Last week, my Mum and I headed down to Dumfries for a stay at Blackaddie Country House. It’s a small boutique hotel and restaurant, serving gourmet cuisine, and is a perfect peaceful escape.The focus at 4-star Blackaddie Country House is definitely on the food. If you are looking for a real luxury hotel, this isn’t it. The rooms are cosy, clean and comfortable; with some lovely touches, but they aren’t luxurious. The dinner menus and food, however, is of a seriously high standard. It’s true luxury gourmet cuisine and has won countless awards. This is a place for foodies who don’t want to have to drive home after a 5-course meal and copious amounts of wine, and who want a really good breakfast the next morning.Given my current situation, I welcomed the opportunity for a change of scene and a chance to take some quiet time out from life. My Mum and I checked in at 2PM and spent the next four and a half hours until dinner, reading and eating the delicious homemade Scottish tablet and shortbread that you get in your room.For dinner, we had the 5-course Fine Dining Menu (£62.50 per person), which changes daily according to seasonal and local produce availability, and is great value for money. We were seated in the bar area with some canapes while we browsed the night’s menu. You do get a couple of choices for each course and you order here in the bar, before being seated in the restaurant when your first course is ready to be served.When we were seated, we were treated to a delicious and light cup of Potato, Mushroom and Truffle Oil Veloute. I’m such a fan of truffle oil, so I loved this. It was so carefully flavoured and was a great taste of things to come.For our starters, I opted for the Pressed Pheasant and Foie Gras Terrine with Lightly Pickled Vegetables. I’m not a fan of anything pickled, so I left these to the side and just enjoyed the terrine alongside some freshly baked onion bread rolls. The terrine was meaty rather than smooth, and was very flavoursome. My Mum opted for the Fricassee of Mussels, Prawns, Smoked Haddock and Monkfish Finished With Chives. She really enjoyed it and loved how creamy and fresh it was.Next to enjoy was a palate-cleansing Carrot Sorbet. I loved the carrot crisp on the top, but I found the sorbet too sweet and sticky for my liking. My Mum loved hers, however. It was nice to take a break between courses.For main course, I had the Trio of Pork – Slow-Braised then Roast Belly, Parma Ham-Wrapped Fillet, and a Pork and Black Pudding Bon Bon, with Lightly Curried Cauliflower, Butternut Squash Puree and Millefeuille Potatoes. This was by far the star of the show. I absolutely loved this – I’m a real meat fan and am obsessed with black pudding. Everything went so perfectly together, and it was nice to have all the different textures and flavours on the one plate. My Mum opted for the Roast Fillet of Stone Bass with Spinach, Braised Fennel and Puy Lentil Jus. My Mum is a huge fish and seafood fan, so this was right up her street. She said is was cooked perfectly and tasted so fresh.For dessert, we both chose the Iced Blackberry Parfait with Rich Chocolate Ganache, Honeycomb and Fresh Blackberries. I would never have thought to have served all of these things together, but they went beautifully. My favourite part was the rich, thick dark chocolate mousse. I loved that the honeycomb wasn’t chewy or sticky too.I had such a lovely day and night’s stay at Blackaddie and would thoroughly recommend it if you want a really luxurious dinner for a special occassion. It was a very memorable experience. Blackaddie Country House is a Signpost hotel. Signpost have been recommending the UK’s top privately-owned hotels since 1935. All Signpost members are visited every year, to make sure top standards are maintained. Most are near areas of outstanding beauty, with plenty to do or see in the area. Many are hidden gems, and all have award winning cuisine. For more details and to receive news about great hotel offers visit www.signpost.co.uk.

My trip was a complimentary press review stay, but all opinions are my own.

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