The summer holidays are well underway. The weather is unpredictable and we have at least three weeks to keep the family happy and entertained before school starts again. Will we need sunscreen and straw hats or wellies and jumpers? Who knows but somehow, we all need to find our sanity somewhere that everyone loves. Somewhere that visiting grannies will enjoy as much as the little ones and Daddy on his lunch break. But surely there isn’t a place that ticks all the boxes?
My friend and I and our daughters decided to head to Kingennie for lunch on a beautiful sunny day. I had never been and her daughter had very fond memories of going when she was younger and so we set off. The mere name Country Resort sounds grand and makes me think a little bit of Kellerman, the summer vacation resort in Dirty Dancing. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it actually did look a bit like it when we arrived. The beautiful wooden buildings and cabins are spread around a lake and the setting is truly stunning.
We were greeted in the bar like old friends and there is instantly so much to look at for adults and children alike. The bar and waterside restaurant are decorated in grand chalet style and I would recommend requesting a table by the window from which the full splendour of the fishing lake and surrounding countryside can be appreciated.
we were both driving and so soft drinks were ordered and we settled in to look at the menu. I found it incredibly difficult to focus on anything at all as it was so lovely gazing out and watching the children fishing in front of us and groups of chatting friends coming in from playing golf. I could have sat and people-watched all day.
We eventually did settle down to eat and ordered a few light lunch options from a menu that covered all lunchtime bases from salads and pub classics to more refined main courses such as roast loin of lamb and supreme of chicken Kiev style – one of my all time favourites.
Our cullen skink was creamy and hot and packed full of smokey chunks, a real home-made comforter. We were slightly crass by dipping fries into it but it’s a new habit I highly recommend.
My friend and I both chose salads and her prawn and smoked salmon version was fresh and crunchy and delightfully not drowned in the Marie Rose sauce but simply drizzled instead. This made the dish so much nicer than others as the flavour of the quality seafood shone through.
I am ribbed very often for always gravitating towards a goats cheese salad on a menu and so there were audible sniggers as mine appeared. I do prefer a warm goats cheese but that is when it is the main event of the salad. In this dish, there is such a lot going on that although the large chunks of creamy yet sharp cheese were lovely, my favourite part was the candied walnuts which were super crunchy, caramelised and delicious. The orange segments added a fresh zing and in my experienced opinion of a goats cheese salad, this was a good ‘un.
Our younger guest Lucy devoured the small person’s portion of bangers, mash and gravy as she did her colouring. It looked pretty good but not quite as good as the kids’ warm chocolate brownie with ice cream which was dark and gooey, the type of dessert that sticks to one’s lips like a stubborn lipstick. Yum.
If the grown-ups’ chat was dull, which obviously I can’t imagine it was, there was a lot to keep the younger ones occupied from the cute kids corner with blackboard walls just begging to be doodled on to the impressive floor-level fish tank, the perfect height for gazing in and seeing which type of fish they can spot from the corresponding pictures.
We left the dessert to Lucy and instead enjoyed a lovely coffee before we left but as we were leaving, we realised that even if we were still peckish or looking for something to take home, the newest venture of the Kingennie empire is the soft fruit shack by the entrance selling the freshest, juiciest berries.
There is so much going on at Kingennie that we could have stayed for hours. There is a play park outside, a putting green and even a maze as well as the fishing and golfing activities. Obviously sunshine helps but rumour has it, even on the dreich days, the Forbes’ have a few tricks up their sleeves as they proved when the cast of Jersey Boys popped in for a “jam” one Sunday lunchtime.
I didn’t find any Patrick Swayze lookalikes at this country resort but I did find great service, a lovely menu, proper good grub and a wealth of entertainment for everyone. This is a place that encourages families but having said that, I’d like to go back for dinner with Mr Kerry to soak up the atmosphere of the lake at night.
Info
- Price: starters: £4.50 – £7.95; main courses: £7.95 – £21.00; desserts: £4.75 – £7.50
Value: 9/10
Menu: 8/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Total: 41/50
Info: Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort
Address: Kingennie, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, DD5 3RD
Tel: 01382 350777
Web: www.forbesofkingennie.co.uk/dining
