Emma Take the leap to Killiecrankie House
There is no star yet at Killiecrankie House, however it seems like it may only be a matter of time before it appears to sit alongside the Restaurant of the Year award from Scottish Excellence Awards and the two AA Rosettes it already has. *EDIT February 2026 – They got their Michelin star!!!*
Killiecrankie House, between Pitlochry and Blair Atholl, was a popular spot for tourists with a good name previously (we found some old adverts in Blair Atholl Visitor Information Centre)
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Since Matilda and her husband Tom Tsappis took over in 2021,there has been a bit of a change in style to elevate it to a luxury retreat for food lovers and make it a destination for dining.
The village of Killiecrankie, at the edge of Cairngorms National Park, is itself famous as the site of the 1689 Battle of Killiecrankie. Here, you can visit the Soldier’s Leap, where a redcoat soldier lept 18ft across the River Garry to escape the Jacobites. There is a small visitor centre and cafe here, where you can enjoy a morning roll and cuppa but for something much more exciting take the short path or walk along the main road (note: no pavement) to the whitewashed house in its own grounds, which is now home to this award-inning fine dining restaurant.
Killiecrankie House has five bedrooms (for that overnight experience), an 18-seater restaurant with an open kitchen and chef’s counter, a modern lounge and Art Deco cocktail bar.
The husband and wife team moved from London to Killiecrankie after giving up their respective city careers and retraining as a chef and a sommelier. Matilda aims to explore classics and more unusual wines such as those from her family vineyard, Treaty Port in China. Chef Tom combines his Greek Cypriot heritage with his travels to Japan with a touch of Scotland to create innovative Scottish cuisine. Alongside this they have coffee from Glen Lyon Roastery, soft drinks from Rapscallion and beer from the Wasted Degrees brewery in Blair Atholl.
We joined our fellow diners for a set lunch menu which is only available on Friday and Saturdays. Drinks are served in the modern and relaxing lounge with sounds from the record player drifting around before food is served in the dining room. Matilda has carefully curated two types of drinks pairings, Discovery and Signature, to match the menu as well as a non-alcoholic drinks pairing.
The dining room is laid out simply, with wooden tables and chairs, the focus being the open kitchen. We sat down and relaxed to the sounds of the record player with Kate Bush playing in the background.
Our dining experience started with a mushroom panisse. A selection of mushroom types with black pepper mayo atop a polenta-like crisp and fluffy bed.
The fragile-looking starfish dish was next consisting of smoked seaweed caramel, pickled mushroom pate, trout roe topped with a starfish-shaped seaweed biscuit. Mild flavours of the sea balanced with sweet caramel.
Dripping fried porridge doesn’t sound like the most enticing of dishes, however this take of the traditional Scottish porridge drawer was delicious. Inspired by the practice of cooking a batch of porridge and storing it in a drawer where it would be sliced and eaten in pieces.
This porridge was nothing like any porridge we have tasted, consisting of oats, ox tail, highland wagyu fat, pickled walnut and Isle of Mull cheddar, resulting in a most cheesy and meaty version of this Scottish staple.
Laminated pumpkin tart with barley risotto, yuzo and miso. The spiralised pumpkin, brown butter and miso mixture created a sweet almost Danish pastry aroma with the barley risotto tasting like an umami rice pudding. Delicious. Sweet, savoury and filled with flavour notes.
Cod and alliums was our next course. A Japanese-inspired dish with the cod lightly cooked and served in a broth topped with crispy leeks and leek oil. Firm cod meat which easily fragmented into slices to eat.
Venison, umeboshi and beetroot next. Venison loin served with a Japanese-style BBQ sauce and a sausage made from the venison loin trimmings. A hefty and earthy dish which may not have been as imposing if some form of potato was served with it.
In between our main courses and dessert, we ordered a digestif flight: three glasses of home-made drinks that ranged in alcohol and sweetness levels.
Pineapple weed (wild camomile) induced with vodka and sugar, blackcurrant leaf liquor sweetened with blackcurrants and sugar and brown butter fat washed bourbon sweetened with ginger. Superb is how we would describe them, just make sure you have enough time to enjoy them as they are potent!
Dessert arrived soon, birch syrup, rhubarb and genmaicha. A fruit leather leaf topped the sweet posset and tart sauce.
We retired back to the lounge for ‘sweeties’, which included black pudding madeleines, Irn Bru gummies, sea buckthorn meringue and melt-in-the-mouth toffees (complete with edible wrappers). Sipping our digestif drinks and choosing some Miles Davis from the vinyl collection to enjoy the end of our lunch.
Verdict
Killiecrankie House is a period country house with a modern outlook. The countryside setting, relaxed front of house service and open plan kitchen made it a serene foodie experience. The decor is sympathetic to a traditional highland country house with modern features. If you‘re looking for a foodie getaway for a special occasion, then this is somewhere worth saving for.
Where
Killiecrankie House, Pitlochry, UK, PH16 5LG
Book a table or room at Killiecrankie House here
