Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Cross at Kingussie Awarded "Restaurant with Rooms of the Year 2009"




The Cross at Kingussie Awarded "Restaurant with Rooms of the Year 2009"








The Cross at Kingussie was handed the title at last weekend's Scottish Hotel Awards, in a glitzy ceremony held at Glasgow's Crowne Plaza Hotel. The award was presented to owners David and Katie Young and chef Becca Henderson by celebrity chef and fellow hotelier Baroness Claire Macdonald and Alex Fergusson the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament. It follows a comprehensive inspection and judging process carried out by the organisers, The Scottish Hotel Awards & Review Guides. "We're thrilled to have been honoured with such a prestigous accolade" said Katie, "it's a reward for all of our team who work so hard to maintain and improve the standards that make The Cross such a special place".




Owners David and Katie Young are delighted that The Cross has been recognised by a Scottish guide in this way. "Michelin, The Good Hotel Guide, and the AA, amongst others, have been very enthusiastic about what we have done here at The Cross in the past seven years", says David, "but it's something special when the praise comes from closer to home!"Previously winners in 2004, it's the second time that The Cross has been voted "Scottish Restaurant with Rooms of the Year" The Cross is situated in it's own idyllic four acres of riverside grounds - with an abundance of native trees, flowers and wildlife - and combines quality with simplicity and good food with a warm welcome. Built as a water powered tweed mill in the late 1800's at a time when the village of Kingussie was being developed by the local laird, The Cross maintains the character and some of the original features of the mill. Champagne is served on the terrace in the summer - and drams in one of the cosy lounges in winter. AA three-rosette award winning dinners are served by the flicker of an open fire in the stone walled and wood beamed restaurant. Menus feature carefully prepared fresh and seasonal Scottish produce and the wine list too, has been voted Scotland's best. There are eight comfortable bedrooms, all with king, queen or twin beds and spacious en-suite bathrooms including some with separate showers. Each room has TV, CD radio cube, hospitality tray, fully controllable heating, glenlivet water & arran aromatics toiletries - and in half you can nod off to the sound of the bubbling river below. Breakfasts include fresh squeezed juice, fruits & compotes, baked croissants and a daily-changing hot dish featuring produce from local farms and estates and delicacies like freshly picked chanterelles. There's a wealth of things to do in the area. Walking, climbing, mountain biking, ski-ing, boarding, off-roading, sailing, canoeing, horse-riding, sight-seeing, shopping, gliding, whisky tasting, golfing, fishing, shooting.............or just relaxing. The Cross offers special breaks in the Spring and Autumn, great Winter weekend rates, a popular three-night Hogmanay package, and promotional prices all year round.






The Cross at Kingussie
Restaurant with Rooms
www.thecross.co.uk

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Truffle Hunting

1. Tobi sniffs out the truffles...invaluable! Fantastic video clip of a working dog in Montaione, Tuscany...what a hound!



2. Truffle sniffs out the sheep...! We named him Truffle in the hope that he might be trained to find the hidden funghi, but as you can see below, he has other things on his mind!
















The Cross at Kingussie
Restaurant with Rooms
www.thecross.co.uk

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Winter has arrived...but all roads still lead to The Cross!


The early November snows, followed by by some teeth-chatteringly low temperatures during the past few weeks, have finally developed into a full-blown Highland winter wonder-land. Our access roads are almost always clear and we work hard at keeping our own drive-way passable. And of course for the faint hearted (or for those who want to sit back and admire the scenery in comfort) regular trains stop at Kingussie on their way from Inverness or from London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. So there's never an excuse to stay at home. And here are some images above to whet your appetite for a winter break!


The Cross at Kingussie
Restaurant with Rooms
www.thecross.co.uk

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tuscany Report 2008





















Earlier this month we travelled to Tuscany to visit our wine supplier Villa Pillo at Gambassi Terme (http://www.villapillo.com/) to check out the recent vintage and taste some new wines. It looks like 2008 will turn out to be another good year with a healthy balance of quantity and quality. Estate Manager Pamela Trassinelli told us that they had enjoyed exceptional heat throughout the summer and virtually all their grapes were picked before the September rains arrived. We tasted (the last bottle of) an experimental Sauvignon Blanc 2007 which was very gentle and understated and we shall look forward to adding the '08 version to our list next year. We also enjoyed seeing the grapes drying as part of the process of producing Vin Santo. We also visited Badia a Coltibuono (http://www.coltibuono.com/) and Volpaia (http://www.volpaia.it/), currently estates with representation on our list, and we're speaking with Rampa di Fugnano about the possibility of importing some of their wines too. So, all in all, a successful and interesting visit.

The Cross at Kingussie
Restaurant with Rooms
www.thecross.co.uk