I was asked to embark on a secret mission - mystery diner to choose the Restaurant of the Year for the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards 2019. There were six restaurants shortlisted from across the Highlands and Islands, from Kylesku and Torridon to Nairn, Tain and the Cairngorms National Park.

I can now reveal who the winner was ….. Muckrach Country House Hotel in the Cairngorms National Park not far from Granton on Spey, Morayshire.

It was a bitterly cold night at the end of October when we visited; the fog was coming in making driving conditions a little tricky but it made for some great shots of the 10 acres of gardens and the old trees at the entrance to the Muckrach.

The Muckrach is a 4 star luxury hotel with 16 bedrooms. The Cowap family have restored this beautiful Victorian shooting lodge to its previous glory, from a bare-bones building to a luxurious and vibrant Scottish Highland hotel which now features its own coffee shop and Archie’s restaurant.

They are dog friendly with 5 dog friendly garden rooms and access with your well behaved dog to the Library in the main hotel only.

Unfortunately, we weren’t staying over (hopefully next time) but just visiting for dinner. We where warmly welcomed at reception and a woof and a tail wag from resident dog, Murphy, meant we were given the seal of approval and showed through to the restaurant, Archie’s and our candle lit romantic table by the window.

The whole place is typically Scottish done in a very elegant, sophisticated way. The large painting of a stag looms over the dining room and the antler chandelier is another lovely touch. Archie’s Restaurant is spacious and well laid out yet still manages to feel cosy.

A quick look at the wine list, and we decided on the Tummil Flat Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand. Always a favourite and a super easy drinking wine.

REVIEW ARCHIE’S RESTAURANT MUCKRACH COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK

The starters all sounded delicious and I had difficulty in choosing. There was the Classic Cullen Skink and a Red Lentil Veloute that took my fancy but I ended up ordering the

Whole Roast Crottin Goats Truckle with beetroot paint, beetroot crisps and confit golden beetroot.

I adore beetroot and combined with the creamy goats cheese always makes for delicious eating. I loved the variations in the beetroot from the soft confit beetroot to the crunch of the crisps.

Up next for starters was the

Hot Smoked Fillet of Salmon with saffron aioli, capers, shallots, leeks, lemon balm and caper berries.

A rainbow dish packed full of flavour. The salmon was smooth, silky and fresh. The salad added the contrasting texture and the leeks and the lemon balm worked well to offset the natural oiliness from the fish.

For mains there were some juicy choices too like Seared Ardgay Venison Haunch, Scottish Langoustines or steaks from the grill. I chose the

Slow Cook Nethybridge Beef Blade with cream potato, babe beetroot, yellow carrots, borettane onion, baby leeks, babe turnip, pickle cabbage and Madeira jus.

The beef fell apart as soon as I put my fork close to it. Tender and succulent, moist and juicy. The potato were beautifully fluffy and creamy, and the array of vegetables all well cooked and seasoned.

Seared Loin of Monkfish with tiger prawn, saffron risotto, sugar snap peas, pickle baby fennel, asparagus, cherry tomato, capers, lemon balm and samphire.

A good steak of monkfish arrived. It was well cooked and soft as well as being perfectly seasoned. The prawns nicely cooked and juicy. The risotto was al dente and Mr TS loved the baby fennel that provided the extra flavour dimension to the dish.

I’m always wary of desserts as you know. They are difficult to get right and these one’s were nice enough. Some of the elements hit the mark, others just weren’t quite right for us.

I ordered the

Rich Dark Chocolate Ganache with raspberries gin, vanilla soil, red berry caviars and forest fruit sorbet.

To be honest, I ordered this as I wanted to see what the soil and the caviars were made from. I’ve not seen this on a menu for a good many years.

The vanilla soil was crumbled vanilla biscuit and the caviars some jelly spheres. They held more decorative purpose and I would not have bothered to mention them on the menu. The chocolate tart itself was nice - thick chocolate held together in its own cup.

Lastly was the

Cream Cheese Iced Carrot Cake with Malibu syrup, raspberry crumble, star fruit and coconut ice cream.

Again 10/10 for presentation and it looked so festive. The carrot cake was lovely and quite dense as a carrot cake often is. More frosted icing required please…

After dinner we went and had a quick wander around whilst we waited on our coats. There are three public rooms, the Drawing Room, the Library and the Reception.

The Drawing Room was my favourite and I could just picture myself with a large whisky in hand by the fire listening to the piano being played on a cold day in December.

The Reception Room has all the quirk, from the stags head above the fire to pineapples and Highland Coos. Loved it. I could quite easily have moved in.

And the library, is a gorgeous quiet space for some lovely chill out time devoid of mobile phones and technology.

A massive congratulations to the Muckrach Country House Hotel for winning Restaurant of the Year Highlands and Islands. It was most definitely the best meal we had. The staff were very friendly and didn’t bother you, although one or two check backs on our food would have been appreciated.

There are a few niggles here and there but all in all a wonderful place for dinner and I highly recommend it.

Muckrach Country House Hotel, Dulnain Bridge, Grantown on Spey, Morayshire, PH26 3LY.

Tel: 0441479 851 227 www.muckrach.com

My Spoon Award : Gold 9/10