Sweet flows Rabbie Burns’s beloved River Nith, past the garden of an old manse that the poet knew well. Owned by Jane and Ian McAndrew, it is swept up from the Shortlist on a wave of reader approval. Traditional bedrooms are supplied with home-made shortbread and tablet. The River Suite’s French doors open on to a patio above the water; Grouse has a super-king-size four-poster, spa bath and monsoon shower. ‘We were more than happy with our accommodation, but the real star was the food.’ Ian McAndrew trained under Anton Mosimann at the Dorchester, and in 1980 became the youngest British chef to hold a Michelin star. His five-course menu (with either/or choices) and tasting menu highlight fine Scottish produce. Typical dishes: halibut, black rice, brown shrimps, sea purslane, spinach; seared roe deer loin, acidulated chocolate, braised red cabbage, burnt onion, braised walnuts, millefeuille potatoes, lightly pickled raspberries. Guests, too, can be lightly pickled from a tempting wine list. ‘Dinner was simply wonderful.’ ‘Ian and Jane could not have been more welcoming.’ A breakfast of smoked haddock and poached egg ‘was simply divine’. (Mr and Mrs Murray, Michael Asquith, PK)