Add this to your Life List of restaurants to dine at before you die. Not in St. Andrews, but a mere 6 miles away (a quick 20 minute drive from the Old Course Hotel), it is worth the drive to dine at this 5-star restaurant in a charming cottage style building hidden in the Fife countryside.

When we were there in 1998, David Wilson was the head chef. In June 2006, he handed over the reins to Geoffrey Smeddle, award winning chef and columnist.

Do have reservations in hand if you plan to go and make them well in advance of your trip. We witnessed some folks being turned away because they did not plan ahead.

While waiting for your table, enjoy an aperitif or cocktail in the welcoming reception area with plump sofas and a fireplace. Three small dining rooms make up the restaurant, providing an intimate setting for lunch or dinner. It’s first class all the way. We were seated in the back where we could see the French garden beyond the glass doors.

The menu is built around the best local ingredients. The cooking is classically based French cuisine, with emphasis on flavor and creativity. The food is exquisite; a treat for all the senses. On our visit, the daily menu featured venison, a natural choice since it was September. Included in the fixed price menu are a couple of starter courses as well as choice of dessert or a selection of Scottish cheeses, petit fours, and coffee. Current price is 32 pounds sterling. (We paid 20 pounds in 1998.) A tasting menu at 48 pounds and à la carte selections as well as à la carte menus of three courses starting at 36 pounds are also available. Wine selection is excellent.

In addition to the restaurant, there are eight individually designed luxury suites set around a delightful private garden. Nestled in the Scottish countryside, this is surely a place where celebrities go to hide, to relax undisturbed. Lifestyle of the rich and famous? You bet! It can be your hideaway too, starting at 125 pounds sterling for a single and 165 pounds for a couple. Check their web site www.thepeatinn.co.uk for off season rates and special packages.

Restaurant Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, Lunch 12:30pm-2pm, Dinner: 7pm-9:30pm. Directions: Drive out of St. Andrews on the A915 for approximately 5 miles. You will find a turn off signposted to the village of Peat Inn (B940). This road comes out opposite the Peat Inn.