The Boath House

Archibald Simpson was a celebrated Scottish architect in the first decades of the 19th century & designed the Boath House around the early 1820s. After a loving restoration it opened as a small hotel in 1997 & has received rave reviews ever since. Palladian splendour aside, a big part of its attraction is chef Charlie Lockley. With a five course set dinner menu & a small dining room, quality control here is impeccable & Lockley’s sheer enthusiasm for good food plainly evident. Those five courses could kick off with celeriac soup garnished with a seaweed-based relish; then comes confit of salmon with beetroot jelly (the fish vacuum-sealed while cooking for an incredible texture). A choice of mains might be Aberdeen Angus – or monkfish with split yellow peas, pork belly, intense jerusalem artichoke purée, & a clever chorizo foam. The cheese course has well-chosen artisan examples with moist peasemeal oatcakes; visually splendid vanilla rice pudding with bramble yoghurt & pear sorbet to finish. Certainly one of Scotland’s best.