Sangster's

London's loss is Scotland's gain. Bruce Sangster, one of the best respected and least-hyped names in British cooking, after long years of board-room cooking in London emigrated to Scotland, taking up residence in the Kingdom of Fife, which is to Scotland what Norfolk and Suffolk are to England. There in the small seaside town of Elie he has created a culinary paradise that is fast becoming a place of pilgrimage to the gourmet cognoscenti of this sceptred isle.

Taking Sunday lunch as a prime example of his skills, the menu contains four choices for starters and main course, two puddings and a cheese plate. Whilst Scottish favourites are certainly not ignored, witness the superb cullen skink that demonstrates only too clearly what can be done by some inspired tuning of a traditional dish, the menu covers a broad church.

Culinary ego-flashing is conspicuous by its absence and already your heart is warming to this thoroughly genuine and increasingly fulfilled guardian of our epicurean dreams. Much of his success derives from the principle that applies to so many processes, be it decorating or cooking, in making sure that the basics are of the best. The fresh herbs, the wonderful stocks, the naturelle front of house arrangements, all combine to create the setting for an event that takes the pomp out of eating and replaces it with the real thing. The wonderful local produce is allowed to speak for itself, the flavours are lightly enhanced, rather than drenched in unnecessary distractions, and as a result such delights as halibut, venison and the incomparable Scotch beef are at their best.

And then there's the wine. Over half the list is under the £20 mark and at the higher end there is a mark-up of £10 on a bottle, which produces some extraordinary bargains that can only fill your cup, as well as your glass, to overflowing