Lunch at Andy
Murray's Place
COLIN SIMPSON
Chez Roux, Cromlix hotel, Scotland, UK
THE odd thing about the Cromlix hotel is the lack of clues about the identity of its famous owner. It’s the opposite of Donald Trump’s approach, shoehorning his surname into the name of his properties and emblazoning it in giant neon letters across the top of the Trump Las Vegas.
At the Cromlix they do things differently. The only giveaway to the fact that it’s owned by Sir Andy Murray, Scotland’s three-times tennis grand slam winner and double Olympic champion, is the fact that the surface of the tennis court is green and purple, the colours of the Wimbledon championships.
In fact other great Scots are honoured more conspicuously than the proprietor. The five suites are named after notable figures such as Robert Burns, the ploughman poet, and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
This modesty is typical of Murray, 32, who prefers people to call him “Andy” rather than using the title of “Sir” that he acquired when he was knighted in 2017. He received the honour after winning both Wimbledon and the Olympics for a second time and becoming world number one.
Murray bought the hotel, which is close to his hometown of Dunblane, for £1.8 million ($2.3 million) in 2013 and, following a large-scale refurbishment programme that reportedly cost £2 million, it reopened the following year.
It’s a Victorian stone pile with baronial turrets set amid 34 acres of gardens and grounds that make it feel quite remote. Some of the public rooms are decorated in Scottish country house style, all wood panelling, oil paintings, fireplaces and generously stuffed sofas and chairs, while the snooker room has stag antlers on the walls. The Chez Roux restaurant, in a large airy conservatory, has a more contemporary look, as does the adjoining bar.
We went for lunch on an overcast December day, and found the hotel cosy and comfortable and the staff welcoming. The restaurant is overseen by Albert Roux, with the chefs working in an open kitchen in front of the guests. The food was excellent in an elaborate, borderline fussy, French way. Typical menu items include pig’s head croquette with roasted red onion, apple, frisse and onion dressing; and pan fried fillet of Atlantic hake with crushed celeriac and caramelised Roscoff onion sauce.
Private dining and afternoon teas are available. The service, as you’d expect in a place owned by a tennis player, is attentive and efficient. The hotel has a chapel that’s available for weddings – Murray’s dad Willie remarried there in 2016 and Andy held his wedding reception at Cromlix after marrying long-time girlfriend Kim Sears at Dunblane Cathedral the previous year. A member of staff told us that Murray didn’t stay at the hotel when visiting his hometown, preferring his mother Judy’s home.
Sue and I and our guests loved the experience of having lunch at the Cromlix, and lingered so long over the meal and coffee that it was turning dark by the time we left.
Verdict: Attractive restaurant in a comfortable small country hotel that’s been impeccably restored and refurbished – though it’s not cheap.
July 2019
MORE INFO
CROMLIX HOTEL SITE has everything you need to know about the property, plus an online store selling merchandise featuring a Harris Tweed design developed by Judy Murray. READ MORE
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Lunch at Andy
Murray's Place
COLIN SIMPSON
Chez Roux, Cromlix hotel, Scotland, UK
THE odd thing about the Cromlix hotel is the lack of clues about the identity of its famous owner. It’s the opposite of Donald Trump’s approach, shoehorning his surname into the name of his properties and emblazoning it in giant neon letters across the top of the Trump Las Vegas.
At the Cromlix they do things differently. The only giveaway to the fact that it’s owned by Sir Andy Murray, Scotland’s three-times tennis grand slam winner and double Olympic champion, is the fact that the surface of the tennis court is green and purple, the colours of the Wimbledon championships.
In fact other great Scots are honoured more conspicuously than the proprietor. The five suites are named after notable figures such as Robert Burns, the ploughman poet, and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
This modesty is typical of Murray, 32, who prefers people to call him “Andy” rather than using the title of “Sir” that he acquired when he was knighted in 2017. He received the honour after winning both Wimbledon and the Olympics for a second time and becoming world number one.
Murray bought the hotel, which is close to his hometown of Dunblane, for £1.8 million ($2.3 million) in 2013 and, following a large-scale refurbishment programme that reportedly cost £2 million, it reopened the following year.
It’s a Victorian stone pile with baronial turrets set amid 34 acres of gardens and grounds that make it feel quite remote. Some of the public rooms are decorated in Scottish country house style, all wood panelling, oil paintings, fireplaces and generously stuffed sofas and chairs, while the snooker room has stag antlers on the walls. The Chez Roux restaurant, in a large airy conservatory, has a more contemporary look, as does the adjoining bar.
We went for lunch on an overcast December day, and found the hotel cosy and comfortable and the staff welcoming. The restaurant is overseen by Albert Roux, with the chefs working in an open kitchen in front of the guests. The food was excellent in an elaborate, borderline fussy, French way. Typical menu items include pig’s head croquette with roasted red onion, apple, frisse and onion dressing; and pan fried fillet of Atlantic hake with crushed celeriac and caramelised Roscoff onion sauce.
Private dining and afternoon teas are available. The service, as you’d expect in a place owned by a tennis player, is attentive and efficient. The hotel has a chapel that’s available for weddings – Murray’s dad Willie remarried there in 2016 and Andy held his wedding reception at Cromlix after marrying long-time girlfriend Kim Sears at Dunblane Cathedral the previous year. A member of staff told us that Murray didn’t stay at the hotel when visiting his hometown, preferring his mother Judy’s home.
Sue and I and our guests loved the experience of having lunch at the Cromlix, and lingered so long over the meal and coffee that it was turning dark by the time we left.
Verdict: Attractive restaurant in a comfortable small country hotel that’s been impeccably restored and refurbished – though it’s not cheap.
July 2019
MORE INFO
CROMLIX HOTEL SITE has everything you need to know about the property, plus an online store selling merchandise featuring a Harris Tweed design developed by Judy Murray. READ MORE
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Lunch at Andy Murray's Place
COLIN SIMPSON
Chez Roux, Cromlix hotel, Scotland, UK
THE odd thing about the Cromlix hotel is the lack of clues about the identity of its famous owner. It’s the opposite of Donald Trump’s approach, shoehorning his surname into the name of his properties and emblazoning it in giant neon letters across the top of the Trump Las Vegas.
At the Cromlix they do things differently. The only giveaway to the fact that it’s owned by Sir Andy Murray, Scotland’s three-times tennis grand slam winner and double Olympic champion, is the fact that the surface of the tennis court is green and purple, the colours of the Wimbledon championships.
In fact other great Scots are honoured more conspicuously than the proprietor. The five suites are named after notable figures such as Robert Burns, the ploughman poet, and former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
This modesty is typical of Murray, 32, who prefers people to call him “Andy” rather than using the title of “Sir” that he acquired when he was knighted in 2017. He received the honour after winning both Wimbledon and the Olympics for a second time and becoming world number one.
Murray bought the hotel, which is close to his hometown of Dunblane, for £1.8 million ($2.3 million) in 2013 and, following a large-scale refurbishment programme that reportedly cost £2 million, it reopened the following year.
It’s a Victorian stone pile with baronial turrets set amid 34 acres of gardens and grounds that make it feel quite remote. Some of the public rooms are decorated in Scottish country house style, all wood panelling, oil paintings, fireplaces and generously stuffed sofas and chairs, while the snooker room has stag antlers on the walls. The Chez Roux restaurant, in a large airy conservatory, has a more contemporary look, as does the adjoining bar.
We went for lunch on an overcast December day, and found the hotel cosy and comfortable and the staff welcoming. The restaurant is overseen by Albert Roux, with the chefs working in an open kitchen in front of the guests. The food was excellent in an elaborate, borderline fussy, French way. Typical menu items include pig’s head croquette with roasted red onion, apple, frisse and onion dressing; and pan fried fillet of Atlantic hake with crushed celeriac and caramelised Roscoff onion sauce.
Private dining and afternoon teas are available. The service, as you’d expect in a place owned by a tennis player, is attentive and efficient. The hotel has a chapel that’s available for weddings – Murray’s dad Willie remarried there in 2016 and Andy held his wedding reception at Cromlix after marrying long-time girlfriend Kim Sears at Dunblane Cathedral the previous year. A member of staff told us that Murray didn’t stay at the hotel when visiting his hometown, preferring his mother Judy’s home.
Sue and I and our guests loved the experience of having lunch at the Cromlix, and lingered so long over the meal and coffee that it was turning dark by the time we left.
Verdict: Attractive restaurant in a comfortable small country hotel that’s been impeccably restored and refurbished – though it’s not cheap.
July 2019
MORE INFO
CROMLIX HOTEL SITE has everything you need to know about the property, plus an online store selling merchandise featuring a Harris Tweed design developed by Judy Murray. READ MORE
RELATED
MURRAY IN CHINA: The first men’s Shenzhen Open, held in 2014, was won by Scotland’s Andy Murray. Fast forward four years, and he was back. In the intervening years Murray had cemented his place as a tennis great by winning Wimbledon… READ MORE
FIRST ZHUHAI CHAMPIONSHIPS: Tennis great Andy Murray returned to action at the Zhuhai Championships, a new ATP tournament in China, after a year in which he feared his glittering career was over. READ MORE
DINNER AT RICK STEIN’S: When I first met Sue 30 years ago we used to head to Cornwall in the south-west of England for short breaks, staying at scenic coastal towns such as Rock and Port Isaac. Sue had been going to the area… READ MORE
LUNCH AT THE WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANT: Beijing’s TRB Hutong has been named TripAdvisor’s Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the World. So what makes it so special? READ MORE
RECOMMENDED
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD! Afaranwide’s home page – this is where you can find out about our latest posts and other highlights. READ MORE
TOP 10 VIRTUAL ATTRACTIONS: Many of the world’s most popular tourists sites are closed because of the coronavirus crisis, but you can still visit them virtually while you’re self-isolating. READ MORE
SHIMLA, QUEEN OF THE HILLS: Government officials once retreated to Shimla in the foothills of the Himalayas to escape India’s blazing hot summers. Now tourists make the same journey. READ MORE
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TROUBLED TIMES FOR EXPATS: Moving abroad can seem an idyllic prospect, but what happens when sudden upheavals or the inescapable realities of life intrude? READ MORE