Windlestraw Lodge - Scottish Borders

A table for a special family attack. booking from the cook, no question. then we received a call from them and said they had made a mistake and there were no tables available. they lied to us as if they were possibly economically involved. the truth. I'm not sure how the cook didn't know they weren't full when he took the booking.

See my hotel review! everything only excellent from start to end. friendly efficient service also. it's hard to be much better.

I have reviewed the food here in my review of the hotel itself but it's so good, it's worth another mention. The dining room is formal linen cloths, beautifully laid tables with sparkling glassware and Robert Welch cutlery. The set menu is a delight,...balanced and with some interesting and different combinations. There's a real effort to source food locally where possible and each dish is thoughtfully put together to make the most of the ingredients. Stu is a real find! Service is friendly but unobtrusive and even when the hotel is quiet, the dining room is a comfortable and relaxed place to be. As the menu changes each night it seems irrelevant to mention individual dishes just keep doing the sorts of things you are doing now!

On Saturday evening my wife and I visited Windlestraw for the first time in over two years and as it is now under new owners we wanted to see what it was like now. The appearance when arriving is excellent with the grounds all being...very neat and tidy and plenty room for parking. The entrance and small lounge were very inviting with a lovely log fire burning in the small lounge which was really nice especially as it was a very cold day. We had a pre dinner drink and canapés in the sun lounge overlooking the lovely Tweed Valley and we have to say they were probably the nicest canapés we have experienced in a long time. Windlestraw works on a daily fixed menu but will make alterations to accommodate special requirements plus Vigan, Celiac and Vegetarian if given advance requests. Our meal was really first class with everything very fresh and locally source and presented to the highest order. Our meal was six courses and each course was just right in not being too much nor not too little and was a great balance of everything in making up an excellent overall meal and experience. It is a must to phone and book and of course find out what the meal of the day is as a restaurant/hotel of this standard does not have many spare spaces. If you are looking for an exceptional meal of the highest standard then you would be really stretched to find any better in not just the Borders but the UK. We highly recommend Windlestraw, so much so that we have booked a dinner for nine of us next month.

The big advantage of staying a second time at Windlestraw is the delightful anticipation based on your experience rather than other peoples idea of excellent! Our last trip was in our opinion excellent, and we were delighted to find that this was the same! The...hospitality from Sylvia was again wonderful, the decor and bed fabulous with the addition of fudge. The food was great, with the only critic of the food being John, who is definitely his own (and in fact only) critic. I am sure our third trip will be just as charming!