It had been a few years since my last visit to Cromlix House, but my initial impression was it that it hadn’t changed.
As I drove up the tree-lined avenues, the carpet of daffodils I remember well was just beginning to peak through.
But first impressions are not always correct and, as I discovered, there is much that is new at this upmarket country house hotel near Dunblane.
This delightful gem of a hotel has been attracting a fair bit of media attention of late following its purchase by Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray and his family.
Now I had been offered the chance for a preview of the restaurant in the hotel everybody’s talking about.
I arrived in time for a quick look round before heading to the bar for pre-dinner drinks with Judy Murray – who clearly has a real personal enthusiasm for the project.
It took us some time to decide on what we were going to eat. We were ably assisted by Judy, but it was hard to make a selection from the outstanding range of dishes you would expect from an Albert Roux restaurant.
She recommended the twice-baked cheese soufflé in cream and I was sorely tempted, but I have a real fondness for pea soup.
I knew I’d made the right choice when it arrived. This wasn’t just pea soup – it was a work of art. It appeared with a poached egg, peas, broad beans and ham hock delicately arranged around the plate and the waitress then poured the soup into the bowl at the table. It was a fitting way to present the dish which tasted as good as it looked.
Accompanying it was a fine selection of home-made bread. (Bizarrely, for breakfast the next morning, despite a veritable cornucopia of fantastic food, we were served white pan loaf bread toast rather than any home-made bread).
However, back to dinner. My fellow guests were equally impressed with their own dishes which included Loch Awe pike mousse, leek terrine with Scottish langoustines and the afore-mentioned twice-baked cheese soufflé in cream.
Our starters were accompanied by a Chateau Cabezac “Alice” – a pleasantly floral wine with the freshness of citrus and peach.
I had really struggled with my choice of main course. Judy had indicated the Scottish seafood Marmite cooked in cider, leek and barley was her favourite. Some of my colleagues opted for this and were not disappointed. Sorely tempted by the fillet of beef, I finally opted for the stuffed roast saddle of rabbit with langoustines, wild mushroom and tarragon jus. It’s rarely you see rabbit on a menu and it seemed too good a chance to miss. Again the presentation was beautiful, the rabbit was superb and the mushrooms with a rich jus gave a kick to a meat which can sometimes seem a little bland. The glass of South African shiraz was a very good wine, although possibly better suited to the roast beef than the more delicate rabbit.
So far, so good, but the best was yet to come.
An interesting selection of desserts had made this an agonising choice. But in the event, I eschewed the choices on the a la carte menu in favour of a traditional “pudding” from the daily menu. The baked vanilla rice pudding with gin-poached rhubarb was comfort food at its very best. The tartness of the rhubarb was the perfect foil to the sweetness of the rice pudding. Sweet, but not heavy or cloying in any way.
I confess to a stab of food envy over the cheese trolley – a wholly appropriate combination of French and Scottish cheeses for a Chez Roux restaurant with a Scottish chef.
That brings me to my one slight criticism. I appreciate chefs have their signature dishes and that big names are an attraction in the culinary world, but the menu seemed familiar from visits to other Chez Roux restaurants which seemed a pity given the obviously very talented local chef.
The restaurant itself – a new extension to the hotel – was stunning. Sleek and modern, in cream with lime green and dark teal furnishings, it had a light and airy feel and a pleasantly relaxed atmosphere.
We retired to the lounge to enjoy another glass of wine and sample the delights of the whisky bar situated in what was once the entrance hall to the hotel.
It’s just one of the changes at the hotel which has had a great deal of attention lavished upon it.
But if there was one thing that impressed me more than anything about Cromlix it wasn’t the sumptuous décor, the beautiful restaurant or the excellent food. Not even the fabulous tennis courts. No, my abiding memory of this visit was the staff.
They were friendly, warm, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they did. From the lovely young man who greeted me to the knowledgeable yet approachable sommelier – unusually for a wine waiter both female and Scottish – they were sensational ambassadors for the hotel. I have no doubt they will prove to be its greatest asset.
CROMLIX HOTEL
KINBUCK, NEAR DUNBLANE, PERTHSHIRE. PHONE 01786 822 125.
DAILY MENU £29.50
PEA SOUP £8
RABBIT £18.50
ALL PUDDINGS £8