This martini experience caught me slightly by surprise. It’s so simple but I never would’ve paired bread and butter with the silver bullet. It seems so plain and far too routine to sit alongside the elixir of quietude.

But it surprisingly enhanced the feeling of quietude itself, and provided a great big dose of comfort to sit alongside my favourite drink.

This revelation, I guess, is just one of the many beautiful and seemingly endless discoveries of martini-related pleasures I get to enjoy along the journey of my chosen hobby.

So here’s how it happened

I was enjoying another BYOB martini at the beautiful and lovingly created Ar Bòrd restaurant on the Isle of Mull.

On arrival you are sat at a very homely table by the talented and infinitely thoughtful and considerate hosts, before being served home-baked and still-warm bread with delicious, cold and salted butter.

Pleasure Island

I love the way they serve their salt and pepper in seashells. It is very evocative of both the excellent local seafood you can find in the Hebrides, not least within the restaurant itself, as well as my own childhood, playing on beaches not too far from Dervaig in places like Croig, Calgary and Kilninian.

The bread is so very tasty, with the most perfect amount of bite to the crust and a soft but satisfying moist yet airy crumb. Note that they are happy to provide gluten free options as well.

A Moment of Clarity

So as I sat there, enjoying the sunset, my martini and the bread and butter, I realised I had stumbled across a surprisingly simple, yet sublime martini accompaniment.

Much like a standard martini, your ability to enjoy this paesano classic will come down to the quality of the ingredients used.

Use (or make) the bread and butter that you feel worthy of the silver bullet.

Ar Bòrd make their own butter but the alternative favourite in my household is the Danish wonder that is Lurpak.

Also like a martini, how you like to serve this will come down to personal preference. Maybe you like a cob, sourdough, rye or soda bread. It’s down to you how you’d like to indulge yourself.

There exists a wealth of options for food accompaniments for a martini, so I’d be keen to hear what you like to pair with yours. Has anything ever surprised you like the simplicity of bread and butter surprised me? And how do you like your bread? Please share in the comments below!

As for me, I can’t wait to go back to Dervaig.