Rufflets Country House Hotel

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the 2012 edition.

Set just outside St. Andrews is the four-star Rufflets Country House Hotel, a turreted mansion which has offered golf breaks, weddings and fine dining since 1952. Twenty-four bedrooms, self-catering lodges, spacious gardens and dog-friendly grounds make Rufflets a favourite with locals and international visitors. Menus include a pre-theatre bar supper and two- and three-course lunches and dinners in the terraced restaurant. The dining room embodies a romantic air with red and white striped walls, rose carpeting and white tables. Dishes have a colourful yet delicate presentation and the chef’s seafood creations won’t disappoint. For starters, a Scottish salmon roulade with a crab filling comes dotted with capers and a lemony herb salad. A goat’s cheese soufflé, warm in the centre, arrives with lines of pesto dressing and tiny cubed sun-blushed tomatoes. Seared Scottish sea trout lies atop a bed of leek and smoked haddock risotto, enlivened by slivers of pancetta and a herb and shallot dressing. For dessert, one can enjoy a sumptuous cheese plate or a velvety rhubarb crème brûlée. For those needing a luxurious break away from the boisterous university town, Rufflets is a promising option.

• High point: Terrific fish dishes
• Low point: Caters to an older crowd

Listed in The Larder – in the shops now or buy online.

The four-star Rufflets Country House Hotel has offered golf breaks, weddings and fine dining since 1952. Twenty-four bedrooms, self-catering lodges, spacious gardens and dog-friendly grounds make Rufflets a favourite with locals and international visitors. Menus include a pre-theatre bar supper and two- and three-course lunches and dinners in the terraced restaurant. The dining room embodies a romantic air with red and white striped walls, rose carpeting and white tables. Dishes have a colourful yet delicate presentation and the chef’s seafood creations won’t disappoint.