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The Dining Room at Boath House

Highlands & Islands, Nairn - Modern Scottish - Restaurant with rooms - £££

Handsome Highland retreat for creatives and foodies

Overall Rating: Very Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Very Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Very Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Very Good

Located on the far north coast of Scotland, this Georgian mansion with a pillared entrance is rather more than your average country house hotel – though it certainly looks the part. The expansive grounds include a handy sauna and birdwatching hides, as well as a lovely 400-year-old walled garden. Set up by Jonny Gent and co (who also own the Sessions Arts Club in London’s Clerkenwell), Boath House specialises in creative retreats, somewhere you can beguile the day working in the garden, while not getting round to starting the second chapter of your novel. The house itself is beautifully maintained, and its Dining Room, under the tutelage of chefs Philip McEnaney and Katie Austin (both formerly at Trinity in Clapham), is an austere but comfortable space with huge sash windows and a marble fireplace. Eat from a short carte or sign up for the six-stage taster menu with its optional wine flight. There is much more depth, freshness and sparkle to the cooking than is often found...

Located on the far north coast of Scotland, this Georgian mansion with a pillared entrance is rather more than your average country house hotel – though it certainly looks the part. The expansive grounds include a handy sauna and birdwatching hides, as well as a lovely 400-year-old walled garden. Set up by Jonny Gent and co (who also own the Sessions Arts Club in London’s Clerkenwell), Boath House specialises in creative retreats, somewhere you can beguile the day working in the garden, while not getting round to starting the second chapter of your novel.

The house itself is beautifully maintained, and its Dining Room, under the tutelage of chefs Philip McEnaney and Katie Austin (both formerly at Trinity in Clapham), is an austere but comfortable space with huge sash windows and a marble fireplace. Eat from a short carte or sign up for the six-stage taster menu with its optional wine flight. There is much more depth, freshness and sparkle to the cooking than is often found in such surroundings.

From the superlative bread onwards, every course offers a shower of revelatory flavours, often from the seemingly simplest of conceptions. A plump Skye scallop is poached in bay-leaf butter with sprouted rye and draped in a frothy coverlet of smoked kombu, with firmer texture from diced kohlrabi. At main course, there could be exemplary turbot with pumpkin in brown butter, or loin of Middle White pork (its fat outrageously delicious) in a sticky, intensely reduced jus with a slab of celeriac, black garlic purée and a garland of garden leaves.

Our finisher was a scaled-up pre-dessert that involved various presentations of garden apple, with eucalyptus ice cream and softly yielding shards of lemon verbena meringue. A compact drinks list opens with wines by the glass from £7.50 (bottles from £25), and matching selections across the tasting menu are generally sound. A seasonal Garden Café in the grounds serves excellent pizzas.

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VENUE DETAILS

Auldearn
Nairn
Highlands & Islands
IV12 5TEGB

01667 454896

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OTHER INFORMATION

Accommodation, Private dining room, Parking, Family friendly, Dog friendly

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