Boath House in northern Scotland has reopened under a new guise with chef Iain Nicholson running the kitchens, just two months after its sudden closure.
The Georgian mansion near Nairn, northeast of Inverness, had operated since 2022 as a ‘bohemian retreat’ under artist/entrepreneur Jonny Gent alongside chef Florence Knight, reprising the formula behind their Sessions Arts Club in London’s Clerkenwell.
The speedy relaunch is taking a very different approach, with owners Steven and Lorna Mayne installing a new management team with a brief to reconnect with the local market that had supported the venue under its previous ownership for three decades.
The first phase has included a farmers’ market-style open day, and the reopening of the popular Garden Kitchen. The dining room Moine will follow this summer, headed by Iain Nicholson, who has cooked across the Highlands and Islands as well as internationally, and launched the No Bad Food Lab during the pandemic.
General manager Chris Lewis says the new direction has already been well received locally.
“We are a completely new company, but we felt there was a cloud, so as a management company we decided that we wanted people o know as quickly as possible that we intended this to be reborn as a place for everyone, and meet them, and to let them see what is all about.
“We are reopening Boath House as we imagine it should be. For us, it’s a place where local people can come and share local products and just enjoy a place of beauty. It’s a community place, a place for family.”
