About half an hour’s drive north of Glasgow’s West End brings you to the foot of The Campsies and Strathblane (population 1811). There, Kirkhouse Inn plies a happy trade serving people from the village and neighbouring Milngavie, as well as providing a touch of comfort for those about to West Highland Way (we salute you). 

As of May, it’s also been home to Sagar Massey, one of the final three on Masterchef: The Professionals a few years back: turn left at reception for the hotel’s bar and grill, or turn right for Sanja, Massey’s fine-dining experience. There are plenty of details to make things feel a bit special, with bucket armchairs at the tables and canapés as you sit down. Bread and whipped butter, spiked with foraged wild garlic and green chilli, follows soon after. Then, there are choices to be made, between a six-course tasting menu or à la carte for dinner, plush lunches and midweek ‘street food’ offerings: it’s clear that attention is sensibly divided between destination dining for big occasions and an accessible go-to for locals. 

The kitchen scores highly across the board. A piercing crust of turmeric atop halibut adds smoky depth to the dish, a delicate funk lurks in the goat’s curd beneath trout ceviche, and the intriguingly titled chicken 65 uses rich, almost gamey thigh meat that’s carried by the zing of pickles. Best of all though is lamb done two ways, a dainty little rack beside a red wine-braised leg, shaped into a juicy disc and knocked from corner to corner of your palate by sweet aubergine and crème fraîche. However accessible Massey wants to be, dishes are commendably gutsy; there’s a breadth of skill on display here that cannily fuses styles and customer needs. 

Sanja By Sagar Massey, The Kirkhouse Inn, Glasgow Road, Strathblane; average price for two courses à la carte £42.