First glimpse offered of Ballater's new look Rothesay Rooms run by The Prince’s Foundation

An award-winning Royal Deeside restaurant run by The Prince’s Foundation is set to reopen to the public today following a makeover.

Rothesay Rooms was established as a pop-up eating destination by Prince Charles, who holds the title of Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, to help drive tourism and employment to the area following flooding and fire in Ballater in 2015.

After the village’s station was destroyed by fire, the foundation undertook an extensive restoration and renovation project, with support from Royal Lochnagar. It has brought jobs and visitors to Ballater, with its reputation rubber-stamped by several awards, and inclusion in the Michelin Guide for the past four years.

The eaterie is led by North-east chef Ross Cochrane, with all profits generated from the restaurant ploughed back into The Prince’s Foundation to support its charitable work.

Guests can book out the Royal Waiting Room for private dining.

Cochrane said: “We are very much looking forward to starting the next chapter in the Rothesay Rooms success story in the beautiful surroundings of the historic Ballater Station.

“Ahead of our reopening, our award-winning kitchen team has been busy curating a new spring/summer menu full of creative dishes made from the finest local produce for our guests to enjoy.”

The Prince’s Foundation works nationally and internationally but at the heart of the organisation is the heritage-led regeneration of the Dumfries House estate and its wider community, where its principles and philosophies are explored and put into practice.

Prior to the establishment of the restaurant, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation made a donation in 2016 towards the community effort to restore Ballater Caravan Site following flooding.

Rothesay Rooms, which is run by The Prince’s Foundation, is reopening to the public in its new home of Ballater station.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions