Puldagon restaurant receives major business award and goes from strength to strength
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A Caithness restaurant is riding high after being awarded the accolade of Young Business of the Year by Caithness Chamber of Commerce and has big plans for the future.
Greg Hooker, who owns Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant, has family connections in the area going back generations and his great grandfather was a friend of Lord Horne of Stirkoke.
"We opened in August 2019 and kept going until March [2020] when Covid hit and we were forced to shut – it was a difficult time and we wouldn't have been able to survive without government support," said Greg.
Despite losing some of his staff at the shop and restaurant, which sits close to the Tannach road, Greg put a new team together in September 2020 after leaving the oil industry and devoting all his energy to the new venture. The business combines a farm shop and restaurant offering customers the opportunity to dine on fresh, farm-to-table food. Like many hospitality businesses, they started a takeaway offering and joined the Reliance Project providing meals for delivery to the vulnerable in the community during the Covid period.
"We did everything we could to keep revenue going and now we've got 10 staff, a mix of full-time and part-time."
Puldagon Farm was initially run by Greg's great grandparents and has passed through the generations until redeveloped into its present form. The business has Highland beef and north country Cheviot lambs to produce a variety of dishes for its menu and even uses locally sourced foods, such as nettles and mushrooms, for unique recipes that can be altered to suit most dietary requirements.
Last year the business developed its evening offering in the form of private functions and bespoke events such as the Taste of Tannach, and have built a strong loyal customer base. There is also a Puldagon gin called The Spirit of Stirkoke which is on sale in the shop and created as a tribute to the late Lord Horne who lived close by at Stirkoke House.
The Caithness Chamber of Commerce recently recognised Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant as Young Business of the Year at a special event in the Norseman Hotel in Wick which was sponsored by Pentland Floating Offshore Wind.
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Regarding the recent accolade, Greg said: "It was great but it reflects more on the team for all their hard work and loyalty, and also the support of our loyal customers as well. We couldn't have done it without the team and the customers."
He went on to describe the layout of Puldagon Farm Shop and Restaurant: "Downstairs we've made it accessible for elderly and disabled people. Upstairs we have extended areas for dining. In the central section there's a food hall where you can purchase cheeses, dried goods, jams and other local produce as well as items from further afield. We've a gift shop in the back with a range of jewellery, books and clothing."
This year Greg renovated an old WWII barracks into a function hall for weddings, craft days, special dining experiences such as banquet evenings, conferences and eventually he hopes it will be used for musical and other cultural events.
A major player in the Puldagon team is Terri Watt, Greg's partner, who runs the front of house operation and manages customer services. "We're generally not open in the evenings but if somebody wants a private function or family meal we can do that," said Terri.
"We try and cater for all dietary requirements with a range of vegan, dairy free, gluten free cakes in the shop and the majority of the menu can be done gluten free. If someone has special requirements they can call us and we'll be happy to accommodate them. We had a family in and there were gluten free, dairy free and vegan options from a completely bespoke menu we made for them."
Terri said that the Puldagon team like to try unusual additions to the menu and have gone out foraging for wild mushrooms and picked nettles which are similar to spinach when cooked. "We used yellow gorse this summer to make quiche and used nettles and wild garlic to make pakoras."
Greg said the team is well-prepared for the forthcoming festive season. "We're very busy and to date this will be our busiest Christmas yet. We're nigh on fully booked and we've got this great chef who's running the kitchen now, Josh Tanswell. He once worked with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal in London."
Terri said there was an incognito visit last year from a reviewer for VisitScotland and the restaurant narrowly missed getting five stars. Greg said: "If you look at most of the TripAdvisor reviews you'll also see us getting 4.5 to 4.9 so that's really good."
The couple say there are future plans for more developments at Puldagon. "All I can say is watch this space," said Greg.
Puldagon Farm and Restaurant has a website at: puldagonfarm.co.uk/ and a Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/puldagon/
The establishment is just off the Tannach road near Stirkoke and has a wooden effigy of a Highland cow outside and a wind turbine.
It is open from 10am until 4pm every day except Mondays and Tuesdays. Email: Upperpuldagon@yahoo.co.uk and telephone: 01955602228
