Port-na-Craig Inn

Located in one of the less cluttered parts of Pitlochry, the Inn was taken over by the Thewes family in 2002. In the two years since they have assembled an awesome reputation for achievement, underlined by the accolade of Restaurant of the Year awarded by Les Routiers. Jamie Thewes, the family member most closely associated with the stoves is a great collector of recipes, particularly the more rustic and simple variety that coincide with his philosophy of food minimally handled and devoid of its original character.

The menu changes with the seasons and what the market has to offer. Meat is hung for a month, the family garden produces a wonderful collection of herbs. Locally bred pork fillet with red peppers and sherry sauce is a winner, together with organic salmon served on braised baby gems, bacon and spring onion, finished with a horseradish veloute.

Puddings, all priced at £4, embrace extensive use of dark chocolate and dishes such as a caramelised lemon tart with crème fraiche have a ringing authenticity. Scotland has some wonderful cheeses, and it is good to see Lanark Blue taking pride of place amongst a wide collection from home and abroad. The treat is rounded off with the home-made oatcakes produced by the Thewes, a seemingly never ending family who keep on cropping up in various guises, one of the more pleasurable of which is keeping the wine list up to a high standard. Port-na-craig Inn is definitely one to watch.