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hand picked restaurants

Whitecroft Mansion is an elegant Georgian Country House, set in three acres of its own grounds, with a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere, this, hand in hand with high standards of hospitality, ensures that it is a haven of peace and tranquility. Located in the breathtaking Dumfriesshire countryside and enjoying views of the Solway Coast, the mansion has been lovingly restored and beautifully decorated.

The Armouries restaurant continues in the same vein, with a menu that entices with straightforward, well-prepared dishes, making use, a lot of the time, of the wealth of quality local produce almost on their front doorstep, with starters like Loch Fyne tiger prawns laced with sweet chilli jam and set on wok noodles or smoked Rannoch red deer with a honeyed peppercorn dressing.

A similar theme follows with the mains, such as seared fillet of Tay salmon on wok vegetables with a lemon basil velouté; seared medallions of Rannoch venison laced with a game reduction or an 8oz tender fillet of Buccleuch beef with chunky chips with a skewered garni.

Desserts are very much following the traditional line with crème brûlée with stewed rhubarb and homemade shortbread or sticky toffee pudding with crème anglaise and a rich butterscotch sauce.

The atmosphere at Del Amitri in Annan is that of cosy elegance, a dining experience that allows you to savour every minute of your time spent in the company of family and friends. The decor sets the tone for the meal with its rich plum coloured walls and furnishings and gleaming hardwood floors but the real star of the show would undoubtedly be the food, as it should rightly be. Only the finest local and seasonal produce from Southern Scotland is used to create dishes of the highest standard, a fact that is proved in the increasing popularity of this restaurant.

A look at the menu, which changes on a weekly basis, might reveal a ballontine of confit duck with caramelised apple, wrapped in Parma ham with smoked bacon and puy lentil amongst the starters. To follow, the pan roasted crown of partridge on bubble and squeak, with braised celery, Madeira and pearl barley jus is excellent, finally ending with the enticing rich dark chocolate, coffee and pistachio delice. The wine list at Del Amitri is notably global featuring numerous choices.

The village of Glenluce is steeped in history and a visit to the Kelvin House Hotel is a good way to experience this first hand. Ian and Roseann Jarvie have succeeded in preserving the beauty of this 18th century house, and turned it into a hotel. Kelvin House is situated on the village's main street, midway between the port of Stranraer and Newton Stewart.

The spacious rooms provide comfortable accommodation to anyone that fancies becoming a part of Glenluce life for a day or two. Sit down in front of the fire and relax over one of their real ales or malt whiskies at the lounge. Other than drinks, the hotel's cosy bar serves food and has a children's menu as well. In fine weather, the new beer garden is a great place to unwind or read a book.

When you're hungry, head to the restaurant as the Jarvies have made themselves known for original and varied food. Fresh Scottish produce is used and, whenever possible, sourced from near by. The locally smoked bang bang chicken is one of many choices to start a meal. For those who like seafood, there is a tiger prawn starter, rolled in coconut, deep-fried and served with a grand mariner chilli dipping sauce.

The restaurant has a wide range of options for the main course - pasta, American hamburgers, Chinese chicken and good old steak, while the pork pomedero steak with strips of salami, tomato salsa, mozzarella and a drizzle of natural juices sounds tempting. There is an extensive range of assorted sandwiches as well as seafood and meat combinations available as part of the lunchtime menu - like the salmon fillet on tattie scone with lemon and dill mayonnaise.
 
The restaurant's school pudding of the day with custard or ice cream can lend a fine finishing touch to your meal. The speciality cointreau - orange flavoured French liqueur, drambuie - Scottish whisky aromatised with herbs and honey or rum coffees topped with whipped cream are interesting afters as well.

This unpretentious establishment is sure to leave you with many pleasant memories that could just pull you back to Glenluce.