Restaurant at The Weem Hotel

Tucked away in a sylvan setting a little outside Aberfeldy and close to historic Castle Menzies is Farleyer, a restaurant with rooms and a veritable haven from whatever cares you have to escape from. Jake Schamrel and Paraic Faherty have teamed up to make this a destination for the discerning and Paraic's philosophy in the kitchen is reassuring - quality through simplicity.

A range of starters includes mussels cooked in apple cider with thyme, layers of crab and prawn interleaved with melon and citrus labna cheese, and three herb-crusted oysters with a celeriac flan and dressed with a smoked peppercorn vinaigrette.

The surrounding estate is not exactly short on wildlife, some of which finds its way into Paraic's repertoire, with braised leg of rabbit stuffed with apricot and pistachio farce and accompanied by polenta croutons and orange scented barley pilaf as but one example. As a change from roast pheasant the menu offers pheasant in pot au feu form with potato dumplings and baby vegetables. Service is positive, within a warm and restful décor.

The cellar benefits from Jake Schamrel's keen sense of wine, and their range of malt whiskys will appeal to connoisseurs world-wide. For guests at Farleyer with a sound retail instinct, the presence nearby of the House of Menzies, where Scottish architecture of the 1840's mingles comfortably with the vibrance of over 100 New World wines, may prove irresistible before they depart for home.