A historic stopping-off point for coaches from Kelso to Edinburgh, the Lodge at Carfraemill is now a welcoming hotel that provides a base for exploring Lauderdale, visiting nearby Thirlestane Castle or indulging in a range of outdoor activities in the area.
Of course you could just be looking, as we were, to unwind for the weekend by sampling the best of Borders produce.
We dined in the Bistro, which offered a pleasant informality not unconnected with the meeting of the local young farmers' association taking place that evening. Despite the number of other guests, the staff were attentive and affable. We tried the roast chicken dinner and an 8oz rib-eye steak with whisky and mushroom sauce, accompanied by hand-cooked chips.
The owners aim to source as much produce locally as possible and the highlight of the meal was titled gooey cheese, a platter comprising a baked Roxburgh Roondie brie, crusty bread with toasted walnuts and a dipping pot of Tweedside Chain Bridge honey.
The other dining area is Jo's Kitchen, where we repaired for breakfast after waking to a morning chorus of sheep. There were no grumbles about the food, which almost trumped the meal of the night before. Pistachio and ginger muesli with pine nuts and raspberries was followed by poached eggs and smoked haddock and a dish of scrambled egg and smoked salmon.
A peaceful retreat from the city then, and after fitting in a trip to Lauder we took advantage of the fact it is less than half an hour's drive to Edinburgh. We lunched at Le Di-Vin, a wine bar in the converted Oratory of St Anne, where, dining on the mezzanine, we tried the croque monsieur before sampling the house speciality, a selection of cheeses such as tomme de Savoie and reblochon. For dessert, the sticky toffee pudding was good but not outstanding, while the creme brulee was definitely worth saving room for.
Stephen Naysmith was a guest of The Lodge at Carfraemill. B&B from £98 based on two sharing. Visit www.carfraemill.co.uk or call 01578 750750. For Le Di-Vin wine bar in Edinburgh, visit www.ledivin.co.uk or call 0131 538 1815.
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