Cringletie House Hotel

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Cringletie House Hotel is the sort of place to keep in mind if you like to plan a day out round Sunday lunch, or an indulgent afternoon tea of dainty sandwiches and home-made scones with cream and jam. There has been a house on this spot above the Eddleston Water near Peebles since the late 1600s, although the walled kitchen garden and doocot are all that remain from this period, and the present turreted and crow-stepped gabled mansion is 19th century. Polished wood, tartan carpets and log fires make for classic country house style. Weekday lunches in the bar or conservatory are inexpensive and family-friendly, while upstairs the Sutherland Room's lovely views, trompe l'oeil ceilings and ornately carved chimneypiece add a touch of grandeur for dinner. Sunday lunch (also served in this room) showcases first-class beef along with lighter options such as creamy, pungently smoky haddock and leek crumble or wild mushroom risotto with traditional puds to follow. In the evening, new chef Craig Gibb shows a more ambitious style with à la carte and tasting menus in which soft fruits, herbs and vegetables from Cringletie's own kitchen garden underpin the excellence of game and meat from the local hills and Eyemouth-landed fish.

• High point: Scottish baronial mansion house in wooded hillside setting
• Low point: Swimming pool acoustics in the tiled conservatory