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Throughout 2006 we continued 2005’s habit of going away for more weekends and holidays. There was a lot of repetition of 2005 (if you find a good thing, why change it), and these were the highlights:

Best Restaurants

We usually try to go to two or three restaurants with Michelin stars each year, these are the best…

1. Hibiscus, Ludlow. Still the best restaurant ever, although this year may have been our last meal with them, at least in Ludlow, because they are rumoured to be closing around Easter 2007 and moving to London or the SE in the middle of the summer. The highlight for 2006 though was the savoury ice cream of foie gras, warm emulsion of brioche, balsamic vinegar caramel.
2. L’Enclume, Cartmell. Simon Rogan’s Introduction menu gave us 12 courses of gastronomic genius. Very experimental and unusual.
3. The Stagg Inn, Titley. The Stagg normally marks the start of our Ludlow holiday each year. The bar serves the same food as the restaurant in a more informal setting, and the food is predictably excellent - in fact the Stagg was the first UK pub to be awarded a Michelin star. The beef this year was superbly tender.

Best Cheaper Eats

This category is for more “normal” eating out!

1. Water Prince Corner Shop, Charlottetown, PEI. Superb lobster supper - bread roll, mussels in white wine broth, boiled lobster with drawn butter and potato salad.
2. The Old Fish Factory, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The best seafood chowder with biscuit followed by boiled lobster and drawn butter. It might be touristy but the food was good.
3. Red Onion, Glasgow. Jacqueline went there for her work Christmas night out and had an excellent meal with good atmosphere.

Best Hotels

Places we have enjoyed staying in this year.

1. Trigony House Hotel, Thornhill. This is a small Edwardian country house in the Dumfriesshire countryside, with comfortable rooms and good food. A great place in the autumn with views over the garden to the misty hills. Two things particularly impressed me this year - the first was that although we had to curtail our trip to one night because Jacqueline had been taken ill, the hotel only charged us for the night we stayed; the second is that because of the Scottish smoking ban it is now completely non-smoking (hurrah!).
2. Le Germain, Toronto. Luxurious modern hotel in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district.
3. Shipwright Inn, Charlottetown, PEI. Run by English couple, Trevor and Judy Pye, this is a welcoming B&B with sumptuous rooms, big baths, good breakfasts and an all-day supply of tea/coffee/drinks & cake.

Best Breakfasts

1. Trigony House Hotel, Thornhill. A full Scottish is their speciality, including a really good haggis.
2. Shipwright Inn, Charlottetown, PEI. The breakfasts varied each day and included fresh PEI fruit, home baking - bread, cinnamon buns, muffins - and delicious hot breakfasts.
3. Le Germain, Toronto. In keeping with the hotel’s urban ambience, breakfast is a relaxed affair - cappuccino, fruit, cinnamon buns eaten while sitting at tall tables reading the Globe and Mail.

Best Food Shopping

1. Fencebay Fisheries at Glasgow Farmers’ Markets. Fresh fish, great hot smoked salmon - the arrabiata is particularly good, dressed crab, home-made salmon and trout pate. Where we buy most of our fish now.
2. Iain Mellis. I’m only permitted cheese a couple of times a year (to keep cholesterol and blood pressure down), so visiting Mellis is a fantastic treat. Just as well we don’t live around the corner any more!
3. Jo-Ann’s Deli Market and Bake Shop, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Serves the most wonderful sandwiches (in particular their lobster sandwiches) and cakes. Local fruit and veg is also fantastic.

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