Restaurant at Balgonie Country House Hotel

I find myself visibly cheered by any hotel which says that its dining room is its heart - and clearly means it. A well-presented Edwardian house on Deeside it looks every bit the part. Time was when Scotland was something of a gastronomic desert, but those days are long gone and Balgonie is well to the fore in this movement. Full use is made of the wonderful produce and ingredients that have attracted many a chef seeking integrity in his work to come to Scotland.

There are rarely more than three or four choices per course, and dinner can be a three or four course affair, the variant usually being a fish course. A starter might be a terrine of venison with seasonal leaves and a Cumberland sauce, or a gratin of crabmeats bound in a creamy sherry sauce, or perhaps a single scallop, coated in coral powder, on black pudding. Main courses are majestic, ranging from saddle of rabbit wrapped in parma ham with sweet potato mash and spicy red cabbage to a medallion of venison with rosti potatoes, braised red cabbage and port jus. The retention of flavours is a sign of the true professional at work in the kitchens. The Madeira creme brulle is served with an apple, cider and cinnamon compote, whilst the berry tartlet with blackcurrant sorbet is particularly toothsome.

The wine list tends to favour the entente cordiale though the New World does not go unrepresented and neither prices, starting at £15.75, nor quality, are stinted.