Crossbasket Castle
Stoneymeadow Road, High Blantyre
01698 829461
Lunch/Dinner: £30-£67
Food rating: 8/10
CROSSBASKET Castle is a rather astonishing, quite wonderful place outside High Blantyre that has only recently become a hotel. I had never heard of it until I read that the food had been entrusted to Albert and Michel Roux Junior. Now the Roux brothers, consummate professionals that they are, know how to make a success of dining in handpicked, privately owned, country house hotels; think Cromlix House near Dunblane, Greywalls in Gullane. Crossbasket adds to their already impressive portfolio.
And what a setting! The striking castle has been done up lavishly and tastefully in a manner that retains its history while injecting 21st-century comfort. It feels both authentic and welcoming – a tricky balance to strike. I had expected a pompous, mock-baronial outfit geared to Sunday lunches, conveyor belt weddings and banqueting. Think again. Furthermore, a huge investment has been made not only in the hotel, but also in the grounds. New trees will further reinforce the sumptuously mature ones that frame this typically Scottish sylvan setting. A new lavender garden has been created, and walkways that snake along the rushing river. The dining room is sumptuous, in shades of Dijon mustard with gold cornicing, and a vast mirror that reflects the view from outside. Crossbasket seems to be a heart and soul operation, designed to endure.
Our dinner was diligently prepared, and in the main well executed but for my taste, just too much. I’m not a fan of tasting menus. It’s not so much the lack of choice that bothers me, it’s the stamina required. Five small tasters, plus bread with flavoured butters (lava and rock salt, smoked paprika) were followed by four further savoury courses; three had the dimensions of generous starters, the other was effectively a main course. Then there was a relatively modest-sized dessert, or your pick from a very serious cheese trolley (oatcakes, chutney etc) curated by George Mewes, rounded of with a tray of petit fours with coffee. Apart from anything else, it takes ages to eat such a long meal. We arrived at 7pm and didn’t leave until 10.20pm. By that point I was beginning to understand why rooms for reclining were a common feature of those lavish Regency banquets that went on forever.
Luscious Orkney scallops, expertly seared, and flanked with a tiptop salad of white crab meat, pea purée and a sharp lemon gel, were the show-stealer for me; first class ingredients combined with confidently simple presentation. Dessert, an avant garde arrangement of brittle shards of Valrhona chocolate, fresh cherries, and avocado ice cream, made another barnstormer. The bland avocado ice cream was reinforced by hints of sage, and electrified by a tart sauce made from meaty, fresh cherries. Dark chocolate crumbs supplied a contrasting texture. Amongst the tasters, a bubbly beetroot tapioca crisp (like the ultimate Chinese prawn cracker) with a lick of crème fraiche and a sliver of cured halibut, thrilled with its sheer inventiveness. Orkney beef fillet – the "main" course – came immaculately pink, its accompanying wild mushroom ravioli deft, its gravy mouthwatering.
But other dishes need stripped down and de-cluttered. Truffled turnip served under Parmesan-cheesy foam in a hollowed out eggshell was wrong-footed by its insistent, mustardy red onion component. Pommes Maxim (circles of buttered, sugared, roast potato) came twice over, tough rather than crisp. The flavour of a course featuring seasonal Jersey Royals didn’t live up to this celebrated spud’s reputation. And why serve them with both a potato velouté and a Hollandaise? The two don’t work together. Vegetables, which appeared in sparse and often near unrecognisable form – a ridged purée of bland white turnip, a solitary, oddly yellow cauliflower floret, and so on – are the weakest category. They need attention, but not fussing over either. What’s the point of deep-frying a wild garlic leaf? It only makes it greasy.
Tasting dinner costs £67, which, given the effort expended and the ingredients purchased, is reasonable value. So if you have a hearty appetite you might relish Crossbasket. Personally, I’d prefer fewer courses, simpler dishes, and a lower price tag.
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