BORDERING ON BEAUTIFUL
Windlestraw near Peebles is a fine addition to the area’s culinary canon
The mystery diner is won over by dinner at Windlestraw Lodge in the Borders
The last time I went to the lovely Windlestraw Lodge, almost five years ago, it was an ambitious renovation project that had reached a pivotal point. A local couple, Alan and Julie Reid, had taken a crumbling Borders pile, in dire need of some TLC, and had made a remarkable start at resuscitating this ailing grand dame. But such rescue missions are stressful, expensive and energy-sapping, and although a long way in, it was clear that they might struggle to finish the job.
That honour has instead fallen to its current owners, the delightfully welcoming John and Sylvia Matthews, a husband-and-wife team of experienced hoteliers from Northern Ireland via Dubai. After closing this country house outside Walkerburn for extensive renovations, they have completed what their predecessors had started, and the result is a gorgeously grown-up and thoroughly decadent place to stay and eat.
This column is primarily concerned with food, which is why we know the area around Windlestraw so well. Peebles, with its affluent population of Edinburgh commuters, is less than 15 minutes up the road and boasts restaurants like the popular Coltmans, the hidden gem that is Osso and the atmospheric restaurant with rooms, The Horseshoe.
But Windlestraw is different from that rightly lauded trio. Originally a slightly gothic turn-ofthe-century Edwardian laird’s house built for a local mill owner, it was for many years primarily a hotel for fishermen visiting the Tweed, but is now a classic country house hotel with
manicured flowerbeds, a walled garden and a glasshouse for producing fruit, not to mention a beautiful outlook over the Tweed valley. It is a fantastic addition to the area and has been enthusiastically adopted by local foodies, although the anglers have faded away.
The place itself had been rejigged under the Reids, with a large open-plan sitting room leading onto a spacious dining room that nevertheless seats just 12 people (as Windlestraw has six bedrooms, it’s sensible to book ahead). With wooden floors topped with big rugs and white walls, there’s a refreshing simplicity to the place.
It is, however, Chef John Matthews’ 2 AA Rosette food which really elevates Windlestraw. We started with three enticing canapes – venison tacos, sweet corn chowder, an oyster with caviar and dill – and moved swiftly on to the five-course set menu. Everyone begins eating at the same time and has what’s on the menu, although food intolerances are catered for.
No matter, I generally like the idea of being told what to eat, not least because the chef should be on firm ground. This, it turned out, was exactly how it worked at Windlestraw. Our first course of pigeon with beetroot and buttermilk was a case in point: perfectly cooked and conceived with a commendable simplicity, this was superior country house cooking.
The next two courses, however, were even better. I rarely choose trout or pork, but both were flawless. The trout came in a jus of roast shallot and samphire which was rich and pungent, yet somehow never threatened to overwhelm the tender, moist flesh of the fish.
The following dish was similarly revelatory, with unusually dark loin from locally-sourced pork that was showcased by the accompanying carrot, turnip and burnt apple. Understated yet deeply satisfying, by now our attention had been well and truly transfixed. We rounded off with a predictably competent pudding of white chocolate with spiced plums, followed by a selection of Scottish cheeses, and then took a while to soak up the atmosphere.
There is a calmness and serenity about the place that is enhanced by Sylvia, who runs front of house with a quiet, almost zen-like efficiency. But then these are people with big hearts who have set up Children of the Mountain, a successful organisation that educates impoverished Nepalese children (a percentage of the cost of your meal goes to the charity). As well as being extremely good at this hospitality lark, they also manage to convey a sense that attempting to provide a memorable experience is less a job, and more a vocation and a pleasure. If that’s not enough of a testimonial, I don’t know what is.
‘ The lodge has been enthusiastically adopted by local foodies’