The Wheatsheaf

Under new owners, the Wheatsheaf has shed its musty, fusty country-pub trappings to take on a gleaming new lease of life. Stripped back to the original stonework & flagstones & decorated in calming neutrals, it’s now a serene, welcoming space, with solid oak tables, Lloyd Loom chairs & a couple of decent sofas by the fire. The question is, is it still a pub? Possibly not (though you can still go there for a pint) but it’s certainly a first-class restaurant. Top-quality local produce is teamed Eastern spicing & techniques – often a recipe for disaster, but here it’s done with elegance & restraint. Tortellini of crab & ginger had beautifully supple pasta & a subtle undercurrent of ginger to balance the richness of the crab. Fillet of Buccleuch Estate beef extracted every ounce of flavour from this tender cut & bolstered it with a piquant horseradish mash & a crisp onion bhaji. Desserts strike a more homely note (rice pudding with apple compote, for example) but are crafted with just as much care & attention to detail.