House of Bruar, Blair Atholl, the two H's of the North, Harveys and Harrods!

House of Bruar near Blair Atholl in the Cairngorms National Park provides retail excellence in service and quality at the southern gateway to the Cairngorms National Park. Dropping into the House of Bruar is like being teleported to a highland shopping heaven, whether for a peruse or to buy that special food item for the family dinner or last minute present for a family member, House of Bruar is a must for your Cairngorms holiday itinerary.

Situated in highland vista just a few miles drive from Blair Castle, also worth a visit. House of Bruar is one of the most pleasant shopping experiences in the Cairngorms National Park, providing a blend of quality and a traditional Scottish welcome.
First opened in the mid nineties, the House of Bruar welcomes more than 1.5+ million visitors through the door every year. Added to that it now runs an extensive worldwide mail order business and online shopping.  House of Bruar is a wonderful, inspiring story about the single handed vision by an entrepreneurial family company. What began as a small quality highland clothes and food shop has developed into a major, luxury Scottish brand name which can be compared with other eminent retail names such as Harrods and Harvey Nichols. Since opening, visitor numbers have grown and grown and the store has expanded exponentially with numerous extensions attractively built around a tree lined courtyard and gardens, featuring a restaurant, food hall, country clothing, women's and men's fashions, kids toys, country living department and art gallery.

The House of Bruar restaurant is a great place, whether for a luxury bacon & egg bun to a 3 course meal, although a little pricy you'll certainly be impressed by the sheer quality and variety of the food on offer. With its homely, "country kitchen" atmosphere, heavy pine furniture and lustrous fired-earth floor, the self-service House of Bruar restaurant has a cosy, intimate feel. With home-made soup, gourmet sandwiches, steak and ale pie, vegetarian quiches, traditional haggis and freshly fried fish, there's a host of hearty country fayre on offer with a special emphasis on locally sourced Scottish and Cairngorms produce. The House of Bruar carvery provides deliciously succulent cuts of roast pork and Perthshire lamb, and on Sundays you can sample rare topside of beef served with Yorkshire puddings and their signature home-made peppercorn sauce. Alternatively, you could sample the delights of the salad bar, where the fruits of Scotland's crystal clear waters await you. The bar features fine cured salmon, oysters, crab (when available) and shellfish, so if you have a hankering for seafood you've certainly come to the right place!

The main entrance to the House of Bruar takes you directly into the Food Hall, truly the best and biggest food hall in the Cairngorms National Park. Immediately upon entering, you'll be struck by the rich sights and appetising aromas of the fine food and drink on offer. With a firm focus on Best of British and in particular Scottish produce, House of Bruar has assembled an impressive collection of specialist foodstuffs that caters for every palate. Throughout the House of Bruar Food Hall you'll find a treasure trove of award-winning preserves, chutneys, sauces and pickles from celebrated producers such as Cottage Delight and Highland Wineries, interspersed with a wide selection of oils, oatcakes, pastas and spices - enough to satisfy the demands of even the most daring recipe! The House of Bruar selection of smoked salmon and trout surpasses anything you'll find elsewhere in the Cairngorms, and is delivered on a daily basis from locations as far-flung as Achiltibuie and South Uist, as well as from esteemed smokehouses such as Summer Isles. They also stock smoked venison, beef, lamb, chicken and duck from the Rannoch Smokery, who are true masters of their art.

In the Delicatessen you'll find similarly high standards in terms of both service and produce. The House of Bruar food hall is one of the focal points - so popular that it has been double in size and now offer an in-house Q Guild Status butcher.  Whole carcasses hang in the glass window of the massive walk in fridge and joints of locally reared beef and lamb are butchered in front of you using techniques that have stood the test of time. Offering those special touches such as French trimmed rib of beef or rack of lamb crowns, topped with little chef hats. The House of Bruar food hall also has the widest selection of frozen shell fish in the Cairngorms National Park, from west coast langoustines to king scallops in shells. If you are travelling north to stay in a self catering holiday home, you can purchase all your food and drink here in this luxury Cairngorms supermarket.

Women will also love this treasure house of clothing and accessories spread across several rooms, featuring both day and evening wear, and upstairs an entire minstrel's gallery of shoes and gorgeous handbags including Radley and Gabor. All the tweed country clothes are designed in house for a unique range of jackets, coats, skirts and trousers. You'll find Liberty blouses, moleskin jeans and (very popular) cotton roll necks as well as elegant tartan silk skirts, velvet trousers and fashion wear by Basler, Betty Barclay and Marcona. House of Bruar has a separate cashmere and knitwear department, the largest in the UK. Pure Scottish cashmere is renowned as the finest in the world and here you will find garments for men and women in every style, pattern and colour. In addition the softest lambswool and silk/cashmere knitwear, ideal for every day occasions when the weather is cool, on the golf course, a cruise and especially when on a sporting or leisure holiday in Scotland.

There is also a number of great walks in the area and kid play park all in easy access from the House of Bruar car park. The picturesque Bruar Falls walk is recommended and a panoramic view of the lovely Vale of Atholl opens up before you from the top of Struan Point. To access this walk, head to the back of the House of Bruar building and you will find the river, follow the clearly marked path up the hill to numerous viewing points located at many of the spectacular waterfalls. Do take care if you have kids and dogs, as some of the cliffs are very high and fencing is limited in places. For more info and online purchasing from the House of Bruar check their web site www.houseofbruar.com

Some Cairngorms foodie web pages and events

World Porridge Making Championships take place in the small village of Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands. The competition is organised by the Golden Spurtle, an organisation named after the traditional rod-shaped instrument used to stir the porridge (or porage if you prefer).

Kingussies annual winter festival  FOOD ON FILM  brings the big screen to the rural Highlands of Scotland in a unique way, to celebrate and explore the world of food with a feast of short films, documentaries and features to make you laugh, make you think and make you hungry! With filmmakers and food producers gathering to share their passions and skills

The main entrance to the House of Bruar takes you directly into the Food Hall, truly the best and biggest food hall in the Cairngorms National Park. Immediately upon entering, you'll be struck by the rich sights and appetising aromas of the fine food and drink on offer. With a firm focus on Best of British and in particular Scottish produce, House of Bruar has assembled an impressive collection of specialist foodstuffs that caters for every palate.

Adventurous foodies are in for the ultimate gastro treat this autumn thanks to the launch of the Royal Deeside Larder Venison Festival. This new and unique five-day celebration of venison will take place at various locations across Royal Deeside. Organised by the Royal Deeside and The Cairngorms Destination Management Organisation (DMO), the festival offers the perfect opportunity for first timers to sample venison and allows connoisseurs of top of the range game to indulge in different ways.