Pittenweem, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: Part of the Balcaskie Estate – which provides much of the produce for the menu – this seventeenth-century pub is run by chef James Ferguson and front-of-house Alethea Palmer, and continues to be highly rated for its short-but-impactful menu that would look just as at home in Shoreditch as it is in the middle of Fife.

In prime golfing territory a short drive from St Andrews, Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle’s well-known and highly acclaimed restaurant-with-rooms “never disappoints”. It again won praise this year for its “quiet excellence” – both its service and its modern Scottish cooking which can be accompanied by a vintage from their very extensive (and in places expensive!) cellar. “Good news, lunch is back on Fridays and Saturdays”.

2022 Review: “A very classy experience with little or no fault to find”, say fans of the Roux-branded operation at this well-known Lutyens-designed golfing hotel, which looks towards the Firth of Forth, although it again attracted only a limited volume of feedback. Also acclaimed: “a lovely country-house ambience for a perfect afternoon tea, with spot-on service”. (Albert Roux, who passed away in early 2021, had been in charge of managing the cuisine here, but now it’s handled by his son, Michel Roux Jr).

“What a cracking spot after a round of golf!” say fans of Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s East Lothian outpost, which is handy for nearby Muirfield. It serves “excellent food, and an amazing breakfast if you stay overnight”.