ON A sunny day, with the Dee meandering its way through the low-slung hills of the North-east, it's easy to see why Queen Victoria was so smitten with Deeside. It may lack the rugged beauty of the West Coast, but there is an enchanting tranquillity a
bout the place that draws you in. The Dee is at the centre of all that happens here: it's the reason why there are so many anglers and it also explains the presence of a veritable army of twitchers, here to see the moorland birds and the majestic red kites that have begun to colonise the area. But it is by no means the only reason for heading here.
Busloads of older people come to Ballater just to spend time in this picturesque little riverside town less than an hour's drive from Aberdeen, taking tea in one of ye olde teashops or having lunch in the estimable Station café. With its network of mountain-biking trails, the area is also trying to attract a younger crowd, with a centre in the middle of town hiring out bikes by the hour. We passed on that, instead spending a gloriously sunny afternoon at Balmoral with a ranger, covering 30 miles in a Land Rover as we scoured the hills and byways of the Queen's estate for wildlife that ranged from red deer and grouse to trophy species such as otter, capercaillie and golden eagle. Our lack of success in locating any of the rarer species didn't detract from an idyllic afternoon.
Our real reason for heading northwards, however, was to eat at Darroch Learg, a hotel that has amassed a host of awards over the past few years. The place doesn't like to blow its own trumpet, though, and is shockingly easy to miss as you drive into Ballater. From the outside, it looks like one of those understated old Victorian mansion houses that pepper this part of Deeside, but when it comes to this particular hotel, appearances are deceptive.
This is a family hotel which places the emphasis on the family. Nigel and Fiona Franks have been running it for many years, and it has been in Nigel's family for almost half a century. They form a perfect partnership, with Nigel putting together one of the best wine lists in the country while his wife looks after the diners. Like the rest of the hotel, the atmosphere in the dining-room, which opens out into a glass conservatory with stunning views across the valley, is formal without being stuffy, sumptuous without being kitsch.
Under long-standing chef David Mutter, who has held three rosettes for culinary excellence for 12 years, Darroch Learg ('the oak wood on the sunny hillside', apparently) has built up an enviable reputation for quality food. Our amuse-bouche of mushroom soup with a puff-pastry lid got the palate working, while both of our starters were interesting and effective dishes. Ollie doesn't eat meat, but, having rung ahead, he was given a whole host of options, eventually settling for ravioli stuffed with butternut squash and served with pan-fried shallots and a crème fraîche sauce. I was informed that it tasted as good as it looked, which, given that it was a beautifully presented riot of colour, was praise indeed.
My slow-cooked Scottish pork with parsnip purée, soy and ginger dressing rippled with flavour and was so succulent that it fell apart as it felt the pressure of my knife.
If our starters were solid dishes that reflected a sure hand in the kitchen, our main courses also lived up to the early promise. Ollie's huge grilled fillet of halibut with creamed potatoes, spring onion and broad beans came with two langoustines which were quickly polished off. The halibut, moist and tender to the touch, didn't hang around long either.
My venison came with celeriac purée, chickpea galette, black pudding, apricots and a superb port wine sauce that contained, at a conservative estimate, half a dozen different taste sensations. Unfortunately, the venison wasn't as well cooked as the halibut; I knew as soon as I saw the dark slabs of meat on my plate that it was over-done.
Fortunately our puddings turned out to be the star turn, my warm pithivier of apple and calvados with vanilla ice-cream and anglaise sauce disappearing with a degree of indecent haste matched only by Ollie as he polished off a large plate of warm rice pudding topped with plums poached in spiced red wine.
On the subject of wine, the Franks long ago took a decision to charge a flat rate mark-up of £10 per bottle, so many of the more expensive wines, such as my half-bottle of marvellously tanniny Pomerol, are exceptional value. Indeed, with dinner, bed and breakfast deals starting from £80 a night, the whole package need not leave you feeling as if you've been fleeced.
VITAL STATISTICSDarroch Learg, Braemar Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire
(01339 755443;
www.darrochlearg.co.uk)
Out of pocket £45 (including service)
Rating 7.5/10
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