Highland hospitality and fabulous food make Boath House Hotel a real find

JONATHAN extends a welcoming hand as I pass through the imposing, pillared entrance to Boath House Hotel. "I hope you had a good journey," says the doorman, as my eyes meet the roaring fire in the drawing room. I tell him I did, recalling the impressive views of the Cairngorms that drew my attention away from the book I was reading on the train from Edinburgh to Inverness. But now, after three hours on the move on a drab Sunday afternoon, I'm just glad to be indoors.

Built in the 1820s on the site of a tower dating back to the time of Mary Queen of Scots, it has upheld the traditions of Highland hospitality and good local food. The hall leads to a grand staircase that winds towards the bedrooms, each individually styled and uniquely proportioned. All are grand in scale: the bathroom in Room Three is bigger than most living rooms. And they're furnished sparingly, with fine antique pieces, letting the natural light that floods in through the high windows really fill the space.

My room was the most modest of the eight, and yet still had a stately feel. The free-standing bath, with its curled, wrought-iron feet, was more than big enough for my 6ft 2in frame, and the bed defied you not to sleep like a lamb.

Speaking to the hotel's owner, Don Matheson, you can tell that Boath House is more than just a business. When the former engineer bought the building with his wife Wendy, it was a diamond in the rough.

Five years of toil and money revitalised the once-proud Georgian home, so badly neglected it was on Historic Scotland's endangered list.

Now Don and Wendy are reaping a bountiful harvest for their efforts, having just received a Michelin star, that most prized of culinary awards, for the restaurant. A massive renovation saw the couple completely rebuild the roof on the Archibald Simpson-built mansion, on the outskirts of Nairn.

The man who deserves a huge amount of the credit for the accolades the hotel is receiving is Charlie Lockley, who doesn't seem like your typical Michelin-starred chef. Affable and laid-back, he appears far removed from the adrenalin-charged, flamboyant control-freakery we expect. He prefers to let the food do the talking.

Charlie's philosophy is simple. "We just make the very best food we can," he says, as I relax in the drawing room after finishing a six-course feast. One of the keys to Charlie's culinary success is to source the best food from the local area.

Pork comes from a farm just down the road. Fish is transported straight from markets in the west of Scotland, so it's in the kitchen fridge in plenty of time for dinner. Herbs and vegetables are grown in the 16th-century walled garden just outside the house.

"We also go out and do a bit of foraging for wild garlic and the like," says Charlie. So it was with some relish that my family and I took our seats in the hotel's sumptuous dining room, the dimly lit peach walls providing the perfect setting for a special occasion.

The set menu consisted of six near flawless dishes that provided the ultimate reward for skipping lunch and holding off on the complimentary biscuits in my room.

First came a frothy artichoke soup, that prompted a typically random discussion about whether soup tastes better eaten using small spoons. The serving was dainty, the spoon small indeed, and it was tasty as anything.

Then, on to a dish that I sensed may have been Charlie's piece de resistance. Take the best Scottish salmon, sprinkle it with orange powder and cure it in salt and sugar for a few weeks, then gently poach in warm water. Combine with quails egg and beetroot. The result was possibly the most delicious starter I have ever tasted.

Pork belly, quince and chorizo was next on the table, followed by panfried monkfish, with crab and risotto.

Four dishes down – each served at just the right moment by the attentive, friendly staff – and the pauses between mouthfuls were lengthening. That was before we even reached a home run consisting of a cheese platter – Inverloch, Colston Basset and Pont Leveque – and a delectable dessert of pineapple custard, pistachio and sorbet.

So it was with the kind of healthy glow that full stomachs provide that we retired to the drawing room and its roaring open fire and impressive collection of art, for a wee dram and to shoot the breeze for a short while with Charlie.

The Michelin award will extend Boath House's reputation as a place for fine dining far beyond the Moray Firth coastline it overlooks.

But as Don drove me to the train station at the end of our stay, I realised it is the personal touch of the owners and staff that sets this hotel apart. smFactfile NAIRN

HOW TO GET THERE

An Advance Single train fare from Edinburgh to Nairn costs £18.10 (one way). Tel: [phone], visit www.scotrail.co.uk

Where to stay

- Dinner, bed and breakfast at Boath House Hotel costs from £150 per person per night. Special package rates are available. Tel: [phone], www.boath-house.com

And there's more

- A six-course set dinner is £65, the three-course lunch is £28.50.

- For alternative Scottish holidays, visit www.holidays.scotsman.com