Meldrum House hotel launches stately domes for dining under the stars
Top Aberdeenshire hotel Meldrum House announces launch of dining domes, writes Rosalind Erskine
As hotels make plans to reopen, many have had to look at innovative ways to deal with safe, sociable dining. Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire is taking advantage of its grounds to launch a range of different-sized domes for guests to enjoy meals and drinks while staying socially distanced from others.
The Meldrum House domes, which will be open for bookings fromtoday, have been named after the stars in the sky and will have views out across the estate and golf course.
Named after the six-star system, Castor will hold up to six guests and the larger dome, named Aurora, will host up to 12. Diners will access them from a private door in the hotel, following a lit stone path onto the lawns.
Inside, the domes have wooden flooring and tailor-made furniture decked out with lantern lamps. A Bluetooth music system is installed in each so guest can play their own music.
Jordan Charles, general manager at Meldrum House, said; “We’ve been working on introducing our new dome private dining concept since lockdown.
“This is a great way to get people to enjoy the four seasons we have in Scotland but from the comfort of our luxury domes. It’s exciting to be able to offer something different for friends and family who would like a gathering in a unique setting. If we see high demand for the domes, we also have the space and ability to add more in the future.”
Last summer saw the hotel introduce a new restaurant, Pineapple, to the dining options available. The eatery is located in the current 2 Red
Rosette Dining Room with views out across the hotel’s 240-acre estate. The menu focuses on local and seasonal produce, with scallops and mackerel from Portsoy, wild halibut and monkfish from Peterhead, chicken and lamb from Inverurie, as well as the freshest vegetarian dishes and sides from Premnay and Montrose. It’s also home to Aberdeenshire’s best butchers; with 28-day aged steaks from Presly of Oldmeldrum sitting alongside pork and 50-day aged sirloins from John Davidson’s Butchery in Inverurie.
The hotel is now open and taking bookings for the domes for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.