Highland Thai fusion
Scotland’s Croft Inn chef opened up about Thai‑fusion tricks that pair bold Southeast Asian flavors with local Highland produce—profiles praise the approach for producing mouth‑watering, travel‑worthy dishes. The features dig into techniques and ingredient pairings that make the pub’s fusion plates stand out to curious diners. (x.com) (x.com)
The Croft Inn is owned and run by Chris Gordon Brown and his partner Pariwat Prajudtane, known as Nat; they completed the takeover in November 2021 and had turned the pub into a full Thai restaurant by April 2022. (northern-scot.co.uk)) Nat’s résumé includes work at Carey Manor and Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire, and The Scotsman notes he brought more than a decade of professional cooking experience to the Glenlivet kitchen. (scotsman.com)) He has converted part of the pub’s grounds into a kitchen garden that supplies vegetables for the menu and routinely shows diners around the plot after service. (scotsman.com)) One concrete technique highlighted in profiles is substituting local neeps (turnips) for green papaya to recreate the sweet‑sour‑salty‑spicy profile of som tum in a Highland context. (scotsman.com)) TripAdvisor currently lists The Croft Inn with a 5.0 average from 143 reviews and notes the business received a Travellers’ Choice recognition for 2025. (tripadvisor.co.uk)) Owners say their move from England and subsequent media exposure — including a feature in a New York magazine and a post by Mexican influencer Marco Beteta to roughly 200,000 followers — drove a surge in international interest and bookings. (northern-scot.co.uk)) The Croft Inn’s site lists its opening hours as Thursday–Saturday 4:00pm–9:00pm and Sunday 3:00pm–8:00pm, and the business is located in Glenlivet, postcode AB37 9DP. (thecroftinn.co.uk))
