Roman Camp Country House & Restaurant

The original part of this building dates to 1625, & served as a well-appointed hunting lodge on the estate of the Earl of Moray. It passed from aristocrat to aristocrat until the 1930s when it turned into a hotel. The current owners have been in situ since 1989; the chef Ian McNaught has been around for the best part of a decade; the roomy & oval dining room was added in 1997. It's a slick & well-oiled operation at the upper end of the market. Three courses could offer potato soup with poached egg & Perigord truffle to start; turbot in red wine with Puy lentils, pancetta, & sauce Breton as main; lemon curd mousse with pink grapefruit & orange sorbet to finish. There's a tasting menu with even more artistic flourishes & a serious wine list. No ersatz historical atmosphere here: it's the real thing. And yes, there was a 1st century AD Roman camp nearby.