Striking, nostalgic and unapologetically Scottish, the dish draws on the nation’s favourite soft drink and is served just steps from the Atlantic along one of the North Coast 500’s most dramatic coastal settings.
Crofter’s Kitchen has introduced a new seafood offering that reimagines traditional flavours. Head Chef Grant Mercer has sourced premium prawns and crayfish from the waters directly beside the croft and paired them with an unexpected addition: a vibrant, house-made Irn-Bru hot sauce.
Positioned on a working croft overlooking Scourie Beach, with Handa Island visible in the distance and the Atlantic stretching below, the setting reinforces the restaurant’s commitment to fresh, locally driven cuisine rooted in its surroundings.
“Forget prawn marie rose. Every Highland cafe has been serving the same thing for thirty years and frankly it’s boring. Crofter’s Kitchen has got the best seafood larder in Scotland right outside the door and it’s not going to waste it on something safe. This is something fun. Something that tastes like Scotland in 2026, not 1985,” said Grant Mercer, Head Chef and Co-founder.
The Scottish prawn and crayfish roll combines locally sourced shellfish with Mercer’s carefully crafted Irn-Bru hot sauce, delivering a balance of sweetness, heat and nostalgia. It is being introduced alongside a savoury crab pancake featuring hand-picked crab from Kylesku, served on a freshly made pancake with apple, chilli, coriander and lime.
Located above Scourie Beach, one of the most photographed locations along the NC500, Crofter’s Kitchen operates from a working croft. Its supply chain remains intensely local: lobsters are sourced from Paul, who lives just minutes away; crab is delivered by Sandy from Kylesku, eight miles from the site; and scallops are hand-dived from nearby waters visible from the croft. Each ingredient is traceable to its origin, reinforcing the kitchen’s hyper-local ethos.
The launch of these dishes coincides with a major development for the business. Later this summer, Crofter’s Kitchen will open a converted 40-foot container restaurant positioned just metres from the shoreline at Scourie. The new structure is fully equipped and heated, allowing year-round service.
Established in spring 2024 by Grant and Heather Mercer, Crofter’s Kitchen has rapidly gained recognition as a standout food destination on the NC500. Within two seasons, it has earned Scotsman Scran Award Scotland’s Best Street Food 2025, secured a Scottish EDGE Regional Award, achieved a 4.9-star Google rating from over 500 verified reviews, ranked as the number one restaurant in Scourie on TripAdvisor, and recorded 94% year-on-year growth in its second year.
