Affordable set menu in cosy pub makes for a great lunch venue
With a chill still in the air, Rosalind Erskine visits this award-winning pub featuring tartan chairs, duck wallpaper and a roaring log burning stove for a really enjoyable nosh-up
It may be meteorological spring but the wind chill would have you thinking that it’s still January. The daffodils and crocus may be bobbing in the wind but the steely grey skies and freezing temperatures mean an afternoon spent in a cosy pub is a welcome way to toast the new season.
It’s with this in mind when we book into the Boar’s Head in Auchtermuchty in Fife. A Scran Awards finalist last year, this Fife pub has an AA Rosette (which was achieved last year) as well a host of other accolades under its belt.
Inside the pub restaurant there’s green half-panelled walls, chunky tartan chairs, repurposed furniture and a feature wall with duck wallpaper and a roaring log burning stove.
We decided to go for the set lunch menu and start with soup of the day, which was root vegetable, plus East Neuk Kilnhouse smoked salmon, lilliput capers, sherry pickled shallots, lemon and parsley. Before we got stuck into that, we ordered snacks of smoked almonds – salty and smoky, delicious – and gordal olives, which were served in a small kilner jar to enjoy while we sipped a non-alcoholic beer and an elderflower fizz.
The soup, whose name doesn’t do it justice, was a vibrant, deep turmeric colour, topped with parsnip crisps and micro herbs.
It had a thick and velvety texture (one I can only dream of achieving at home) and a deep flavour punctuated with sweetness. The salmon was served as two firm slices and a curled thin slice along with a slice of homemade brown bread, and a pile of capers, the pickled shallots and chopped parsley, and a slice of lemon. The salmon tasted fresh and sweet, with a delicate smokiness. The piquant capers and shallots – a stand out addition – added a punch of flavour while the bread gave some body and texture. A classic dish but with little additions makes it moreish.
Mains were chicken supreme with chicken leg ravioli, leeks and oyster mushroom, and a truffle and vegetarian parmesan risotto. The chicken, baby leek and leg ravioli were succulent and was covered with a wellseasoned unctuous gravy. The risotto – a large portion – was served with a flurry of parmesan cheese and truffle on top and with three parmesan crisps, like sails on a boat, sticking out of the oozing risotto. The texture was akin to rice pudding but this was a flavoursome, comforting dish, with good seasoning and herbs cutting through the richness of the truffle and cheese.
For dessert, I chose the Clootie Mctoot dumpling served with Luvians vanilla ice cream, while across the table it was the affogato with Luvians vanilla ice cream and a shot of espresso. The sweet ice cream in the affogato was balanced with a good shot of espresso and topped off with a small slice of homemade bounty.
It was busy for the end of the week, and with such friendly staff, affordable, delicious menu, and good drinks selection, it’s not hard to see why. The Boar’s Head well deserves the awards it has been given so far, and is a great example of how a local pub can be so much more, with good cooking and utilising local suppliers.