Harden's survey result
Summary
This “secluded country-house hotel in a private bay” with “refreshingly unpretentious, warm and attentive staff” has a “beautiful dining room” and serves “delicious dishes in generous portions”. Head chef Tony Pierce has served a different set menu every day for the past 30 years, of four courses at lunch and five at dinner (but it is not rigid, and guests can request changes). Built as a hunting lodge in the 1860s, the venue is thought to have hosted a meeting between Churchill and Eisenhower in early 1944 to plan the D-Day landings – but it was so secret that it has been difficult to obtain proof!
Summary
It’s “just a treat to stay and dine” at this 19th-century country-house hotel “in a secluded area and private bay”. It “has its formula and it works” – that formula being a vibe that’s “very Scottish baronial” plus a tasting menu that “leaves you time for conversation”, having “a manageable number of courses” (four or five) all showcasing an “emphasis on local ingredients”. Add in its impressive guestbook (Churchill and Eisenhower plotted the D-Day landings here, and it also features in Buchan’s adventure romp ‘The Thirty-Nine Steps’) and it’s “worth the extra two hours’ drive after turning off at Gretna” – though, if feeling lazy, one can also avail oneself of the helipad.
Summary
“A wonderful country-house hotel in a beautiful setting” whose place in the history books is anchored by Churchill and Eisenhower’s D-Day planning here and its inclusion in John Buchan’s ‘The 39 Steps’. Its place in this guide continues to be secured by its “superb food with regional produce” and “fortunately the chef has resisted the move to ever-increasing numbers of (ever-smaller) courses” while maintaining “an emphasis on excellent local ingredients”. “Some of the décor is very ‘Edwardian shooting lodge’ but the dining room is light and bright, particularly on a summer’s evening”.
Summary
“Galloway's finest” – this boutique hotel in an “idyllic location” takes full advantage of “local ingredients, fine fish, beef and lamb”, which are “sensitively and inventively prepared” by long-serving chef Tony Pierce, a pioneer of the now-commonplace tasting menu concept for almost 30 years. The Lodge has a secure place in both history (Churchill & Eisenhower planned D-Day here) and fiction (in John Buchan’s ‘The 39 Steps’). Top Tip: “stay over – breakfast is very good too”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Knockinaam Lodge?
Portpatrick, DG9 9AD
Restaurant details
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £23.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Portpatrick, DG9 9AD
Opening hours
| Monday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Tuesday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Wednesday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Friday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am‑10 pm |
| Sunday | 9 am‑10 pm |
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