French chef Albert Roux makes no secret of his love for Scotland its produce.

"For me, the Highlands and islands of Scotland are paradise," he once mused.

The legend behind La Gavroche currently has four restaurants north of the border - including one at Andy Murray's luxury hotel near Dunblane - and the news that he is to add a fifth, at the 19th hole of the gold course of the Roxburghe Hotel in Kelso, is to be warmly welcomed by both foodies and observers of the Borders economy.

Chez Roux on the Green will open just before the new Borders Railway starts running the first trains between Edinburgh and the Borders for more than 45 years, which was no doubt central to the thinking behind the enterprise.

The new rail line has had its critics over the years, with some fearing it will become a £300m white elephant. For them, the business case has still not been adequately made.

The Scottish government and many locals have long countered that the line will herald a vital boost to tourism and commerce in the Borders by linking its communities to the central belt.

New ventures like M. Roux's restaurant are hopefully an early sign that this ambitious - some would say over ambitious - scheme is starting to bear fruit.