SETTING Lisa Channon and Paul Wedgwood’s restaurant is cosy and welcoming. Flashes of vermillion, scarlet and crimson from the abstract paintings adds vibrancy to the warm natural tones of the chairs, walls and flooring. The atmosphere makes it easy to relax and the meal an unhurried affair. Paul’s menu is eclectic and pleasing, featuring a fusion of flavours combined with excellent Scottish produce including seasonal foraged leaves and herbs, kindly supplied by forager, Ben Robertson.

FOOD As we decide what to eat, warm ciabatta is placed on the table to dip in toasted rosemary, thyme and garlic infused olive oil. The wine list boasts twelve wines by the glass and the headings for the wines have evocative headings, Crisp, Fresh and Zesty describes the house white; Ripe, Spicy and Jammy for an organic Merlot from the Languedoc.

The food is just innovative; there’s some inspired creativity from Wedgwood’s kitchen. My crab brûlée is daring - the fish-scented, silky cream is capped with a wafer thin cheese biscuit giving the dish another textual dimension. Simon’s young nettle soup has a subtle earthiness, wonderfully fresh, mirroring spring’s arrival.

Wild deer comes how I like it – nice and bloody. The meat isn’t at all gamey and the haggis has warmth from fragrant, yet delicate spicing. Paul flirts with unconventionality, pairing pesto and beetroot with the venison. And it works beautifully. Across the table, Simon is impressed with the wild mushroom sauce, that’s more like a creamy ragout, a happy marriage for the locally sourced veal. All too soon, it’s time for pudding. I have a passion for rhubarb and it comes on walnut pastry with lightly glazed custard. Another nostalgic reminder is light apple terrine with clove-perfumed jelly and an exceptional, unusual sorbet of sweet cicely. The menu is adventurous, innovative and creative using seasonal and local ingredients, which, in my books, is a great thing.