REVIEW : Cringletie House Hotel, Peebles

SUNDAY LUNCH AT LUXURY COUNTRY CASTLE HOTEL, CRINGLETIE HOUSE

Cringletie House is a luxury boutique country house hotel, located just outside Peebles in the Scottish Borders and it’s absolutely gorgeous.

The former baronial castle with 12 bedrooms, a luxury suite and a self-catering property had been owned by Jacob and Johanna van Houdt for 16 years and was bought by Bill and Ann Cross in February this year.

Image taken from their Facebook page

The mansion was built by Architect David Bryce in 1861 and although a mansion, it has a feeling of warmth and cosiness. Walk through the sliding glass front doors and you enter into a very comfortable and easy space with a welcoming ambience. A place where you’d want to kick off your shoes and go explore.

Downstairs you’ll find the reception to the right as you walk in, a grand fire place and the bar area where Afternoon Tea seems to be the order of the day. The atmosphere is wonderful, with chatter and laughter filling the air.

We were here for Sunday lunch. The grand dining room is located on the first floor. I love the crisp white linen table clothes and napkins, the tables laid with shiny cutlery and crystal clear glassware.

There is so much to see in the Sutherland Dining Room. Your eyes dart back and forth, from the outside views across the 28 acres of grounds to the stunning features and the magnificent fireplace.

The dining room also has superb ceiling murals, which really makes a stunning setting for lunch or dinner.

Sunday at Cringletie House is something special. Their Sunday Lunch is 3 courses for £35 which includes a choice of Sunday Roast for your mains, but they also have a Sunday night Special which is a 7 course tasting menu with paired wines (or drinks as sometimes it might be whisky or other alcohol) with a complimentary overnight stay and breakfast for £124.50pp. Book now!

A review of Sunday Lunch at Cringletie House Peebles

Perusing the menu whilst nibbling on homemade bread is obligatory. I enjoyed the sundried tomato breadroll whilst Mr TS tucked into his olive breadroll.

The menu is a 3-3-3 menu (a choice of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 desserts).

Chicken Broth and chicken dumplings

Oh my, just what I needed and wanted. It had been a week of over indulging, and sometimes I just crave a good chicken soup. This genuinely hit the spot. The broth was lovely and salty from the chicken stock. The chicken was soft with the full flavour of the broth having penetrated the chicken. The wee chicken quenelles (dumplings) were lovely and creamy. Fabulous!

Ham Hock and Gremolata Terrine with piccalilli and almond & sultana bread

Large generous portions here. The ham hock was well pressed with a lovely herb crust; very tasty indeed. The piccalilli was the star of this dish, being both crunchy and well pickled, it most definitely added that zing to the soft salty ham hock.

The third dish on the menu was the Trio of Scottish Salmon and Mr TS really was torn between this and the ham hock.

We both opted for the Sunday Roast with honey roasted vegetables, goose fat potatoes and summer greens.

The Sunday Roast is served table side and it’s just a sheer moment of joy. A 70’s throwback but it delights so much! The carvery trolley is rolled over to your table, lid lifted and meat and yorkies revealed.

Chef Iain Gourley, dishes up the Sunday Roast with superb precision carving and knife skills. The choice of meats were the Sirloin of Beef and the Roast Chicken.

I chose a slice of each, beef and chicken and a yorkie too; then filled my plate with the amazing vegetables and those potatoes.

Potatoes done right. Bring on the goose fat.

Honey roast veg including carrots, parsnips, baby onions, kale and broccoli.

Sunday Roast was fantastic. I can honestly say this is THE BEST Sunday Roast I have had in the last 5 years. Every single element of this was cooked to perfection. Chef Iain, is most certainly an accomplished chef and really knows how to the get basics right. Most often, cooking ingredients simply and beautifully is often the most skilled thing to do, and it truly shows here.

The care of presentation and attention to the small details ensures that these plates of food are outstanding.

The beef is sirloin, no topside or silverside, which can often lead to chewy roasts and the chicken was moist and buttery. The vegetables were sweet and tender but still retained a slight bite with just enough honey is enhance their natural sweetness rather than overpower it.

Potatoes, were amazing. Crispy and crunchy on the outside, flaky, soft, fluffy and comforting on the inside; and last but not least the gravy, ahhhh the gravy…. lush. Full of flavour, rich and unctuous.

I can’t say this enough - I loved Sunday Roast here!

You could also choose the Pan-Seared Atlantic Cod or the Slow Cooked Pork Belly.

Onto desserts. I have no idea how we managed to fit these it, but there is ALWAYS room for desserts.

Macadamia Parfait with port soaked pears, filo crisp and marscapone. This dessert is lovely and light. The pears provide the contrasting texture here and although thoroughly drenched in port they retain their firmness, set this against the light whip of the parfait and the fine super thin crisp; it equals dessert heaven.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownie with chocolate shard and yoghurt sorbet.

Gorgeous isn’t it and my photograph doesn’t do it justice. A full on chocolate hit with textures of light and fluffy, to soft and gooey, to crunchy. Another superb dessert dish.

We were both tempted by the cheese board but wanted something nice n sweet.

Petit fours and a cuppa tea finished off our Sunday Lunch as we chatted away for a wee while with Chef Iain Gourley. Whisky, food and the history of Cringletie House were the topics of the conversation as well as his passion for creating dishes using local fresh produce.

So many gorgeous elements to Cringletie House Hotel and I cannot wait to go back for an overnight stay to discover more of what this fabulous masion has to offer.

Another cosy stunning fireplace in the Maguire Room - ideal for Afternoon Teas, morning coffees or pre-dinner drinks

What a find! Cringletie House Hotel is a treasure and its less than an hours journey from Edinburgh. This is a place to escape the city, head back to nature but in the most luxurious, comfortable and relaxed way possible.

Do yourself a favour and either book an overnight stay or dine here. It’s a moment that will stay with you forever and places like this are what memories are made of.

Cringletie House Hotel, Edinburgh Road, Peebles, EH45 8PL. Tel : 01721 725750

My Spoon Award : Tartan Spoon 10/10

I was invited by Cringletie House Hotel to review their menu. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.