Undiscovered Scotland

 

The Peat Inn is rated a 5 Star Restaurant with Rooms by both VisitScotland and the AA. The restaurant, which has been awarded 1 Michelin Star and 3 AA Rosettes, is in a tastefully extended old coaching inn. It stands alongside the road through the tiny village of Peat Inn some five miles south-west of St Andrews and a similar distance south-east of Cupar. You can read our dining review for the Peat Inn here.

The white painted Peat Inn started life as a coaching inn in the 1700s and retains the look and feel of one today, though it has been tastefully and sympathetically extended on more than one occasion. Behind the ample car park is The Residence, built some decades ago, but fitting in so well done it leaves you wondering whether it might have been a barn conversion (it wasn't).

The restaurant at the Peat Inn occupies the ground floor of the old coaching inn. Diners enter to find themselves in an attractively decorated reception lounge complete with groups of comfy chairs and sofas. On cold days the spectacular wood fire brings warmth and still more atmosphere to proceedings. To the rear of the reception lounge is the well stocked bar from which your drinks order is met.

The Peat Inn has three dining rooms. Two are intimate in scale and occupy the rest of the ground floor of the original inn, with small front facing windows, well spaced dining tables and tasteful and relaxing decor. The third dining room occupies an extension to the rear of the original inn and has large picture windows overlooking the beautiful gardens.

Those staying overnight at the Peat Inn may also use the guests' lounge in The Residence, a separate building offering tranquil and comfortable accommodation. To the rear of The Residence and the Inn itself are well tended gardens designed both to give outdoor space on warm days and to give a beautiful outlook from the guest accommodation. There are seven guest suites and one guest bedroom in The Residence. Arriving guests check in here rather than in the inn itself. The building forms an L-shape and the overall arrangement of the accommodation means guests are completely removed from any disturbance from the comings and goings associated with the inn or the car park.

The suites are split between two levels. The ground floor is home to the bedroom, equipped with zip-link twin or king size beds, or a queen size double. The ground floor is also home to the compact but very well equipped bathroom. The first floor of each suite has a lounge and informal dining area.

The Peat Inn may be let on an exclusive use basis, or its three dining rooms may be used individually for small gatherings, events, and meetings. The Inn does not have a wedding licence, but small receptions can be, and are, hosted here. The two small dining rooms can each accommodate up to 14 around a single table, while the larger dining room can accommodate 16 around a single table, or 24 on three tables each of eight people.

Disabled access to the public areas of the Peat Inn is good. The inn is all on one level, the open arrangement of the tables ensures space is available, and there is a disabled toilet for restaurant customers. One of the rooms in The Residence is on a single level and can be accessed by ramps. It does not currently have full wet room facilities in the bathroom, so is classified by the inn as being suitable for those with limited mobility.

The heart and soul of the Peat Inn is the food it serves. But the excellence it strives for and achieves in the kitchen and the dining rooms influences every aspect of what it does. In large measure this is down to the people who work at the inn. Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle have gathered around them a team who are clearly proud of what the inn achieves, and keen to ensure that every guest has the best possible experience, whether calling in for lunch or dinner, or staying in The Residence. Staff are helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable, and when the pressures of a busy restaurant permit, happy to chat. You can read our dining review for the Peat Inn here.