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The Brig o' Doon House Hotel opened its doors to the public in late September 1997. It consists of two restaurants accommodating up to a hundred diners, a function suite with seating for two hundred, a coffee shop seating forty, and five bedrooms.

Its location and baronial banqueting hall with its views of the River Doon and the Brig o' Doon - the setting for the conclusion to Robert Burns' famous tale, 'Tam o' Shanter' - has ensured the hotel's popularity as a wedding and function venue.

It provides excellent value, good quality food, in its two restaurants, seating one hundred in total, with starters and puddings at around three to four pounds, and main courses around eight.

A typical meal could offer grilled Cumberland sausage served on mustard mash with an onion gravy; terrine of west coast seafood wrapped in smoked salmon served with a lime and coriander crème fraiche; the wonderfully named cullen skink with bacon and chives or glazed goats cheese on a herb crouton with honey and mustard dressing.

This could be followed by such robust offerings as traditional haggis wi' neeps, tatties and Ayrshire bacon or beef bourguignon cooked with shallots, bacon, mushrooms and red wine or the more refined pan fried fillet of cod served on a leek and lemon risotto; Ayrshire ham and pineapple salad served with a grain mustard crème fraiche or breast of duck with ginger, cabbage, oranges and a Cointreau Sauce.

Puddings are a triumph, and hard to resist, like warm pear and almond tart with thickened vanilla cream; citrus steamed sponge with lime anglaise sauce or apple and calvados crème brulee with cinnamon ice cream and tuille biscuit leaf.

In some of the guides The Carrick Lodge Hotel is taken literally, and is listed under 'Lodges and Motels'. I have nothing against such places, use them myself occasionally, but nothing could be much further from the truth as far as this quality family hotel is concerned. A handsome stone house in one of the pleasant residential roads leading out of Ayr, the Lodge glows with warm light, particularly on a wet March evening that purports to be part of Easter Sunday. The warmth continues with the welcome at the door by Jim Murdoch or his wife. Jim was formerly General Manager to Bill Costley, owner of Highgrove, Lochgreen and other notable restaurants in the area and the touch of someone who knows his business is apparent wherever you turn.

In the restaurant a jolly crowd made up of all ages mingles happily together, a family celebration in one corner, a spooney couple tucked away in another, and there are few empty tables. Service is attentive and well-timed. Cullen Skink, that premier Scottish dish, could not be ignored and it turned out to be just as good as one could have hoped for, with the right degree of creaminess and flavours well retained. Cream of carrot and coriander soup received a rapturous welcome on the other side of the table.

The smoked Finnan haddock gratin, another Scottish favourite, came with creamed potatoes, Ayrshire bacon and Arran cheese, and was a constant welcoming voyage of discovery, all the contents cooked to perfection and combined with a great consistency. A choice of ten main courses also included traditional roast rib-eye beef, spinach and ricotta cannelloni and coconut coated chicken stuffed with banana and bacon and a Thai curry sauce. A chunky 24 bin wine list offers four good House wines at £12.50 with some well-travelled companions mostly under the £20 mark. I loved the reference to a wet-woolly nosed Chablis.

Set amongst 350 acres of Woodland Estate yet only 10 minutes from Ayr, Prestwick and Troon, Enterkine is a haven of country house style and aspirations. The food at Enterkine is created by master chef Paul Moffat and his team and the menu is well populated using the local ingredients.

Starters tend to stray towards dishes such as terrine of duck liver and wild mushroom parfait with shallot jam and toasted brioche. The main courses tend to be overshadowed by the aristocratic presence of the Buccleuch beef fillet steak, one of the great treats of our time.

Puddings come in a variety of stimulating surprises amongst which are chocolate and orange pots with chocolate chip ice cream and coffee arrives with homemade petits fours. A wine list of truly noble quality reflects the skills and taste of Ian Cumming, now closely associated with Invergarity Vaults.

'In my father's house there are many mansions' and this is certainly true of that part of Ayr which fronts on to the wide bay that sweeps from Troon to Alloway.

Built for the wealthy many of them have now been adapted to other uses and Fairfield House is one.

Its gracious interior houses a tasteful restaurant where chef Brian Murphy does wonderful things with the local produce for a menu which, though not vast, offers a good selection of classic dishes. A well travelled wine list compliments the picture with house wine at £12.95.

Saffy's Cafe Bar and Brasserie, located on Dalblair Road, ought to feature in any food lovers' itinerary to Ayr as their reasonably-priced, well-cooked food has already earned a loyal customer base. The interior is done up in a discreet manner and could easily pass off as just another café, but that notion holds true only till the food arrives.

Chef Douglas Smith's gainful insights on combining Mediterranean cooking styles with flavours from across the world is laudable, and he also uses fresh, seasonal produce to build his daily carte. Start with a crisp smoked haddock and salmon fishcakes with creamed leeks, or king prawn tempura with chilli, ginger, garlic and coriander dressing. In the Italian style there are main courses of chicken linguine carbonara and lasagne al forno, but the oven baked breast of chicken stuffed with haggis, whisky and mustard cream is pretty hard to resist.

The team at Saffy's have designed menus to suit every mood and occasion, so choose from a selection of festive, specials, pre-theatre or express lunch menus.