Rufflets Country House Hotel

A four-star hotel in a turreted mansion just outside St Andrews which has offered golf breaks, weddings and fine dining since 1952.

The 2017 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

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 Fife Larder – order a print copy (free + p&p).

A country-house hotel incorporating a romantic dining room serving up colourful yet delicate dishes with seafood a speciality.