North East Scotland! Boath House, near Forres, Moray

After an "Experience Week" at Cluny Hill College, part of the Findhorn Foundation, my friend and I decided we should treat ourselves to a special celebration meal. We had been living on mounds of salads and vegetables all week, which left me feeling healthy but vaguely dissatisfied and rather yin and light headed. When we booked they asked if we had any dietary requirements. My friend listed wheat, dairy, cod, shellfish, meat and they didn't bat an eyelid. A special menu would be created!

We walked from the carpark up the impressive sweeping drive of this small and beautiful Georgian mansion, which along with it's 20 acres of lawn, marshland and woods, had been bought derelict and restored by the owners. We were welcomed with a drink and canapes and our own individual and different menus. Our table was a little bit disappointing, in a small sideroom and not looking out onto the glorious gardens.

We started with expresso cups of soup, mine celeriac and truffle, my friend's was butternut squash. Both were very tasty and warming. I gulped at my foie gras rolled in crushed pistachio with a sliver of pear (don't usually eat this!), whilst my friend ate an artistic gathering of tiny wild asparagus and shavings of celery decorated with flowers. We both ate the salmon which was cooked slowly in a waterbath to give a strange raw texture. It came with wafers of beetroot, beetroot jelly and a tiny stuffed quail's egg. I had duck breast with delicious pak choi and rather horrid warm radish. My friend had a rather hilarious heap of weeds and tiny viola flowers which made us laugh. The Morangie brie with wafers of crispbread and grapes was delicious, as was the trio of deserts... hot chocolate fondant, cool chocolate coil and cold salty buttercotch ice cream. My friend gave me her strawberries and kiwi as she doesn't eat them which went very well too!

At nearly 11pm when we finished eating, there was still enough light up in those northern climes for us to explore the garden, getting wet feet in the marsh walk, and seeing all the vegetables we had eaten grown in the superb walled garden. A great evening!

Oh... and the sad news is, that in spite of the mounds of vegetables and salads I have eaten, and the fine dining, I have put on two and a half pounds this week! A vegetarian diet obviously doesn't suit me!