Yesterday, Lorna and I had lunch out at Dunkeld House Hotel, on our way to House of Bruar for a bit of shopping. The weather had started dull and misty, but the sun came out and we enjoyed our 25 minute drive through the turning colours of autumn.
Once we’d settled ourselves in the warm lounge bar of the hotel (which was fairly busy with other diners and a couple of well-behaved dogs), we both ordered the soup of the day, which we’d been told was pea. It came with very soft white bread, little packets of butter, and a bowl of chips.
Pea soup with soft bread and a bowl of chips at Dunkeld House Hotel. I was being distracted by a dog at a nearby table when the picture was taken.
The soup was an attractive vibrant green, and I tucked in joyfully. Lorna was suspicious of the lumps floating on the top, and hoped they were croutons. She tentatively bit into one, discovered it was a bacon lardon, and proceeded to pick the rest of them out of her bowl. I didn’t even notice them, and consumed my soup happily unaware of the meat element. (Not that it would have bothered me if I’d known, since I’m not averse to such things myself.)
Blissfully unaware of floating pig, and happily peaceful with my hearing aids out.
We enjoyed sitting in the lounge bar, with the background buzz of other diners in a warm, comfortable environment. After polishing off our meals, we decided against having anything further, and decided to push on to House of Bruar, where we would have hot drinks and a snack. Lorna forgot to take any photos at Bruar, but she did take a couple in Dunkeld House Hotel grounds as we were leaving.
Autumn colours in the car park at Dunkeld House Hotel.
One of the delights of Dunkeld House Hotel is the long private driveway leading from the main road to the hotel. It’s a mile long and has numerous gentle humps to keep traffic at low speeds. It’s almost entirely single track with passing places, and every time we go up or down it we pass other vehicles travelling in the opposite direction. The little waves we exchange with fellow drivers, and the leisurely pace of the drive, make coming and going along the driveway a special part of any visit to the hotel.
View towards the village of Dunkeld, along the driveway at Dunkeld House Hotel.
Today, I had an appointment at 12:31 for my seasonal ‘flu and Covid jabs in the local hospital. Since the appointment was at lunchtime, we decided to continue on to a local eatery instead of going back home for lunch.
Successfully jabbed, and ready for lunch out.
We drove the short distance to the Dalmore Inn, on the outskirts of Blairgowrie, a handy place we visit from time to time when we don’t want to go far.
The Dalmore Inn, Blairgowrie
Having put in our order and received our drinks (milk for me, water for Lorna), we prepared ourselves to receive cauliflower and roast almond soups, served with warm rolls.
Ready for soup at the Dalmore Inn.
Lorna was relieved to find that her soup came topped with snipped chives, rather than lumps of meat, and we tucked in.
Cauliflower and roast almond soup with a warm roll and butter at the Dalmore Inn.
The soup was nice and thick, and the almonds were clearly noticeable as tiny nibs within the soup.
After our soup, we were looking forward to dessert. We’ve noticed before at the Dalmore Inn that they’re pretty good at puddings, so our hopes were high. We had both ordered their daily special: autumnal spiced parfait with orange segments, spiced biscuit crumb and orange sorbet. It certainly looked very appealing when it arrived.
Autumnal spiced parfait at the Dalmore Inn.
There was a good range of textures within the dessert, and the orange sorbet was exceptionally delicious, having a strong citrus tang.
Lorna agrees with me that, despite her off-putting topping, the pea soup was the tastier of the two soups on two days. However, life is all about variety, and we appreciated different aspects of our visits to both Dunkeld House Hotel and the Dalmore Inn. We often comment on how marvellous it is that so many eateries exist within a short distance of where we live, and that we’re able to support their noble endeavours.
On returning home, after tucking me into bed for an afternoon nap, Lorna popped out for a walk and enjoyed some autumn leaves still on trees, and carpeting the ground.
In July we revisited two old favourites, Dunkeld House Hotel and Gleneagles, both of which were excellent, as usual.
We also made our very first visit to a hotel that’s only 3 miles from our house. We’ve driven past it countless times, since it’s just off one of the main roads out of Blairgowrie. From the road, and even on their website, there’s no indication that non-residents are welcome, and we’d got the idea that it was rather an exclusive sort of place.
We had increasingly been thinking that one day we should bite the bullet and drive in to see what was what, and it took our fancy to do so on a warm, sunny Monday in mid-July when we were on our way to Pitlochry for lunch.
On the road below the hotel there’s a brown tourist road sign mentioning the name of the impressive building up the hill: Kinloch House Hotel. There are no other signs or boards indicating that it’s a hotel, which adds to the mystery of the place.
Kinloch House Hotel, near Blairgowrie.
Leaving me in the car, Lorna entered the building to find a very quiet, deserted interior. She had a look around, finding several soft seating areas and interesting wall decorations, and was eventually greeted by a courteous gentleman with a South African accent who asked if he could assist her. She asked him if the hotel served lunch, and he replied regretfully that they only did lunches on Sundays. Did they provide morning or afternoon teas, she enquired? Yes, he said, they could provide tea and coffee at any time, but again rather regretfully stated that the only edible accompaniments available were fruit loaf, lemon drizzle cake and shortbread. Lorna didn’t think that was anything to be sorry about, and she skipped back to the car to tell me the good news.
We continued on our way to Pitlochry, agreeing that one day we would settle ourselves in Kinloch House Hotel for hot drinks and cake. During lunch, at Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre, we decided to stop at savoury courses and go back to Kinloch House Hotel that same day to sample their cakes by way of pudding. We were met by the same South African gentleman, who welcomed us warmly and invited us to have a good look round the hotel’s communal areas until we found the area we’d like to sit in. We did that, and opted for the conservatory, which was bright and airy, and very warm indeed.
Happily settled in the conservatory at Kinloch House Hotel.
We put in an order for tea and coffee, lemon drizzle cake and fruit loaf, and enjoyed the magnificently peaceful surroundings. While we were waiting, Lorna popped out of the open door and took pictures of the views. The main road lay just below the hotel, but we couldn’t hear any traffic as the hillside between the two seemed to absorb any noise.
The door out of the conservatory at Kinloch House Hotel.The front of Kinloch House Hotel from outside the conservatory.Beautiful views from Kinloch House Hotel.
Our South African server appeared with a large tray containing all we’d asked for, nicely presented with thick, white linen napkins. It was getting very hot sitting in the conservatory and we appreciated the large glasses of iced water he brought.
Enjoying a thick white napkin at Kinloch House Hotel.
It was extremely peaceful sitting there, and during the couple of hours or so we spent in the hotel, the South African chap was the only other person we saw. After we’d finished and paid for our repast, he invited us to sit in the conservatory or lounge for as long as we wanted. It was a tempting offer and we appreciated the kind hospitality, but sleep was calling me and my bed was only a few minutes’ drive away. Before we left, however, we enjoyed use of the facilities and had another little look around the hotel.
Exploring Kinloch House Hotel.One of the sitting rooms in Kinloch House Hotel.
A beautiful bathroom at Kinloch House Hotel.
In August we were tempted back to Dunkeld House Hotel and Ballathie House Hotel for familiar pleasures, but we also had lunch at Fonab Castle Hotel and Spa in Pitlochry.
It being the height of summer, the hanging baskets outside the hotel were in full bloom and looking very colourful.
Burgeoning baskets at Fonab Castle Hotel, Pitlochry.
One of Fonab Castle’s greatest assets is its setting, with dining room views out over Loch Faskally.
Loch Faskally, viewed from the dining room at Fonab Castle Hotel.
We were presented with the full menu, but chose to order from the lighter afternoon options.
I chose the veloute of the day, the details of which neither Lorna nor I can now remember, but I’m sure it tasted good.
Veloute of the day at Fonab Castle Hotel.
Lorna had the garden salad, and was particularly pleased by the inclusion of olives. Since both of our choices were light options we ordered a side of chips to share.
Garden salad at Fonab.
Small, warm and delicious wholemeal rolls were brought to the table, with a little pat of butter.
Delicious mini loaves at Fonab.
After our savouries, I chose a chocolate tart for pudding.
Chocolate tart at Fonab.
Lorna settled for a decaf latte, which was topped with a thick layer of foam and served in a handle-less insulated plastic cup.
Latte at Fonab.
September saw us back at Ballathie House Hotel again, where we enjoyed the sight of an old tree stump planted with nasturtiums and other plants. It looked rather like a volcano.
An interestingly planted tree stump at Ballathie House Hotel.
Later the same month we visited a hotel in the village of Meikleour, less than 5 miles from our house. We’d been there earlier in the year for hot drinks, and decided to call in for lunch on a beautiful sunny September day.
Meikleour Arms Hotel.
It was busy, as I believe it often is, being a popular spot with locals and tourists alike. Lorna and I both opted for the goat’s cheese, pear and walnut quiche, and were very glad we’d done so. It was delicious, and served with a tasty parsnip crisp and a bountiful bowl of salad.
Goat’s cheese, pear and walnut quiche at Meikleour Arms Hotel.
For pudding Lorna settled for a scoop of lemon sorbet and a scoop of raspberry ripple ice cream. She was delighted with the fluffy little madeleine that accompanied it.
Sorbet and ice cream with bonus madeleine.
I plumped for Victoria plum crumble, which came with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream atop the well-filled crumble dish. It was surprisingly large and very tasty.
A well-filled dish of plum crumble with ice cream.
After partaking of coffee, I was glad my bed was in such close proximity to our luncheon spot.
The first day of October saw us visiting a hotel in the nearby village of Alyth that quite astounded us on our initial visit the year before. We had often seen signs for the Lands of Loyal Hotel while driving through Alyth, and for some reason always assumed it was a scruffy and neglected sort of place. The building isn’t visible from the main road, and I don’t know why we both had the impression we did, but for many years we’d avoided even going to investigate what might be there. After our first visit, which as I say astounded us, we felt inclined to go back and remind ourselves of its magnificence.
It was originally built as a private residence, but later took on the persona of a sort of country house hotel. It has a very unique atmosphere, and although we’ve been there a few times now, it continues to surprise us with its colouful and flamboyant decor.
Sitting comfortably by the fire in the lounge at Lands of Loyal Hotel.
There are, I think, four separate dining rooms in the hotel, and we were put in one we hadn’t been to before. It was cosy and lavishly decorated.
One of the lavishly decorated dining rooms at Lands of Loyal Hotel.
The ceiling in this room was particularly striking.
Striking ceiling in a dining room at Lands of Loyal Hotel.
Exotic birds were displayed on a frieze just beneath the intricate gold-painted cornice.
Exotic birds at Lands of Loyal Hotel.
There was plenty to look at, and we enjoyed the peaceful ambience of the room as we waited for our food to arrive (we had perused the menus and made our order from the lounge area, where we were served drinks prior to the meal).
Neither Lorna nor I can now remember exactly what our dishes were, but they were well presented, and highly acceptable. I selected a starter and a dessert, while Lorna had a main course and no dessert. My starter consisted of a pastry tube stuffed with something that may have included mushrooms, served with a rich, creamy sauce.
Lorna’s main course was a vegetarian offering involving courgettes. She recalls the tomato sauce being particularly delicious.
One of the things I particularly like in a restaurant is when they produce a bread roll and butter as part of proceedings. Lorna likes to see a carafe of water provided on the table. Lands of Loyal pleased both of us on these points, as well as ticking the boxes for thick linen tablecloths and napkins
My chosen pudding was a raspberry creme brulee. It was served in a large teacup, sitting on a piece of slate and accompanied by chantilly cream decorated with berries. It took me quite a while to get through it, but I persevered and polished it off.
At the end of October we revisited Ballathie House Hotel, where we had a bit of exercise in their beautiful grounds, to work up an appetite for our lunch. My rollator, as well as being a very useful walking aid, provides a seat when I need a little rest.
Resting in front of the River Tay at Ballathie House Hotel, after a walk in the grounds.
Settled into the very quiet drawing room, we opted for sandwiches (egg mayonnaise for Lorna; tuna mayonnaise for me) and tea to drink. I usually prefer a cold drink with lunch, but it was a chilly day and the hot tea was very welcome.
Tea and sandwiches at Ballathie House Hotel.
The dessert of the day was choux au craquelin with banana jam and salted caramel ice cream. Not being a big fan of bananas, I opted for a cream tea, but Lorna was quite excited to try the craquelin, and was delighted by the look of it.
Choux au craquelin with banana.
The cream tea came, as usual at Ballathie, with shortbread as well as a scone. It was up to the usual excellent standards.
Cream tea at Ballathie.
Delving into a cream tea at Ballathie.
In November, we revisited both Gleneagles and Ballathie.
One of my favourite dishes in The Dormy restaurant at Gleneagles has been their vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties in a whisky cream sauce. They used to have it on their menu as a starter and a main course, but these days only advertise it as a main course. However, if you ask for a small portion they serve you the starter size, which is quite big enough a meal for me.
Haggis starter at The Dormy, Gleneagles.
Lorna had a dish she’s had a number of times, a curry consisting of paneer cheese and spinach. Sometimes it’s extremely spicy, other times very mild. This time it was rather over-salted, but I’m told the rice was excellent, as always.
Palak paneer at The Dormy, Gleneagles.
One of the Dormy’s best desserts is usually their creme brulee. Since it’s rather large and we both only had a little space left, we ordered one to share. It wasn’t up to the usual standards, and I wonder if there had been a change of chef. We managed to polish it off all right, mind you.
Creme brulee at The Dormy, Gleneagles.
On our visit to Ballathie later that month, again we started with a little exercise in the grounds…
Walking at Ballathie House Hotel.
…before settling ourselves into the drawing room, which I like to think of as my second home.
Settled into the drawing room at Ballathie.
We both had carrot soup, followed by cream teas, all of which was exactly as expected and highly satisfactory.
Carrot soup at Ballathie, with their excellent homemade bread.Cream tea perfection at Ballathie.
We had several good meals out in December, but the only hotel we visited was the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry, where we met my other daughter, Flora, for lunch one day.
The hotel had been decked out for Christmas, and had a cosy, festive feel.
Huge Christmas tree at the Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.
Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.
There are two dining options at the Atholl Palace, their main restaurant and the Stag Bar. We chose the bar, which was festively decorated and had a welcoming log fire.
Stag Bar at Atholl Palace Hotel, Pitlochry.
Lorna forgot to take photographs of the food we had, but I’m told we had soups and sandwiches. We enjoyed our time there, and the pleasure of an extra dining companion.
Flora and me in the Stag Bar, next to a warming fire.
It’s approaching the end of January 2025 as this is being written. The only hotel we’ve visited so far this year is Dunkeld House Hotel, but we’re planning to visit a new one to us at the end of this month, the Pine Trees in Pitlochry. We’ll be celebrating Lorna’s birthday, so I hope it will be a very pleasant and memorable occasion. If it turns out to be both, it might well appear on this blog in due course.
Despite not having been away on holiday this year, Lorna and I have enjoyed lunching at a number of inviting hotels throughout 2024.
While she was looking through her photographs of the year, Lorna discovered we had visited more than a dozen hotels at time of writing, several of them more than once. Including all of them in one blog post would make for rather a long article, so they’re being described in two parts. This post, Part One, features hotels visited between January and June 2024. Part Two will cover July to December.
Our first hotel of the year (and our second most visited) was Dunkeld House Hotel.
Dunkeld House Hotel.
Looking up at Dunkeld House Hotel from the River Tay.
It was a cold and frosty day in early January, and the River Tay was mistily atmospheric.
River Tay at Dunkeld House Hotel.
I was glad to get indoors and warm up before removing my outer garments.
A happy Bennet warming up in Dunkeld House Hotel.
In February we visited a hotel we’d never been to before: Rufflets, near St Andrews.
Rufflets Hotel, near St Andrews, Fife.
Here I am, eagerly awaiting delivery of some delicious soup at Rufflets.
Eagerly awaiting soup at Rufflets.
I think it was mushroom soup I had. It came with bread and a little pat of cultured butter from the Edinburgh Butter Company, ready to be spread with a delightful wooden knife.
Soup and butter with a pleasing wooden, paddle-like, butter knife at Rufflets.
The vegetarian main course was mushroom risotto, an offering Lorna is not especially fond of, but she was intrigued to try it since it contained sweetcorn as well as mushrooms. Happily, she declared it tasty, and the sweetcorn an excellent addition.
Sweetcorn and mushroom risotto at Rufflets.
After the risotto Lorna felt too full for dessert, but I opted for a chocolate sponge with salted caramel sauce and ice cream. It was served with a long and very thin stick of spun sugar.
Sponge pudding with spun sugar stick.
After our meal, we moved to more comfortable seats in a lounge area to enjoy hot beverages.
Enjoying a hot beverage in the lounge at Rufflets.
There was a welcoming fire in the hearth. We sat there for a while, relaxing happily.
The cosy lounge at Rufflets.
February also saw us visiting Ballathie House Hotel, near where we live in Blairgowrie (more on that one later) and the Dakota Hotel at South Queensferry.
It wasn’t our first visit to the Dakota Hotel, although it’s not somewhere we’ve been to very often.
Waiting for food at the Dakota Hotel, South Queensferry.
Lorna’s outstanding memory of the Dakota is that it once served up the best gnocchi she’s ever had. It wasn’t on the menu on this occasion, and she opted for two vegetarian starters instead of a main course.
Crispy goat’s cheese with butternut squash, raisins and pine nuts at the Dakota Hotel.Hummus with a cheese straw at the Dakota Hotel
I had the French onion soup, which was so large and filling I had no room for pudding. It was delicious but quite a challenge to eat, being entirely covered with a thick slab of melted cheese.
Generously cheese-topped French onion soup at the Dakota Hotel.
For Christmas 2023, Lorna and I gave each other luncheon vouchers for the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh. In late March we drove south to our home town to spend them.
Brasserie Prince in the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh.Happy to have been given a large napkin at Brasserie Prince.
The lunch was a 3 course set menu, and the starters were sizeable. Lorna’s starter was, in fact, larger than her main course.
Lorna’s starter: sourdough toast with wild mushrooms in a cheese sauce topped with pickled radishes.My starter: another French onion soup, this time not quite so thickly covered with cheese.
We both very much enjoyed our starters, and were also delighted by the main courses.
Lorna’s main: butternut squash and ricotta ravioli in a sage butter sauce with crispy sage leaves.
My main: chicken with heritage carrots, spinach, crispy chicken skin and potato fondant.
We were quite full by the time it came to puddings, but in for a penny in for a pound.
Lorna’s pudding: ice cream profiteroles with a bitter dark chocolate sauce.
My pudding: creme brulee.
After finishing our three courses, we rolled ourselves into the bar for tea and coffee, which was served with excellent shortbread we barely had room for.
Lorna came back from a visit to the facilities joyfully reporting that the flamboyant sinks she remembered from visiting the Balmoral many years ago were still in evidence.
Floral sink at the Balmoral Hotel.
At the end of April we made one of several visits to our most frequented hotel of the year, Ballathie House Hotel, near Blairgowrie.
Outside the front door at Ballathie House Hotel.
We like Ballathie for many reasons, including its proximity to where we live (a 15 minute drive away), its beautiful grounds and magnificent riverside setting with long, tree-lined drive, the splendid peacefulness of the drawing room where they serve weekday lunches, the delicious soup and sandwich offering they provide from Monday to Friday, the very pleasant ambience and the excellent, welcoming staff. In short, we’re always happy to pay it a visit.
Lunching in the very quiet drawing room at Ballathie. Carrot and ginger soup with home-made fennel and black pepper cob, and a large egg mayonnaise sandwich to share, with root vegetable crisps.
The weekday lunch menu is quite limited, with one soup on offer, several sandwich options, a dessert of the day, and a cream tea available. We often settle for soup followed by a cream tea, which we find fills us up nicely. The cream tea comes with tea or coffee, superb home-made fruit scones, a plentiful supply of jam and cream, and two shortbread biscuits.
Cream tea at Ballathie House Hotel.
April is my birthday month, and in 2024 I celebrated the achievement of reaching 95 years old. This visit to Ballathie took place on the day itself, but we also celebrated the milestone in early May with other family members.
On 5 May we met up with my son Donald and his partner Gail, and their two children, James and Sam, at Gleneagles, near Auchterarder. Lorna forgot to take photographs during this occasion, but after our lunch and before we parted, Gail remembered to get a selfie shot using her phone camera. Unfortunately, my daughter Flora was unable to join us due to feeling unwell that day.
At Gleneagles to celebrate turning 95. Left to right: my two grandchildren Sam and James, Gail, me, Lorna, Donald.
June was a very good month for hotels. We visited six different ones, four for meals, including our old favourites, Dunkeld, Ballathie and Gleneagles, and two more for coffee.
The grounds at Gleneagles are beautiful year-round, but perhaps particularly attractive in the summer when its many trees are in full leaf.
The grounds at Gleneagles with the hotel in the background.Lake at Gleneagles.
It wasn’t a particularly warm day when we lunched at The Dormy restaurant in Gleneagles. For some reason (perhaps because she’s done it so many times before in the same place) Lorna didn’t take any photographs of our meal, but she did take a few when we’d moved over to the fireside for hot drinks. It was nice to have the fire on in June.
The welcoming fireplace at The Dormy,We occupied a sofa in front of the fire; a good place to sit on a cold afternoon.
Underneath the glass top of the coffee table there were several board games. We took out the draughts board and I tried hard to remember how to play the game. Some of the pieces were missing, but there were other small objects in the box that did the turn.
At the end of June we had lunch at Dalmunzie Castle Hotel, a place we only discovered last year. The hotel sits in a secluded glen near Spittal of Glenshee, roughly halfway between Blairgowrie and Braemar. It’s reached by a long private drive.
The drive at Dalmunzie.Standing outside Dalmunzie Castle Hotel in a proprietorial manner.
Similar to Ballathie House Hotel, Dalmunzie serves lunches throughout the week in the lounge areas rather than the dining room.
The main reception room contains a number of sofas and armchairs.
The main reception room at Dalmunzie Castle Hotel.
Just round the corner from this main room there’s a quiet little area containing one sofa and two armchairs, and that was where we chose to sit for lunch.
In the quiet little lounge area off the main reception room at Dalmunzie.
The sandwiches were generously filled, made with thick soft bread, and accompanied by a bowl of salted crisps.
Delicious sandwiches at Dalmunzie Castle Hotel.
After lunch, we took a short walk up past the hotel to admire the glen beyond. It looked quite forbidding, but majestic.
Wild but majestic, the scenery surrounding Dalmunzie Castle Hotel.
If you’ve enjoyed these hotels, watch out for Part Two, coming soon….
Bennet McInnes 