The Entertainment Guide

Award Winners 2014/15

The Red Deer

The award for Best Family Restaurant goes to The Red Deer in Cumbernauld. The country pub and restaurant is known for its seasonal food, cask ales and cosy, rustic interior. The pub is a firm favourite with families thanks to its beer garden and inventive children's menu which is every bit as good as the grown ups' version, but with added fun and colouring in.

www.vintageinn.co.uk

Milton Brasserie

The award for Best Restaurant goes to Milton Brasserie in Royal Deeside. This stunning riverside restaurant is housed in a converted steading that has been given a thorough 21st century makeover. It's snug, it's sophisticated and the food, from Sunday lunch to afternoon tea, is superb. This is what good Scottish cuisine is all about: locally sourced produce, seasonal ingredients and inventive cooking.

www.miltonbrasserie.com

The Dome

The award for Best Cocktail Bar goes to The Club Room here at The Dome. Why? Because it looks amazing of course. All those mirrors, chandeliers and wood panels. Plus there's the excellent service and those delicious cocktails, which are miniature works of art. Edinburgh's got some great cocktail bars, but The Club Room emerged as the clear winner in this category, and deservedly so.

www.thedomeedinburgh.com

Burns Pet Nutrition

The award for Best Retail Supplier goes to Burns Pet Nutrition. If pets could vote, this would go down as their choice: cats, dogs - and rabbits - are unanimous on this one: Burns Pet Nutrition tastes the best. Their dry and wet foods have been specially formulated to keep pets looking and feeling great.



www.burnspet.co.uk

Fountain Park

The award for Best Family Entertainment Complex goes to Fountain Park. Cramming in a Cineworld, Virgin Active gym, bowling alley and Gambado soft play centre, it's got enough to keep toddlers, kids and big kids occupied. Cram in a bunch of restaurants, bars and on-site parking and you've got the ultimate family complex, just outside Edinburgh city centre.


www.fountainpark.co.uk

Lochter Activity Centre

The award for Best Outdoor Leisure Facility goes to Lochter Activity Centre in Aberdeenshire. The centre offers everything from go-karting to trout fishing. Where else in Scotland can you go clay pigeon shooting before having a go at archery and then rounding your day off by trying to balance a segway as you race against the clock? Lochter is a one-of-a-kind place that is as popular with families as it is with hen and stag groups.

www.lochter.co.uk

Dundee Rep

The award for Best Theatre & Arts Venue goes to Dundee Rep. For its work in the local community, the Rep deserves all the plaudits it gets - how many organisations can say they're genuinely changing lives for the better and empowering people? Add in Dundee Rep Ensemble, whose award-winning productions have toured nationally, and you've got a unique arts centre of cultural excellence.

www.dundeerep.co.uk

Nicolson Kiltmakers

The award for Best Specialist Retailer goes to Nicolson Kiltmakers. Here to collect the award is Gordon Nicolson himself. The company has a rich heritage and an international reputation as purveyors of the finest clan tartan kilts, sporrans, ghillie brogues and accessories. Nicolson Kiltmakers are excellent ambassadors for Edinburgh and indeed Scotland as a whole. Never mind the twee tartan shops for the tourists - Nicolson Kiltmakers is the real deal.

www.nicolsonkiltmakers.com

The Centre Livingston

The award for Best Shopping Centre goes to The Centre Livingston. Made up on three distinct zones - Almondvale Walk, Almondvale Place and Elements Square - the centre has a distinct identity that ensures it's anything but a run-of-the-mill mall. The combination of big name brands, fashion retailers and an array of restaurants have made The Centre one of the most popular shopping centres in the West of Scotland.

www.shopthecentre.co.uk

The Park Hotel

The award for Best Hotel & Conference facility goes to The Park Hotel. Collecting the award is Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston, whose football club forms part of the luxurious hotel and entertainment complex. The Park Hotel's stylish rooms and contemporary decor have made it a firm favourite with business guests, and is enhanced by the state-of-the-art conference and banqueting facilities.

www.theparkhotelayrshire.co.uk

Number 1 Grange

The award for Best Gastro Bar goes to Number 1 Grange Road. The Edinburgh bar and restaurant has earned plaudits for its inspired menu and an inventive drinks selection that includes Potails - cocktails served in china teapots with proper cups and saucers. It looks like you're drinking tea, but it tastes so much better! No 1 has a unique charm and the bar fully deserves its award for daring to be different.

www.no1grangeroad.com

Cadenhead's Whisky

The award for Best Independent Retailer goes to Cadenhead's Whisky. Established in 1842, this venerable company knows a thing or two about the amber nectar that us Scots - and non-Scots - love so much. As the country's oldest independent bottler, Cadenhead's has played a pivotal role in exporting the Scotland's national tipple to all corners of the globe.


www.wmcadenhead.com

Discovery Point

The award for Best Tourist Attraction goes to Discovery Point, Dundee's iconic ship which once voyaged through the Antarctic on Captain Scott's legendary expedition. The Discovery is now synonymous with the city it's berthed in, and continues to attract record numbers of visitors a century on from its historic voyage.

 

www.rrsdiscovery.com

Stagecoach West Scotland

The award for Most Reliable Travel Service goes to Stagecoach West Scotland. Envied for their reliability the company has a great reputation for low emission quality buses getting travellers from Ayr to Barrhead with the minimum of fuss. Their no-nonsense bus service covers Dumfries, Kilmarnock and the rest of West Scotland, linking residents in outlying areas with Glasgow and the rest of the country at excellent prices.

www.stagecoachbus.com

Livingston Designer Outlet

The award for Best Designer Outlet goes to Livingston Designer Outlet. Where else in Scotland are you going to find discounted wares from the likes of M&S, Tommy Hilfiger, Kurt Geiger and Nike? With over 70 stores and huge discounts, Livingston Designer Outlet delivers high street brands without the high street prices.

www.livingston-designer-outlet.co.uk