Where to Eat
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global dishes, steaks and grills. If you feel the need to work off their sticky toffee pud or raspberry Macallan, the short stroll around the loch will do the job.
The Robertson Arms Hotel
The Mill Inn
The Robertson Arms Hotel, an old blackand-white coaching inn on Carnwath’s Main Street, began life as three cottages in 1823, but these were later sandwiched into a hostelry in 1848. Inside, however, was recently renovated by its current owners, Jan, Ray and head chef Ryan Henderson. Diners can choose to eat in its dark wood and tartan bistro or Tudordecor JRR’s Restaurant. Each has its own separate menu, serving either pub classics headlined by house burgers and sundaes, or fixed-price fine dining (two courses for £15.95). Dishes include a trio of puddings (Stornoway black pudding, Dingwall haggis and white pudding with a Drambuie sauce), medallions of venison cooked in a red onion and redcurrant jus, and summer berry and ice-cream crêpes. The Robertson Arms also packs in a beer garden and new conservatory dining room.
Coulter Village, Biggar ML12 6PZ 01899 220950, themillinncoulter.co.uk Mon–Sun noon–9pm Smiths
GUIDES
Located on the site of an old grain mill, bits of which date back to the 12th century, the Mill Inn is gloriously photogenic, which partly explains its popularity as a venue for weddings and other special events. Inside, sturdy wooden tables are spread out on a bright red tartan carpet giving it a couthy charm. The menu is divided into neat sections, including small plates, local dishes, pub classics and grilled meats. Local produce features heavily in dishes such as Coulter pheasant wrapped in Ramsay bacon and the chef’s own homemade haggis, neeps and tatties. Desserts include homemade toffee and tablet cheesecake.
10–16 Main Street, Carnwath ML11 8JZ 01555 840060, robertsonarmshotel.com Bar/Bistro: Mon–Sun noon–late. Restaurant: Fri/Sat 5-30pm–late
Mill One Restaurant New Lanark Mill Hotel, New Lanark ML11 9DB 01555 667200, newlanarkhotel.co.uk Mon–Sat 6–9.30pm. Sun noon–3.30pm, 6–9.30pm
The hotel’s revamped Mill One Restaurant, set in the refurbished mill room with views and sounds of the River Clyde below, serves an enticing local, seasonal menu, with dishes such as smoked ham hock roulade, twice-baked Lanark Blue soufflé, and blackcurrant cranachan trifle. No one will be disappointed by their solid performance, and dishes look impressive and special, with fashionable smears of sauce, and slates for plates. You sense they’re playing it safe, yet also, in a few dishes, daring to push at the edges. Flavours maybe have a wee way to go yet from ‘what people expect’ to ‘wow’, but New Lanark is about nothing if not progress, and through new manager John Stirrat, his kitchen, and kind staff, you feel the legacy of Robert Owen’s unstoppable drive for improvement. Mill One is on the way up.
The Woodpecker Bar & Restaurant 20 Wide Close, Lanark ML11 7LX 01555 665161, woodpeckerbar.co.uk Mon–Wed 11.30am–3pm; Thu–Sun 11.30am–7pm
The family-run Woodpecker Bar & Restaurant is a stylish, popular hang-out for diners and revellers on Lanark’s Wide Close, serving lunch and dinner menus of home-made soup, sandwiches, paninis, burgers, baked potatoes and toasted ciabattas, or more solid classics like chilli nachos, gammon steak, chicken goujons, scampi, Caesar salad and haddock mornay, with a snack menu available throughout the day. Below the restaurant’s wooden floors and tables, comfy brown leather sofas and black banquettes, there lies another modern space sporting plasma screens, black leather chairs, a smooth bar pouring beer, wines, whiskies, vodkas and cocktails, and featuring DJs every Saturday and a small outdoor seating area for chatting and chilling on Wide Close.
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