top restaurants.

"We're fortunate to have access to so many local suppliers who source the highest quality, fresh seasonal produce giving us fantastic ingredients to create a real taste of the Highlands for our diners.

"We've not finalised the menu yet, but hope to be including dishes such as Asian steamed Pollock with pac choi and Thai jasmine rice with ginger soy dressing, roasted saithe, roast hake on the bone with Lyonnaise potatoes, provencale vegetables and balsamic reduction and roast cherry tomatoes, smoked jumbo haddock on champ with wholegrain mustard sauce topped with a poached egg, hot chocolate pudding with amaretto crème fraiche.

"We hope to welcome many more people through our doors during October and November so we can impress them with the superb quality and range of our food."

With guaranteed top-quality meals using the finest local produce for as little as £15, some fans may well be tempted to book ahead and complete the entire Dine Around Highlands circuit!

Check out www.dinearound.co.uk for a full list of participating establishments in the Highlands.