Cringletie House

Cringletie is a perfect example of the work of 19th-century architect David Bryce, who mastered the Scottish baronial style. It's a magnificent building, turreted, in 28 acres of grounds that include a kitchen garden that provides the kitchen with vegetables, fruit and herbs. The first-floor restaurant, under a spectacular painted ceiling, has an appealing modern menu with a handful of choices at each course. The kitchen draws on organic meat, wild seafood and top-quality supplies and treats them with conviction, turning out starters along the lines of honey-glazed duck breast with crushed parsnip, plums, and rosemary jus, and main courses like seared red deer with braised red cabbage, beetroot and pancetta jus. Dishes can be elaborate with distinct contrasting flavours: crisp pork belly and pig's ear with roast langoustines, soubise and fennel, say, then fillet of turbot with crab, shallot purée, and tomato and basil dressing. Puddings, on the other hand, can be a theme on a single element: pineapple mousse, carpaccio, sorbet, jelly and Piña Colada.