Inverlochy Castle Hotel

Queen Victoria described this place as 'one of the loveliest and most romantic spots' and monarchs are not wont to be sycophantic - it is indeed a gem of a location. The grand pile (castle is a worthy moniker) built in the foothills of Ben Nevis to the highest of Victorian spec is surrounded by 600 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and stands beside its own loch. If the outside makes a good impression, the inside is no less memorable: the hotel is luxuriously done out in the traditional manner with fine antiques and lavish furnishings. The furniture in the three dining rooms was a gift from the King of Norway and continues the theme of sumptuous splendour in rooms of fine period detail. So...a smart setting for some traditional food? Not quite. Chef Philip Carnegie is an exponent of refined modern cooking and produces the likes of spatchcock quail with ginger-spiced vegetables and a soy and lemongrass jus, or another first-course of seared skate wing with speck-wrapped fennel and chorizo foam. Excellent use is made of the local larder and some produce is home-grown. Main-course corn-fed pigeon might come with petit pois tortellini, morels and pea shoots, and to finish, perhaps a trio of sorbets with fresh fruit and lime syrup. This is a formal affair and jackets and ties are required, gents.