The Peat Inn

There cannot be many inns in the world that lend their name to the surrounding village; Fife’s Peat Inn is one. Calling it a mere inn even seems like doing it something of a disservice: the Peat Inn sports a Michelin star and its uber chef and owner Geoffrey Smeddle is one of Scotland’s most celebrated culinary figures. Most guests these days are here to eat, many not even aware you can recline afterwards in the rooms to the rear, or suites rather, plush abodes that are the ideal setting for a romantic getaway, waking to a view over the fields before having to peel yourself back to the real world.

On the dining front you are treated to seriously sophisticated, immaculately presented fresh local produce, infused with a dash of eye-catching creativity. How about wild halibut, steamed mussels with a risotto of pearl barley, lemon and radicchio, or loin of wild roe deer, potato beignets, butternut squash and passionfruit purée, with a punchy Grand Veneur sauce? The setting retains the stone solidity of the old inn, evoking a simpler time with a drink around the fire to welcome you, while the smooth Michelin-friendly dining room décor creates a calm vibe that lets you focus on the sublime food. The tasting menu is the talk of the village. Of Fife. And indeed Scotland. The gastronomic, seaside and historic charms of St. Andrews beckon nearby, as do the postcard pretty wee fishing villages of Scotland’s Cornwall, the East Neuk.