French Riviera at Peebles hotel as Prince Albert of Monaco pops in

From left: head chef Iain Gourlay, Cringletie owner Bill Cross, manager Victoria Palmer, Prince Albert II of Monaco, owner Ann Cross and Maitre d’hotel Hubert Laforge.

There was a touch of the French Riviera at a hotel near Peebles last week as Prince Albert of Monaco popped in to dine on some great Scottish produce.

The Tweed Valley played a huge role in last week’s highly successful UCI World Cycling Championships.

With the world’s elite mountain bikers competing for multiple World Championship titles at Glentress, this created wonderful publicity for the sport and for the Tweed Valley as a visitor destination.

Cringletie House Hotel was honoured to also play their part by providing a very special VIP luncheon during the event.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Cringletie Owner Bill Cross.

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, UCI President David Lappartient and UCI Director General Amina Lanaya visited the hotel for an official UCI World Championships luncheon hosted by VisitScotland.

Head Chef Iain Gourlay and team were delighted to look after the VIPs, with the group dining on superb Scottish produce including hand-dived Orkney Scallops, Fillet of Dexter Beef, Wild Turbot and Scottish strawberries, all complemented by some of the finest fresh produce from Cringletie’s own historic Walled Garden.

Owner of Cringletie, Bill Cross said: “It was a real honour to host such a prestigious luncheon for His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco along with both the President and the Director General of the UCI during the World Championships.

“Our whole team was absolutely thrilled to welcome this VIP group to the hotel and we were proud to represent the whole of the region and to have the opportunity to showcase the fine Scottish cuisine and hospitality that we are famous for.

“The UCI Championships have undoubtedly put Scotland and her richly diverse regions on the centre stage to an international audience. It was wonderful to see that our country is world class at cycling but that it can also host world class events too.

“We would like to thank VisitScotland for this opportunity and the lovely comments that we received from the group about our service and food have made this particular luncheon very special indeed.”