East Haugh House, Pitlochry
Looking for a bolt hole to escape from the stress of day to day life? Then I suggest you take yourself off to East Haugh House, just south of Pitlochry.
It’s incredibly convenient, only a stone’s throw away from the A9, yet creates a sense you are in the middle of nowhere.
From the moment you enter this cosy haven you will appreciate it has a bit of thing about hunting and fishing. From the pictures on the walls to the wallpaper and most of the decor, there is certainly a theme here.
Even some of our fellow diners fully conformed, wearing the plus twos and chunky jerseys beloved by the country sports brigade. It was no surprise at all to see they’d won awards for being a top sporting hotel.
I was delighted to see that the sporting theme carried over to the menu with lots of game and fish on offer. But more of that later.
We enjoyed a drink in the bar which had a good selection of wine. Although my partner enjoyed a fine glass of Robert Burns ale while we perused the menu, I was a little surprised at the limited selection of beer. There are some really good craft beers available these days which are very popular, yet they had no real ales or quality beers on tap and only a very small choice of bottled beers.
The same could not be said of the menu, which was extensive, running to several pages. This can put me off, wondering how on earth the kitchen can produce such a range of choices and still maintain high quality. However, the charming receptionist who took my booking
assured me they prided themselves on sourcing local produce and she insisted they had the best reputation for a meal of any place for miles around.
So I put any doubts behind me and began to order. The selection of nibbles took my fancy and I thought they might be like a canapé so we ordered a few.
The lamb pops were fantastic little succulent meatballs served in a spicy tomato-based sauce that was packed with flavour. They got the thumbs-up all round. The olives were plump, perfectly ripe and juicy and the homemade
ciabatta stunningly good.
My partner polished off the whitebait with relish. I was starting to worry we might have gone over the top in ordering so much as an appetiser, but the rest of the menu looked so tempting I was confident I was going to manage the full three courses. My pigeon starter was superb. I love pigeon. It can be so tasty and this, with a simple salad, was as good as it gets. Pink and full of gamey richness, it was perfectly cooked and I enjoyed every last morsel. Equally popular with my companion were the scallops which were plump, tasty and beautifully presented.
There were some lovely looking game and fish dishes on offer for our main course but we were both attracted to the lamb, which was locally sourced. Three different dishes, each using a different cut, were on offer. It was hard to choose between them.
Eventually my partner decided on the pencil filet with dauphinois potato, wild mushrooms and a rosemary jus. He said it was cooked beautifully and it certainly looked fantastic.
I decided on the best end of lamb served with champ potatoes and crushed minted garden peas. This was real comfort food and looking out from the conservatory dining room onto the frost settling on the grass, I was definitely in the mood for this sort of sustenance. We enjoyed a superb bottle of Bordeaux, as good as I have had in a long time, and it complemented the lamb beautifully. The high standard continued with a chocolate brownie pudding for me and a lemon and lime tart for my partner. Then it was tea and coffee in the lounge. Rather than face a long drive home we had opted to stay at the hotel overnight. It was a pleasure to return to our room, which was both comfortable and beautifully decorated. Breakfast the next morning was excellent.
East Haugh House falls slightly between the two stools of being a homely country inn and a country house hotel. Its food is terrific and I can imagine hungry sportsmen enjoying a slap-up feed after a day on the river or grouse moor. If the quality of the pigeon I enjoyed is anything to go by, the game must be a particular draw.
All in all we had a lovely meal in this great wee hideaway and I’m sure we’ll return. Next time I might even bring a rod and try my luck on the river.