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Egon Ronay

Rampant Scotland

Laterooms

Mail on Sunday (364kb)

Scotland's Good Hotel and Food Book 2004

Glasgow Herald

Scotland's Good Hotel and Food Book

This is an outstanding restaurant within Shieldhill Castle which is steeped in history dating back to the 16th Century. The period furnishings, high ornate ceilings and large windows create the perfect ambience not to mention the award winning cuisine of head chef.

The diner's high expectations are fully met with consistency throughout - demonstrates a clear ambition to achieve high standards. Good use of fresh, seasonal, high quality ingredients. Menus are really creative (just that something different which shows innovation) and the wine list must surely be one of the best in Scotland (if not the UK).

Recognition by the prestigious Harpers International Wine Magazine speaks volumes. Service and attention to detail were exemplary. 2 AA red rosettes for food. Yours hosts: Christina and Bob Lamb.

ALAN STEVENSON

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The Glasgow Herald Review

The dozing dog slumped at the entrance to the picturesque Shieldhill Castle alerts one to the laid-back atmosphere which permeates the place. Spend a few hours here and, like the sleepy collie, you'll soon be curled up in a nook, all troubles ebbed away thanks to the calm-inducing ministrations of attentive but relaxed staff.

In the three years since they took up residence, owners Christina and Bob Lamb have transformed what was previously a rather starchy country house into a friendly haven. Lunch and dinner is served daily in a restaurant open to non-residents, and accomplished Chefs (Christina Lamb, Jerome Loup and Donald McGilvray) also cook up a very good bar menu for those reluctant to shell out for the two-rosette fare in Chancellors, the elegant restaurant.

This main dining room is plushly furnished and reeks sophistication but falls well short of exuding stuffy formality. Mrs Lamb insists an ideal dinner party would be one where a judge and a dustbin man could sit down and eat happily together and she achieves this to great effect in her restaurant, where my casually dressed partner and I felt as welcome and as special as swish elderly couples in their best bib and tucker. A remarkable bonhomie bonded us all, encouraged into a friendliness by the jollity of both the owners - who drift around the tables dispensing advice and anecdotes - and the chatty staff.

The surroundings, featuring tapestry upholstery and heavy-framed landscapes, could be oppressively traditional but the atmosphere is convivial enough to induce the kind of warm glow you usually only get from a good malt.

Gallant's menu recently won fevered praise from Egon Ronay and even a quick glance gets you salivating. We chewed thoughtfully on amuses-gueules of curls of Parma ham and smoked salmon topped with flecks of caviar in the wood-panelled surroundings of the Oak Room, and gave the menu the serious consideration it was due.

As Shieldhill organises the nearby Glen and Muirkirk shoots, it seemed churlish not to sample their game so I opted for an opening salvo of sauteed breast of pheasant. This was a huge plateful of plentiful chunks of mouth-watering pheasant, richly flavoured with strips of smoked bacon and dressed with seasonal leaves topped with a heady truffle dressing. Big enough to pass as a main course in city restaurants this starter is probably aimed at those who have worked up country appetites. I had merely spent a few hours in the passenger seat of a car, but the flavours provoked a greedy hunger and I easily did the plate justice.

Christina Lamb is acknowledged to be a wine connoisseur and the extensive wine list attests to her passion. The average spend per bottle is apparently £36 but that's more a testimony to the numbers of vino buffs coming through Shieldhill's doors than a reflection on high prices. Indeed, there are some very decent bottles of house wine available from £16.00 and the Lambs abhor extravagant mark-ups; £36 will buy you a very fine bottle indeed.

There's a soup course option here but already near replete we simply ploughed ahead onto the main courses. A large sea bass stuffed with parsley, basil, celery and red onion arrived at the table wrapped in tin foil which, when unfurled, let the herby aromas waft out with the stunning impact of a punch in the face. This is a popular dish with a big wow factor.

A well-seared but juicily rare fillet of beef was served on a massive, tasty rosti and surrounded by an abundance of wild mushrooms and more truffle jus, and was exceptionally good. There's a commitment to local produce; the wild mushrooms, wild garlic and herbs which Gallant uses are all gathered nearby.

Dessert is so astounding I would have been tempted to beg Jerome to concoct a catering sized amount of the full selectionfor me if only I could have whisked it back to my freezer in time.

My partner took slight issue over my high praise, insisting that his layered tower of thin, sugary shortbread filled with chantilly cream and mixed berries (£4.95), and decorated with an intricate spider-web of chocolate sauce, was the dessert which truly took the biscuit. We didn't bother arguing the fact; by now we were feeling far too dreamy to work up a head of steam, tempted to simply ape the collie and curl up in contentment.

SARAH VILLIERS

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