As anyone who has grown up in a small village knows, a good pub is the true heart of the community.
From celebrating special occasions to giving loved ones a good send off to just being able to walk up the road to get a nice cool pint on a hot summer’s day, your local becomes the place to wile away the hours.
Aberuthven is blessed with The Smiddy Haugh, which offers all of that plus some great food.
You walk inside and it’s like the quintessential country pub – long wooden bar with bottles on shelves behind it, a telly in the corner and a man with a dog having a pint of ale.
We were greeted by the staff, who showed us to a table and gave us menus that included some pub classes like steak pie, macaroni cheese and scampi, along with some more unusual dishes like a chickpea burger and seabass.
Our waitress was friendly and enthusiastic – you may wonder why I’d mention this, but trust me, it’s not a given in a lot of places – and explained a couple of dishes that weren’t available.
But there was still plenty of choice, plus it means we’ll need to go back to try the things we couldn’t have!
How were our fish starters at The Smiddy Haugh in Aberuthven?
To start, my mother chose the smoked salmon with cucumber ribbons, pickled onion, capers and spiced aioli (£8.50), which sat atop a bed of leaves.
It was beautifully presented and looked extremely fresh.
Mum tucked into it happily and commented on how the rich, smoky salmon worked well with the pickled onions and capers.
We’d never seen a spiced aioli before, but it almost served as a dressing for the leaves and it fit right in.
The only downside, in her opinion, was that there was a bit too much of the leaves compared to the fish.
My starter was the tempura prawns with Thai slaw and siracha mayo (£9).
The prawns were absolutely massive and so crispy and light.
I didn’t know what Thai slaw was when I ordered but I was happy to discover it was shredded cabbage and carrot, but instead of them being tossed in a creamy sauce the chef used sweet chilli sauce.
It was an extremely fresh and light dish – a little bit of heat from the sweet chilli and siracha mayo dip worked well with the crunchy prawns.
I honestly couldn’t pick anything out as a downside or a flaw in the dish – it was pretty close to perfect.
Did they get Mum’s favourite (macaroni and cheese) right?
No matter where we eat, one dish that’s guaranteed to get our attention is macaroni cheese,
My mum craved it when she was pregnant with me and it was a staple part of the meals we’d get growing up.
So of course she went for that main course option, which came with crispy onions and chives on top and garlic bread (£13).
It was the perfect size, served in an individual terracotta dish, and the crunchy onions sprinkled on top gave a traditional dish a tasty twist.
Mum ate every bite (except for the one I tried) and it was cheesy and creamy and full of flavour.
The garlic bread was actually a slice of tiger bread toast with garlic butter – unexpected but enjoyable.
My main came from the “specials” section of the menu – a double pork and chorizo burger with garlic aioli, Manchego, sweet red peppers and fries (£17).
It was huge!
And the size of the flavours more than matched the actual size of the burger.
The smoky spice of the chorizo was enjoyable and despite it being pork it wasn’t very fatty.
The only drawback for me what there was only a tiny amount of Manchego.
I had to go searching for it because it was hidden away between the two burger patties. And they could have ramped up the garlic in the aioli.
The fries were skin on and crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside.
How did our ‘something sweet’ go down?
Despite already having had two substantial courses, we couldn’t resist something sweet to end the meal.
Both mum and I went for sundaes – her the raspberry and white chocolate, and me the millionaire’s shortbread (both £8).
They were towering glasses of ice cream, cream, sauce and shortbread pieces.
It was the sundae that you’d eye longingly as a child when another table was served it.
There was good balance between sweet and not so sweet and a couple of surprises buried in amongst the layers.
Mum said she couldn’t really taste the white chocolate in hers, whereas mine was a bit full on with the chocolate, so some of the other flavours were a bit overwhelmed.
The verdict on The Smiddy Haugh in Aberuthven
Both mum and I left the pub full in that enjoyable way you are after a really good, hearty meal.
And really, who can ask for any better than that?
The Smiddy Haugh is a fantastic stop if you are in the mood for great quality pub food.
It’s a bit of the traditional mixed with some more “out there” menu options.
It is well cooked and beautifully served by staff that are extremely friendly and welcoming. They are dog friendly too, so even your furry pals will enjoy a visit!
Information:
Address: The Smiddy Haugh, Main Rd, Auchterarder PH3 1HE
Telephone: 01764 662013
Website: www.smiddyhaugh.co.uk
Price: £71.75 for two starters, two mains, two desserts and three soft drinks.
Dog friendly: Yes
Disabled access: Yes
Scores:
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Surroundings: 4/5
Read more of our restaurant reviews here.
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