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 six course set dinner menu & a small dining room, quality control here is impeccable & Lockley’s sheer enthusiasm for good food plainly evident. Those six courses could kick off with celeriac soup garnished with a seaweed-based relish; then comes saddle of rabbit with bacon & pear, followed by confit of salmon with beetroot jelly & quail’s egg (the fish vacuum-sealed while cooking for an incredible texture). Mains might be red deer with crushed peas, garlic shoots & chanterelles while the cheese course has well-chosen artisan examples with moist peasemeal oatcakes; visually splendid rhubarb with spiced breade, parfait & jus to finish. Certainly one of Scotland’s best.