Chefs

Clare Coghill, 33, was raised on the Isle of Skye and opened Café Cùil in Dalston, London, in February 2020. After just a few weeks of trading, she was forced to close the site due to COVID-19 and moved back to Skye for three weeks, to see out the pandemic at home with her family and friends.

Three weeks turned into three years and, after spotting a gap in the market on Skye for modern brunch, Clare decided to stay permanently on the island and reopen Café Cùil in the seaside village of Carbost, where she showcases local ingredients in new ways which have been incredibly popular with locals and visitors alike.

A native Gaelic speaker, Clare had always had a strong passion for food and drink, and for the unique produce that the Isle of Skye had to offer. In her early 20s, she entered the amateur TV cooking competition, ‘My Kitchen Rules’, with her best friend, where they represented Skye and were crowned the winners by a panel of expert judges including Rachel Allen and Jay Rayner.

Clare is a keen traveller, and spends the winters travelling the world, returning to Skye to re-open the cafe in the spring with menus influenced by dishes from the countries she’s visited.

Clare uses her platform to promote Scottish lifestyle, language and culture through shared dining experiences and storytelling. You’ll find murals of Gaelic words and phrases painted around the Café, Gaelic menus and work by Scottish artists in the shop.

Café Cùil has been a huge success in Skye, and Clare has been invited to host and appear on television shows, and host restaurant pop-ups and festivals across the country. Last year she was appointed Scotland’s Chef Ambassador at New York City Tartan Week, was a guest chef at Wilderness Festival, and she recently launched her debut book – the Café Cùil Cookbook – with a sell-out tour of food and book events across the UK. Her writing and recipes have appeared in international newspapers and magazines, and she is also a monthly columnist for the Press & Journal.