Fine Dining

With an ever growing range of organic fruit and vegetables at our fingertips, our award-winning chefs breathe true dedication into every meal. No matter what you desire, your food will only ever be made using the finest wholesome ingredients, turning every bite into a mouth watering delight.

The finer details have also been seen to, with all coffee served being Fairtrade and all milk being organic from Grahams Family Dairy in the central belt of Scotland.

Coffee

You can taste the rainforest freshness in Macdonald Hotels’ 100% Arabica coffee. Our rich, dark Tiki Espresso beans are gathered from Ethiopia, Peru, Sumatra and Honduras before being blended to bring out their nutty flavour, while our distinctively fruity aromatic Ethiopian Sidamo beans are grown in the highland rainforests of South West Ethiopia and harvested by hand. All our coffee is Fairtrade, organic and Rainforest Alliance Certified™.

Twinings Tea

We serve the most quintessentially British of beverages, Twinings tea, sourced from the most exotic and beautiful locations in the world. Made from the finest, freshest leaves, picked in the plantations of India, China, Sri Lanka and Africa, Twinings tea refreshes and invigorates your palate. Thomas Twining was granted a Royal warrant by Queen Victoria in 1837. Treat yourself equally royally with a tea from our diverse selection.

Wines & Champagnes

The wines served at Macdonald Hotels have been chosen to represent a comprehensive selection of both traditional and contemporary wines designed to complement our chef’s style of cuisine.

On our lists you will find a wide range of white, rose and red wine, some of which have been chosen because they either support organic farming methods, Fairtrade practices or methods of production that are suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

All of our wines are created to the highest standards combining excellence of viticulture practice with traditional hand-crafted procedures and modern vinification techniques. We work closely with growers in over a dozen countries, many of which are family-owned wineries with whom the Macdonald Hotels Group has enjoyed a long and valued relationship, enabling us to work in partnership to influence the style of our wines, thereby fulfilling the expectations of our customers.

Our intention is to create a mix of traditional and modern wine styles, offering wines that will appeal to the traditional palate whilst at the same time satisfying those seeking more contemporary styles of wine.

House Champagne

Dancing with tiny bubbles synonymous with joy and happiness, our house champagne, Champagne Mansard, comes direct from the cellars of Epernay. Sourced from Cru and Premier Cru vineyards, Champagne Mansard is a masterful marriage of technology and tradition. Choose from the classic and elegant Brut, with its mix of 30% Chardonnay and 70% Pinot Noir or the delicate Brut Rosé, a pink champagne perfect with strawberries and summer fruits.

Branded Champagne

Whatever the occasion, celebrate with Veuve Clicquot, an enduring symbol of sunshine and success. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label is a blend of unvarying quality, always fully mature, always perfectly balanced. A harmonious liaison between the sturdy Pinot Noir, well rounded Pinot Meunier and the elegant Chardonnay, our Brut Imperial is suitably confident and refined. Enjoy it on its own as an aperitif or as the ideal accompaniment to any meal.

White Wine

Bursting with Californian sun and flavour, Macdonald Hotels' white wine of choice is Robert Mondavi's Napa Valley Fumé Blanc. A Sauvignon Blanc with a hint of Semillon, Fumé Blanc is suffused with the essence of peaches and lemons and the bouquet of fresh anise and wild white flowers. Aged in French Oak barrels to give a creamy texture with a vanilla finish, this is a winning combination of the vibrant New World with classic Old World techniques.

Red Wine

Macdonald Hotels offers you a red wine enriched with the personality and tastes of the Napa Valley. Robert Mondavi's Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve has a long, velvety finish, a result of combining the finest hand-harvested grapes from the celebrated Oakville district of the Napa Valley with traditional ageing in French Oak barrels. This is a wine to be savoured for its indulgent aromas of berries, cassis and spice.

Rosé Wine

Our choice of rosé is Sancerre, a superbly refreshing balance of fruitiness and acidity. Macdonald Hotels are delighted to bring you this purest of rosés, where 10% of the juice is taken from whole bunches of red grapes to ferment into the palest, salmon pink rosé. Delightful on its own, Sancerre Rosé has aromas of apricots, morello cherries and strawberries and is a particularly good accompaniment for Oriental and Indian food.

Sparkling Wine

Macdonald Hotels’ Cava Brut is a lively and vivacious combination of grapes from the Penedés region of Spain. Harvested and fermented in the traditional method to produce an appetising blend of the aromas of ripe melon and banana mixed with apricots, apple and toasted nuts, this is a wine whose origins in the Spanish sun give it a classical finish with plenty of character.

Bread

At Macdonald Hotels we can guarantee the quality of our bread, because it reaches you straight from our ovens. That unbeatable freshly baked taste comes from the careful selection of ingredients by bakers who know their craft and use traditional methods to bring you home baked goods fresh every morning.

Rosettes and Standards

An AA Rosette is a trusted hallmark which indicates that a restaurant serves dishes of quality, is clear about the origin of the food on offer and is the most desirable place to dine locally.

Many of the restaurants in Macdonald Hotels are routinely awarded AA Rosettes for the quality of their food, drink and service. This is in recognition of the diligent standards we uphold and our commitment to producing delicious dishes made from fresh, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.

We are proud to maintain this standard in so many of our restaurants.

AA Rosettes - Criteria

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A restaurant with three rosettes is recognised as providing an outstanding dining experience which is well beyond other restaurants in the area. The highest quality ingredients receive sympathetic treatment combined with a successful selection of seasoning and flavour combinations. Dishes are cooked with consistent timing and you can expect excellent and intelligent service. You are offered a well-chosen and extensive wine list.

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Restaurants with two rosette status are the best locally and offer higher standards and better consistency. Greater precision is apparent in the cooking, and there is obvious attention to the quality and selection of ingredients. These are restaurants that have achieved the successful blend of style and substance, with uncomplicated food that is simply prepared.

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A restaurant which has been awarded one AA rosette is deemed as being excellent. These are restaurants that stand out in their local area for their emphasis on seasonal food and good service. All dishes are prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good quality ingredients.

Chefs & Training

Chefs

Macdonald Hotels’ chefs are selected with the same care that we take in sourcing the finest food for our menus. The product of innovative training and hands-on experience, they create succulent dishes based on an impeccable knowledge of tastes and an understanding of seasonal produce. A Macdonald Hotel chef uses an astute palate and eye for detail to craft mouthwatering dishes for memorable occasions.

The position of chef at a Macdonald Hotel is both sought after and demanding. Interview procedures are thorough and may require candidates to cook-off against each other to be successful. But once in post, our chefs can create dishes that earn the praise of critics, bring joy to our guests and make us proud. Each year Macdonald Hotels recognise staff success with the High Achiever award which is given to the chef who has consistently produced the finest meals.

Award-winning chef apprenticeships

Our tradition of producing award-winning food is a habit Macdonald Hotels aims to maintain and it has led to us instigating an award-winning chef’s apprentice scheme aimed at 16 to 19 year olds. Based in Motherwell College in Scotland, apprentice chefs spend ten weeks during the year learning the skills needed to produce excellent cuisine, before putting the theory into practice for our guests.

This innovative initiative won Macdonald Hotels and Motherwell College a National Training Award in 2007. We believe in nurturing talent and it is our goal to set up a Chef Academy so that our chef apprentices can graduate to chef de partie level.

Waiting Staff

Macdonald Hotels’ award-winning staff

The secret to any great dining experience is the successful blend of memorable food in beautiful surroundings with superb service. At Macdonald Hotels we have a passion for providing only the best and we believe that our staff embody the very essence of the highest standards in customer service.

We truly value the chefs, kitchen, waiting and bar staff who have brought us numerous rosettes and awards for the impeccably high standard they achieve every day at Macdonald Hotels across the country.

Every year, our High Achiever awards recognise the best waiters, bar staff and chefs in the Macdonald Hotel group. Macdonald Hotels’ award-winning staff training programmes and initiatives ensure that staff learn the skills to make your time with us a pleasure.

We believe in investing in our staff so that when you visit a Macdonald Hotel, they will make the time you spend with us worth every penny.

Bar and Waiting Staff

Our bar and waiting staff are as vital an ingredient in the enjoyment of your meal as the food on your plate. Staff at Macdonald Hotels have a passion for food, a positive attitude and the skill to make our guests feel at ease. Unobtrusive and yet attentive, our bar and waiting staff are highly trained, well-presented and encouraged to follow a career path with us in providing great service for our guests.

To be a member of our restaurant and bar teams takes enthusiasm, professionalism and a commitment to excellence. Waiters at Macdonald Hotels learn exceptional customer service skills and benefit from the most up to date e-learning health and safety programmes. Regular meetings with managers are central to the process of reaching higher standards.

Working in an award-winning environment enables our bar staff to recommend the finest wines and beverages to complement your meal, a skill enhanced by wine and spirit appreciation courses. Our award winning "Stairways to Success" programme encourages staff to quickly climb the managerial ladder to take on greater responsibility. This combination of training, attention to detail and the incentive to succeed ensures that at Macdonald Hotels we give you the very best customer service.

Restaurant lists and awards

Our acclaimed restaurants offer you award-winning food and drink in beautiful surroundings. All are unique, stylish and welcoming, from historic houses to intimate riverside retreats. The dining experience in a Macdonald Hotel is characterised by an attention to detail and an emphasis on good quality ingredients, prepared with sensitivity by imaginative chefs. Put simply, this is delicious food, served impeccably in some of the UK’s best locations.

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Deer Sheep Chicken Fruit Highland Cow Cow and Milk Pig Wild Fowl Kippers Eggs Dining Experience