Good hospitality is hard to define but when it’s lacking it’s easy to spot: it’s a cold shouldered welcome, harsh pricing of little extras, sometimes not enough chips or a measly salad. Or in the case of my holiday cottage this summer, requiring guests to bring their own linen, towels and loo roll and then sending an extra bill for electricity used.

Clearly, we forgot to pack our own generator in the loaded car. Happily a night’s stay at The Shoregate in Crail proved to be the restorative antidote to my holiday grump. The Shoregate opened in 2022 after a major restoration of this Eighteenth-Century watering hole. It was previously The East Neuk Hotel but has lived many lives in this pretty seaside village. 

Owners Nicholas Frost and Damon Reynolds repaired and reconfigured much of the old building, turning five poky bedrooms plus staff accommodation into four spacious suites, and scrubbing up the restaurant and historic pub.

I leave Edinburgh in rush hour, scoop up my sister Hazel en route, and we arrive in plenty of time for dinner. The dining room is sun-drenched in the early evening, with a view of the sea over the rooftops and down the steep brae to the harbour. The dining room is a buoyant turquoise with orange pendant lamps. I’m relieved to see a seaside spot without the ubiquitous sandy palette and seashell motifs. The coastal location is referenced with a bit more subtlety: round mirrors in the cosy back-room bar that look like portholes and posters of old pleasure boats that once entertained visitors to Crail.

(Image: Shoregate Crail)

With crisp English fizz, we order some bread while we peruse the menu. Half a loaf of warm Wild Hearth sourdough appears, with salt-flecked whipped butter and virgin rapeseed oil to dunk. It’s an early indication of the generous portion sizes to follow. The menu is seasonal and pleasingly simple with four or five options for each course. Our servers are young and eager to help, skilfully overseen by the friendly GM David.

A sculptural artichoke starter has a creamy Jerusalem artichoke vichyssoise at the bottom, an artichoke mousse, a scoop of ‘coddled’ egg reminiscent of the best egg mayonnaise, a crisp pastry tuille and lightly pickled artichoke hearts on top. It’s perhaps a little more complicated than it needs to be but the flavour combination is spot on. My chef sister gives the thumbs up to Scotch beef carpaccio with a tangle of leafy greens, a porcini mayonnaise and grapes pickled with dill.

For the main I go for a fillet of Scrabster cod with a fine hazelnut crumb crust, on a bed of orzo pasta cooked in a shellfish broth. Accompanying crispy squid in herby batter are delicious, and giant caper berries a fun touch. My sister has the whole plaice (which would easily feed two) with shelled mussels, capers and herbs. It’s a little under-seasoned but that’s easily remedied and the fish is beautifully fresh and flaky. A side of green beans has benefitted from the pleasing sear of a hot pan, dressed in a hazelnut emulsion.

Crail dodges the hordes and bus tours that nearby Anstruther struggles with, and the winding streets are fun to explore. Roome Bay is lovely for a paddle, or a peek in the rockpools. At The Shoregate at lunchtime there are additional simpler items on the menu and the option to eat in the bar or outside. It’s a cheese lover’s frequent complaint: there’s never enough crackers. Here I’m proved wrong with an abundance of homemade fruity crackers (with flavours of a Selkirk Bannock) accompanying a perfectly ripe and grassy Tain Minger, with truffled honeycomb.

(Image: Ailsa Sheldon)

Puddings are strong too. A cherry bakewell has a moist syrup-soaked sponge, kirsch macerated cherries, cream, and a crisp almond brittle. Upstairs the rooms have a similar generous feel: mine is decorated in deep blues and rich yellows, with a huge bed and biggest cushions I’ve ever seen. Breakfast leaves me well-fed and well-rested with my faith restored in the power of good hospitality.

67 High Street North, Crail KY10 3RA
theshoregate.com