CHEF’S CHOICE

Pamela Brunton, owner and chef at Inver restaurant on Loch Fyne, chooses her six favourite restaurants.

CAFE FISH, TOBERMORY

This is the dream Scottish island seafood restaurant. They own their own fishing boat, and serve unfussy fresh fish and shellfish dishes with home-baked bread on the top floor of the Calmac ferry building overlooking Tobermory Bay. www.thecafefish.com

BUT ’N’ BEN, AUCHMITHIE

I remember going here with my mum and gran for high tea when I was a kid, and it’s still there; resolutely unglamorous, perched on a cliff top serving Arbroath smokies and home baking on doilies from the trolley. www.butnbenauchmithie.co.uk

TIMBERYARD, EDINBURGH

The decor and menu celebrate Scottish tradition and its relevance to contemporary European restaurant fashion. The drinks list is extensive, up-to-date and genuinely stimulating. Shows just what Scotland still has to give to the world. www.timberyard.co

THE OLD BRIDGE INN, AVIEMORE

This is pub food plus. The excellent cooking is always tasty and tasteful, using ingredients from local farms and forests; convivial food that makes you want to spend another pint’s time in one of the country’s very best pubs. www.oldbridgeinn.co.uk

KILBERRY INN, KILBERRY, ARGYLL

You get a genuinely personal welcome from David, and chef Clare’s menu strikes a respectful balance between classic and imaginative, eschewing cheffy frippery for tasteful, skilful cooking. It’s exactly what I want to eat on a rare night off and I only wish they were closer. www.kilberryinn.com

KEBABISH GRILL, GLASGOW

We lived in London for a long time and I really missed the East End kebab houses till we found exceptional Punjabi curry spot Kebabish. Eat in for the sizzling lamb chops straight from the grill; for takeaway, we’ve found the long-simmered daal gosht travels much better. www.kebabish-grill.co.uk