BORDERING ON MARVELLOUS
Review of the Collingwood Arms in Cornhill-on-Tweed
First of all, an apology because this month’s review takes place in England (and no, neither the apology nor the trip south of the border are likely to re-occur any time soon). As regular readers know, we virtually never stray south of the Tweed, but on this occasion we’ve made an exception because The Collingwood Arms is now the go-to venue for a whole swathe of the Scottish Borders around Coldstream.
Sure, if you want aspirational grub there’s the Wheatsheaf at Swinton, the Roxburghe at Heiton, the revitalised Ednam House in Kelso, 10 miles to the south west, and there’s also the Borders’ best-kept secret in Jacqui Kelly’s Eden water House in Ednam. But eastwards, towards the gastronomic ground zero known as Berwick-upon-Tweed, there are slim pickings alleviated only by The Allanton Inn’s pub grub.
So for a whole raft of discerning Borderers, the trip south of the Tweed has become a regular gastronomic pilgrimage, although at first sight it’s difficult to see why. Situated on Cornhillon-Tweed’s high street, the Collingwood Arms is a classic Georgian inn which still has the words ‘horse post’ over its front door. But first appearances can be deceptive: eight years ago The Collingwood (named after the eponymous Geordie Admiral who played Robin to Nelson’s Batman) underwent an ocean-going, root-and-branch refurbishment, which transformed it from a run-of-the-mill northern inn into the sort of uber-polished rural venue that has permanently plumped-up cushions, fresh flowers on every surface and every inch of wall covered in posh prints of bucolic country scenes.
The food fits the manicured surroundings
perfectly, with an aspirational yet contemporary fine-dining menu that works in the bar or the inn’s restaurant, which somehow reminded me of Edinburgh’s Michelin-starred Castle Terrace (this, for the record, is a very good thing).
But if the surroundings are both comfortable and classy, it’s what goes on behind the kitchen doors that has won the place numerous accolades and such a loyal following that we ended up eating at 6.30pm on a Saturday despite booking three days in advance. This is all down to head chef Tom Shutt, the man behind the menu and the Collingwood’s success.
We started with a row of beautifully judged Tandoori chicken livers, although that dish was immediately eclipsed by a small but perfectly formed beef and blue cheese terrine, which came with red onion marmalade and Arran oatcakes. Our main courses – a hefty serving of curried monkfish with masala mashed potato, pickled vegetables and korma sauce, plus four thick slices of gorgeously crimson Rutherford Estate venison loin with Dauphinoise potatoes, spring greens and a bitter chocolate and cassis jus – were similarly impressive.
Puddings were more of a mixed bag, however. The huge slice of lime curd cheesecake was obnoxiously bland and so rich it was impossible to finish. The rhubarb and stem ginger pavlova with blueberry and elderflower ‘gel’ (note to chef: ‘gel’ is a terribly offputting description for food) was a return to form and made for a far more nuanced and subtle dish.
Throughout the whole menu, there was a consistent attempt to reference named suppliers, roughly half of whom came from north of the Border. Still, given that the folk memory in this area is particularly strong and often harks back to the lawless, reiving times when the borderlands on both sides of the Tweed was a place in which being a Borderer was almost a nationality in itself, the close ties with the folk of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire is hardly surprising.
Nor is the sporting theme that gives this riverside inn much of its character. Ye olde faux hand-coloured prints of the Tweed and its various beats abound, and at this time of year many of the 15 bedrooms are occupied by anglers who are fishing on the nearby Tweed, Till and Whiteadder rivers. During the shooting season, the Scottish estates over the Coldstream bridge barely a mile away are where the visiting guns do the majority of their shooting.
Most of all, the Collingwood Arms is a charming oasis of laid-back quality and good value in an area which could do with some more of the same. Go on, try it – it’s well worth the journey across the Tweed and the mile you then have to drive to get there.