Darroch Learg Hotel

From its perch on the wooded hillside of Craigendarroch, this Victorian mansion lords it over Ballater and the Dee Valley. If your Gaelic is a bit rusty, the name means 'the oak wood on the sunny hillside', and the house has been in the Franks family for 40 years or so. Inside, tartan upholstery, oak panelling and a lush traditional country-house feel ensure there's no doubting you're in Scotland. That sense of place extends to the modern Scottish cuisine, served in an impeccably smart restaurant, which connects into a luminous conservatory-style space with views over the leafy grounds to the spectacular landscape beyond. Chef David Mutter has been cooking here for a dozen years, so has well-established supply lines to top-grade materials - meat and game from Deeside farms and estates, and spanking fresh fish delivered from Aberdeen and the West Coast. Classical French influences underpin well-conceived menus with a clear seasonal accent. Dinner might begin with a torte of guinea fowl with ceps and foie gras, and sweet chilli jam, or perhaps pan-fried Skye scallops with Orkney black pudding, parsnip purée and five spice sauce to add an exotic dimension. The main event might star loin of Deeside venison, partnered with smoked haunch, turnip confit, Puy lentils, fine beans and goats' cheese, and morel mushroom sauce, while desserts finish along the classic lines of apple and cinnamon Pithiviers with crème anglaise, or lemon tart with berry sauce. Wine buffs take note: the 200-bin cellar is a serious piece of work, and offers great value on high-end bottles thanks to a democratic fixed mark-up policy.