Scotland's best rural restaurants

Eat on the Green

Udny Green, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

The chap in charge of edibles in this family-run restaurant is Craig Wilson, one of the youngest chefs in the country to bag 2 AA rosettes for culinary clout.

He’s also well known for donning traditional garb, leading to his moniker, the Kilted Chef (hopefully his poor, unprotected knees don’t get sizzled, scratched or sliced in the hectic atmosphere of the kitchen).

Wilson concocts classic dishes with added dash, using seasonal herbs and vegetables sourced locally, plus game and meat reared on the district’s farms.

Hunters Stables

Main Street, St Boswells

Scotland has a tradition of inventing sophisticated fusion cuisine. It was our smarty-pants chefs who took Italian cooking to the next level by dunking a sliver of pastry, smeared in cheese and tomato paste, in a vat of bubbling oil to create the deep-fried pizza.

OK, on second thoughts perhaps we didn’t exactly improve Italian cooking with that particular innovation, which isn’t so much artfully heartening as artery hardening. If you’re hankering after a genuinely inspired blend of Italian and Scottish nosh, Hunters Stables Wine Room and Bistro is the place to go.

Perfecto pizzas (stone-fired, not deep-fried); pasta with pizazz; and braw burgers with Aberdeen Angus packed in a bun. Pure dead magnifico, as they (sort of) say in Rome.

The Scottish Deli

1 Atholl Street, Dunkeld

A deli during the day and a tiptop tapas restaurant in the evening – who could ask for more? This excellent eatery provides a highly munchable mix of Scottish/Spanish scoff. And if that doesn’t appeal, try the Spanish/Scottish scoff, instead. Fulsome tapas treats are available, or you can nibble a bowl of olives with a beer. Great cheese and meat boards to share, along with fruity and fizzy bottles of wine.

All served in a relaxed and friendly manner.

The Three Chimneys (Image: free)

The Hoebridge

Gattonside, Borders

The focus of this elegant restaurant is on creating small seasonal menus that change every month, using the freshest of local produce.

Each dish is presented with grace, sophistication, wit and charm. If Hugh Grant could be a restaurant, we have a sneaky hunch that he would be The Hoebridge.

At the bar you can enjoy a selection of craft cocktails or natural and organic wines. There’s a range of local beers from award-winning Tempest Brewery, and dozens of single malt whiskies and artisan gins from across Scotland and beyond.

The Three Chimneys

Colbost, Dunvegan, Skye

Perhaps you think blending ancient Scottish and Nordic cuisine is all about stuffing a freshly cooked haggis into a horned Viking helmet. As intriguing as that may sound, it’s actually a lot more advanced than that, as you’ll discover on a visit to The Three Chimneys, where the speciality is indeed Scots/Scandic scoff.

Ingredients are locally grown, foraged or harvested from land and sea to create sophisticated and inspired plates of pure pleasure.

Starters include mushroom tart made with Jerusalem artichokes and Wiltshire black truffle; or sweet and sour pork fat confit salmon with mussels.

For mains, enjoy the braised shoulder of beef, or twice-baked souffle.

Eat on the Green (Image: free)

The Bothy Bar & Bistro

16 Grant Street, Burghead, Moray

Hankering after a restaurant that is as cosy as the inside of a clam? Then the Bothy Bistro and Bar is worth a visit. It also happens to be a lot more entertaining than the interior of your average clam, because not many clam innards offer a stone-baked pizza oven, a vegetarian selection of dishes, and bread and cakes baked on the premises ... all of which are available at the Bothy.

There’s also a great selection of fish dishes, plus wine to guzzle and glug.

If you’re on the hunt for a braw bite and a half, the Bothy cannae be beat.

Gille Brighde Restaurant

Diabaig, By Torridon, Wester Ross

The tight-knit team who run the Gille Brighde includes Flo and Mabel, who unfortunately don’t help out much with the cooking, baking or table service.

Perhaps this is because they are a tad lazy. Another reason is they happen to be the pet dogs of the establishment, and haven’t yet been trained to balance dishes on their tails, or chop ingredients using their paws. Even so, these pretty pooches do wonders for moral and genial ambience in this bustling restaurant where (well behaved) doggy guests are always welcome.

Here, you’ll also discover hearty breakfasts, wholesome homemade hot chocolate, plus vegan and meaty Sunday lunches. It’s a doggone delight for human and Fido alike.

North Harbour Bistro

Isle of Scalpay

It may be a dinky restaurant, but it has dinosaur-sized ambition when it comes to the food on offer. The succulent, slap-up seafood treats are meticulously prepared and exquisitely presented on the plate, while the dressed crab couldn’t be more elegant if it was wearing a top hat, spats, monocle and spotted bow-tie.

The Foveran (Image: free)

The Foveran

Kirkwall, St Ola

Three times winner of the Orkney Food Festival “Best Evening Meal”, you’ll be assured of a warm welcome at the Foveran.

Panoramic windows in the dining area provide spectacular views across Scapa Flow. The menu focuses on what Orkney is renowned for – beef, lamb, seafood and cheese. Bread is baked daily using stoneground beremeal flour, sourced locally.

All of which ensures the Foveran is a forever friend for foodies.

The Pennygate Lodge

Mull

This classy and welcoming Georgian guesthouse has its own small restaurant, providing food of a very high order. Mull’s rich and diverse larder is showcased, along with herbs and leaves from the Lodge’s own garden. A varied selection of beverages is also available, with Scottish craft gins, sparkling wines, champagne and other teasingly tempting tipples.

And, of course, this being Scotland, a warming wee dram is never far from your elbow. Choice chomps include Highland venison, chargrilled beef, Treshnish lobster and Isle of Mull scallops. With all this on offer, it’s clear that the Pennygate Lodge is not one to dodge.