The Peat Inn

Lending its name to the hamlet that grew up around it, this former coaching inn turned restaurant-with-rooms held Scotland’s first Michelin Star in 1987. It has been owned since 2006 by Katherine and (chef) Geoffrey Smeddle, and regained that coveted star in 2010. Guide inspectors who arrived in the evening reported a friendly welcome. ‘The cheery lady at reception kindly moved her car to make space for us to park.’ They were shown to one of the suites in a separate building (all but one are split level). It was ‘pretty and light, with silver-sprigged wallpaper and botanical prints’. A mezzanine lounge had tea and coffee facilities, ‘sherry, apples, home-made brownies’, and a view of grazing sheep and alpacas. Drinks were served in a lounge with a log fire, while one of three dining rooms had an interesting decor with ‘orange and teal menus and cushions’. A tasting menu included ‘a beautiful smoked trout and caviar plate’, halibut gravadlax, pork cheek and more. ‘Each dish tasted and looked wonderful.’ Breakfast in the suite was ‘also fantastic’. ‘“Continental” doesn’t do it justice.’