SLTN’s Restaurant of the Year Award winner, The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool, has been awarded AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland at the AA B&B Awards 2025.
This latest accolade joins an impressive list of honours for the Ross-shire restaurant, which currently holds the AA’s Five-Star Gold Restaurant with Rooms Award, three AA Red Rosettes for Culinary Excellence, an AA Breakfast Award, and a Notable Wine List Award.
Head Chef David Smith was listed in the Good Food Guide earlier this year and has earned a place in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years, one of only 10 restaurants in the Highlands to achieve this.
Overlooking the shores of Loch Broom, The Dipping Lugger occupies a double-fronted Georgian former manse, originally built in 1798, acquired by co-owners Robert Hicks and Helen Chalmers in 2018, and officially opened as a restaurant with rooms in October 2021.
Hicks said: ‘’To be presented with the AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland award is incredible. It’s something we’ve all worked extremely hard for since we opened in 2021.
“We may be small, but we’re perfectly formed, and this award reflects exactly what we’re about. It gives us even more drive to keep pushing forward while ensuring every guest who stays or dines with us has the best possible experience.’’
The property features three guest bedrooms, a guest lounge, and an 18-cover fine dining restaurant, adorned with Morris & Co. wallpaper, and Robert and Helen’s eclectic collection of music concert posters, a nod to their background in live music promotion across Scotland.
The guest rooms feature lavish beds, refurbished fireplaces, fireside chairs, antique lamps, and luxurious wall coverings. Ensuite bathrooms include walk-in showers and deep bathtubs, offering ‘a tranquil retreat after a day exploring the Highlands’.
In the kitchen, head chef David Smith creates seasonal tasting menus inspired by global influences, celebrating the region’s best produce.
Dishes feature scallops freshly landed from Loch Broom by local fisherman Gary Lewis, beef from Strathkaniard Croft, and locally sourced game from Keanchulish Lodge, just three miles away.
The judging panel of the 2025 AA B&B Awards remarked: “This 18th-century former manse has been transformed into a wonderful restaurant with rooms offering the highest levels of service as well as hospitality backed up with a stunning dining experience.
“The property takes its name from a sailing boat, and much of the design has a nautical theme. Luxurious bedrooms cater well for the modern guest while the open log fires and the drawing room reflect the character of the property and its heritage. Local provenance is used to good effect in the restaurant.’’
