Our pro says...

On a dark winter’s night, the old inn looks warm and welcoming. We push open the door. It is. It’s softly lit. There’s a gentle hum of contented chatter. Jazz is playing. *I wasn’t recognised.

There’s been a buzz in Kilconquhar village since the inn reopened in September. The emphasis is on local produce, and there’s a kitchen garden and on-site butchery; inside (dark tongue and groove, a soaring ceiling, handcrated wooden chairs and grey tweed benches) has a Scandi meets Shaker vibe, while the small bar is all nooks and crannies.

The menu’s not huge, just four mains: one vegetarian, one fish, one meat and one dish for two (a venison, smoked bacon and trotter pie), many changing daily. But it’s interesting. Specials included grilled flatbreads with lamb’s tongue, aubergine and chilli, and a hare loin for two. It’s modern British cooking rather than gastropub fare, with a nod to outside influences such as Scandinavian pickles and Middle Eastern spices.

We start with deep-fried pig’s head and damson ketchup, crunchy croquettes with a tart fruit dip that dissolve into a fingerlicking, molten meaty mess. My starter, roast jerusalem artichokes, bitter radicchio and creamy goat’s curd, is a punchy powerhouse of earthy flavours. The deep-fried Shetland squid, however, is a little anaemic.

For mains I choose hake on the bone, sprinkled with salty capers and grilled young leeks – plate-scrapingly good. My partner’s grilled onglet with turnip tops and green sauce, however, lacked flavour.

For dessert we shared a quince, pear and brown butter tart, another star turn, the deep, dark pastry crunch, sweet cakey filling and dollop of crème fraiche causing a greedy clash of spoons.