Restaurant in Peat Inn, United Kingdom
Drive-worthy Fife dining, book with intent.
One of Scotland's most consistently decorated seasonal restaurants, The Peat Inn has been running under Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle since 2006, drawing on named local suppliers — East Neuk crab, Black Isle lamb, grouse in season — for a menu that genuinely changes with the calendar. La Liste-ranked and OAD-listed, it's worth the drive from Edinburgh or St Andrews if you time your visit to the season.
Picture a whitewashed inn on a Fife crossroads, older than the United States, now operating as one of Scotland's most consistently decorated dining destinations. The Peat Inn has occupied this site since the 18th century, but the version you'll find today — carefully refurbished, with sharp modern interiors and a kitchen driven by Scotland's seasonal larder — is very much the product of Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle's tenure, which began in 2006. The verdict: if you're within two hours of Cupar and serious about Scottish produce-led cooking, this is worth booking. If you're comparing it to London's top-tier moderne brigade, the calculus depends on what you value: provenance and seasonal specificity over spectacle.
The room itself signals the priorities: exposed whitewashed beams, crisp linen, vivid upholstery, and , on cold days , an open fire in the bar. It reads as a serious country restaurant that respects its own history without being enslaved to it. The split-level dining room is modern and composed rather than grand. If you're travelling from Edinburgh or St Andrews, the countryside setting at Collier Row, Cupar KY15 5LH is part of the point. Stylish split-level bedrooms are available, with breakfast served in room , making this a natural base for exploring the East Neuk. For more options nearby, see our full Peat Inn hotels guide.
The Peat Inn's menu is effectively written by geography and the calendar. Geoffrey Smeddle has built a supplier network over nearly two decades that ties the kitchen to specific farms and fishing grounds: East Neuk crab, Black Isle lamb, Easter Grangemuir Farm strawberries. This is not a restaurant where the menu rotates for marketing purposes , the ingredients available in a given week genuinely shape what you eat.
Practical implication: visit in game season (roughly August through January) if grouse is your benchmark. When it appears, it's treated classically , roasted, with a dark game sauce, game chips, green beans and bread sauce , and the version here is considered a reference point for the format. Summer visits bring strawberries and crab to the fore. Spring menus lean on lamb from the Black Isle. If you have a preference, it's worth calling ahead or checking the current menu before booking, since what makes The Peat Inn worthwhile in October may differ significantly from what's on offer in April.
This seasonal specificity is the main reason The Peat Inn holds a different kind of appeal from city-based destination restaurants. [Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/restaurant-andrew-fairlie-auchterarder-restaurant) operates within a similar Scottish fine-dining register, but the Peat Inn's closer connection to specific named farm suppliers gives it a more granular seasonal character. For context on how this compares to destination restaurants elsewhere in Britain, see entries for L'Enclume in Cartmel and Moor Hall in Aughton.
At its leading, the kitchen delivers cooking that is precise, inventive without being showy, and genuinely responsive to its ingredients. A venison tartare embellished with goat's curd and tomato jelly is the kind of dish that shows range , game, dairy, acidity , while staying coherent. Desserts combine technical finesse with real flavour ambition: a Greek yoghurt crémeux with honeycomb and roast apricot, a dark chocolate délice paired with a vin doux naturel. The wine list opens just above £30 and extends into the high hundreds, with over a dozen by the glass , solid range for this price bracket, and the service team will point you in the right direction.
The honest caveat, noted by multiple sources: execution can be erratic. Specifically, seasoning and the overall balance of flavours have been flagged as inconsistent. At £££ price levels, inconsistency is worth factoring in. It doesn't disqualify the restaurant , the highs are genuine , but if you're booking a special occasion and need every course to perform, that's a risk to weigh.
The Peat Inn appears in La Liste's Leading Restaurants rankings (79 points in 2026, 81.5 in 2025) and has placed in Opinionated About Dining's Classical in Europe list at #175 (2025) and #172 (2024). Google reviewers rate it 4.8 across 582 reviews , a high score at meaningful volume. These credentials place it firmly in the upper tier of Scottish fine dining, below the Michelin three-star bracket but well above standard country-house hotel restaurants. For comparison, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie holds two Michelin stars and represents the ceiling of the Scottish fine-dining category if budget is not a constraint.
Peat Inn is closed Monday and Sunday. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday, 6–9 PM. Lunch is available Friday and Saturday, 12–1:30 PM only. The limited hours and the destination location make advance planning non-negotiable , treat this as a hard booking rather than a spontaneous stop. Given the formal hours and remote setting, booking 3 to 4 weeks out for dinner is advisable, more for Friday or Saturday evenings.
For a broader picture of what's available in the area, see our full Peat Inn restaurants guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Elsewhere in Britain's destination-dining circuit, consider Gidleigh Park in Chagford, Midsummer House in Cambridge, or Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton for comparable restaurant-with-rooms formats in England. For international reference points in modern cuisine, Frantzén in Stockholm represents a different scale of ambition, and FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai shows how the format travels.
Quick reference: Dinner Tue–Sat 6–9 PM; Lunch Fri–Sat 12–1:30 PM; closed Sun–Mon; price range ££££; rooms available with breakfast in-room; book 3–4 weeks in advance minimum.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Peat Inn | Modern Cuisine | ££££ | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 79pts; Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle have run this restaurant since 2006, but the history of this whitewashed inn extends back to the 18C. Geoffrey is an experienced and knowledgeable chef who has built up a close web of suppliers which, in conjunction with the seasons, virtually writes the menu. Expect to find ingredients like East Neuk crab, Black Isle lamb and Easter Grangemuir Farm strawberries. All of these are put to great use in vibrant, flavoursome dishes. Stylish, split-level bedrooms are available too, with breakfast served in your room.; Although its name, and that of the village, stems from the roadside tavern that has perched on this site since the 18th century, no current visitor would mistake The Peat Inn for anything other than a carefully fettled culinary destination with rooms. Owned and operated by chef-patron Geoffrey Smeddle and his wife Katherine since 2006, the atmosphere within is warm and refined. Interiors are modern, sharp and luxurious, but pay homage to the history of the building. Exposed, whitewashed beams mirror the crisp linen and contrast with the vivid, vibrant upholstery. Come cold weather, an open fire still roars in the bar. Back in the kitchen, the cooking speaks of precision, skill, and at times, love. An inventive venison tartare impresses early on, cleverly embellishing the musky game with creamy goat’s curd and a sharp, sweet tomato jelly. A complex web of flavours, but beautifully balanced. Considering the location in Fife’s bountiful East Neuk, it's not surprising that local produce is frequently the star, although the menu draws on the strengths of the wider Scottish larder. If you time your visit well, grouse is likely to appear. In this instance, the bird is treated classically – roasted, with the tender, rosy meat of the breast and leg gorged in a dark, unctuous game sauce. Completing the picture are game chips, green beans and bread sauce, plus a frankly obscene fried croûton, slathered with a tarry, luscious liver parfait. Desserts mix outright decadence with meticulous visual finesse. A Greek yoghurt crémeux nestles beneath a delicate honeycombed crisp, bolstering the intense, condensed caramel sweetness of roast apricot, while a dark chocolate délice sings loudest alongside the marmalade and sherry-like notes of its matched vin doux naturel. There is plenty of enthusiasm from readers, although some noticeably erratic execution – particularly in terms of seasoning and the overall balance of flavours – needs addressing. Wines start just north of £30 and scamper all the way up to the high hundreds, with over a dozen offered by the glass. If in doubt, advice is affable and enthusiastic, in line with the always-attentive service.; Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Ranked #175 (2025); La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 81.5pts; Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle have run this restaurant since 2006, but the history of this whitewashed inn extends back to the 18C. Geoffrey is an experienced and knowledgeable chef who has built up a close web of suppliers which, in conjunction with the seasons, virtually writes the menu. Expect to find ingredients like East Neuk crab, Black Isle lamb and Easter Grangemuir Farm strawberries. All of these are put to great use in vibrant, flavoursome dishes. Stylish, split-level bedrooms are available too, with breakfast served in your room.; Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Ranked #172 (2024); Michelin 1 Star (2024); Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Highly Recommended (2023) | Hard | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, if you're visiting specifically for the seasonal Scottish larder — dishes built around suppliers like Easter Grangemuir Farm and Black Isle lamb represent the kitchen at its most focused. La Liste has ranked The Peat Inn in its global Top Restaurants for multiple consecutive years (81.5pts in 2025, 79pts in 2026), which gives the ££££ price point real backing. One honest caveat: past reviews have flagged some inconsistency in seasoning and balance, so the experience isn't guaranteed to be flawless every sitting.
The venue database doesn't specify a private dining room or group maximum, so contact them directly before assuming it works for larger parties. The format — a refined, split-level inn with a refined atmosphere — reads as better suited to twos and small groups than celebrations of eight or more. Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle have run the operation since 2006 as a hands-on, intimate venue, which typically means limited flexibility for large bookings.
Dinner gives you the fuller experience and runs five nights a week (Tuesday through Saturday, 6–9 PM). Lunch is only offered Friday and Saturday, 12–1:30 PM, so the access window is narrow — but if you're staying overnight in the split-level rooms, a Saturday lunch before or after a dinner booking makes practical sense. First-timers should prioritise dinner for the most complete seasonal menu.
At ££££ and with La Liste Top Restaurants placement in both 2025 and 2026, and an Opinionated About Dining Classical Europe ranking (reaching #172 in 2024), the credentials are consistent enough to justify the price for a special occasion. The cooking draws on a close supplier network built over nearly two decades, which gives it more provenance than most restaurants at this tier. That said, documented inconsistencies in execution mean it isn't a guaranteed top-form experience the way a Michelin-starred room with tighter quality control would be.
The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday — check the schedule before planning a trip, since lunch is only available Friday and Saturday (12–1:30 PM). The kitchen's strengths are most visible when seasonal Scottish produce is at its peak: East Neuk crab, grouse season, and summer strawberries from Easter Grangemuir Farm are the moments to time your visit around. If you're driving from Edinburgh or St Andrews, the overnight rooms with in-room breakfast make the journey easier and the booking worthwhile.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
