A tiny restaurant on the shores of a sea loch has been named the best dining place in Scotland. The Dipping Lugger, which seats just 16 guests around two tables on Loch Broom in Ullapool, took the Restaurant of the Year title at the Scottish Excellence Awards. These awards were presented at a black-tie dinner at the Hilton Glasgow on Thursday night (27 March). “Big isn’t always the most beautiful,” said Robert Hicks, co-owner of the Dipping Lugger who first moved to the area to work at the Altnaharrie Inn on the loch. “Sometimes small and perfectly formed is the answer.” He and Helen Chalmers bought the property in 2018 and opened it following Covid. A former church manse partially rebuilt by the renowned engineer Thomas Telford in 1829, it now plays host to head chef David Smith, previously of Boath House, Nairn, and Ullinish Country Lodge Hotel on Skye. Judges said of the business: ‘Their commitment to being more economical and sustainable is very apparent, alongside the sourcing and growing of produce with help from local children. “Not only does this educate their team and the children, it strengthens the community around them. This kind of learning at such an age is a very positive step forward, and the relationship they have with the local college is exactly what we need to help secure the future of this great industry.” The other finalists in the Restaurant of the Year category were Mingary Castle at Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan, the Gordon Arms Restaurant with Rooms in the Yarrow Valley and the Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh. Calum Montgomery, chef patron of the four-AA-Rosette Edinbane Lodge on the Isle of Skye, which won the Best Restaurant Award in 2023, was named Chef of the Year, a category in which he was a finalist last year. Calum Montgomery, described by judges as “a true champion of Scottish food and hospitality,” saw off other strong challenges from Gary Townsend of Elements in Bearsden, near Glasgow, Dean Parker of previous Restaurant Newcomer winner Celentano’s in Glasgow’s Merchant City, and Colin Nicholson of Mingary Castle. Finalists Dean Banks of the Pompadour at the Caledonian – A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in Edinburgh, and Mathew Sherry of Number One at Balmoral, on the capital’s Princes Street, both received Highly Commended accolades. Glasgow’s Margo, which has been a runaway success since it opened in the city centre last Autumn, WAS voted Scotland’s Eatery Newcomer of the Year. Part of Scottish restaurant group Scoop, the establishment in Miller Street, off George Square, was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand just four months after opening. Head chef Robin Aitken leads the kitchen team serving a menu of snacks, small plates and sharing dishes showcasing seasonal Scottish produce. Its sister bar-restaurant, Sebb’s, is situated in the basement. Both are often booked out months in advance. Other awards went to The Cairndale Hotel in Dumfries, which opened a £2m spa last July, and was awarded Independent Hotel of the Year, a title won last year by Andy and Kim Murray’s Cromlix House, near Dunblane. It fended off challenges from two Perthshire finalists - Tom Tsappis and Matilda Ruffle’s Killiecrankie House, which took the Restaurant of the Year prize in 2024, and Anne and Archie MacDonald’s Old Manse of Blair, at Blair Atholl. The 86-bedroom Cairndale’s two-storey adults-only spa was voted one of the three best new facilities in Britain last November. Owned and run by the Wallace family for more than 40 years, the hotel is about to extend its culinary offering with a new casual dining restaurant, the Oak. Judges said: “The Cairndale was a worthy winner due to its investment in the Spa and its staff, its support of the local community, excellent customer feedback and its focus on sustainability.” The Hilton Glasgow was voted Group Hotel of the Year 2025 ahead of the Sonas Collection’s Knipoch Hotel, near Oban, the 243-bed Radisson Blu Glasgow and the Rutland Hotel in Edinburgh. There was a Lifetime Excellence Award for Stephen Frost, divisional executive chef of caterers Prestige Scotland/Sodexo Live/HPL, whose career has included head chef posts at Cromlix, Philipburn House in Selkirk, and the Black Bull at Killearn. He has also handled catering at two Rugby World Cups, 13 Open Golf Championships and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. When he ran the Stonor Arms at Henley-on-Thames outside London, legendary chef Raymond Blanc dined there every Sunday. Billed as ‘the ultimate accolade for businesses and individuals working in Scottish hospitality, foodservice and tourism,’ the Scottish Excellence Awards are judged by Advisory Board members including Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean, Roberta Hall-McCarron, Executive Chef of the Little Chartroom and Eleanore in Edinburgh, Caroline Gregory of the Lovat Hotel and Restaurant in Fort Augustus, and Jill Chalmers, Managing Director of Glenapp Castle Hotel in South Ayrshire.