I don’t necessarily believe in the idea of ‘guilty pleasures’, especially when it comes to food.

But if you really want to know what I would count as one of my biggest vices, it’s this:

I love a buffet.

Any form of buffet, be it sausage rolls and picky bits to fuel a night of wedding ceilidh dancing or a cheap hotel breakfast with congealed scrambled eggs, erratic toaster settings and sickly sweet mini chocolate chip muffins.

There’s something so incredibly satisfying about the freedom to build an absolute Frankenstein’s Monster of a plate, where the most unlikely of flavour combinations sit side by side in portions as little or as large as your competitive spirit can handle.

And for someone who is notoriously keen to try a bit of everything? It’s like small plates without the hefty price tag or the risk of a cold shoulder after swiping too cheeky a bite of a dinner companion’s meal.

All in all, a dream.

That’s why when invited to St Andrews to try out the Bottomless Sunday Brunch offering from the Fairmont Hotel, it took all of five seconds to decide the journey east would be worth it.

The concept for this new dining experience is simple.

Under the direction of executive chef, Ian Syme, the team hopes to turn the traditional idea of a boozy bottomless brunch on its head with a focus on fresh and local produce.

In doing so, the hotel’s Squire Restaurant is once a month transformed into what is possibly one of the most bougie buffets in all of Scotland, complete with unlimited oysters, freshly sliced Jamón ibérico and gooey cheeses waiting to be scooped onto wafer-thin crackers.

All of this is on top of your choice of main course, which during our visit ranged from roast striploin of beef with Yorkshire pudding and roasted veg, to pan-seared halibut in champagne sauce or chicken supreme on a bed of buttery mash and greens.

Oh, and if that wasn’t quite enough? For an extra £15 you can add up to four of whichever cocktails take your fancy.

“Observe as our chefs perform a live cooking demonstration and order cocktails to watch them shaken before your eyes, in between courses that you've created yourself from a bountiful buffet,” the Fairmont said.

‘Game on’, was our response.

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You can read the full review of the Bottomless Sunday Brunch on the The Herald's website here where I’ve answered the all-important questions like: ‘How many desserts does it take to be embarrassed when a waiter walks past?’, ‘What is the etiquette surrounding tableside oyster shucking?’ and ‘Is it ever ok to order a side of pasta for your roast dinner?’.

I’ll offer no further spoilers for now, other than to say I doubt I’ll ever look at a humble Travelodge buffet the same way again.

👉 Read more from Sarah Campbell