The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
The Old Mill Inn proves why it’s busy at Brodie
Old Mill Inn 7, Brodie, Forres IV36 2TD 01309 641605 oldmillinnspeyside.co.uk Price: £63.65
Two starters, two mains, one dessert, one beer and one soft drink
For a small village, Brodie, on the outskirts of Forres, has an awful lot going for it. There’s the world-famous castle of course, and the almost-as-famous Countryfare – a high-end shopping outlet and eatery. Straddling either side of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, hundreds of vehicles turn into the Countryfare, but I’d like to see more of them visit the venue on the other side of the road – the Old Mill Inn.
The Inn had been on my ‘must-try’ list for a good 18 months after head chef, Paul McKechnie was a guest chef in this magazine.
The high-quality dishes featured, not only looked fabulous, but showcased locally sourced produce and made my mouth water.
The pandemic put paid to us visiting before now, but having been triple jabbed, we felt ready to dip our toe in restaurant waters once more.
Having logged on to the Inn’s website I could see its Hearth Restaurant is open evenings only, Wednesday to Saturday, or for lunch on Sundays from noon-4pm, and advance booking recommended.
We opted for Sunday lunch and despite booking well in advance, the first slot we could get was for mid-afternoon which I took to be a good sign.
I hadn’t dined here since the venue was taken over a few years ago by owners Sophie and David McLean; Colin and Karen Rothman.
Karen and David are siblings, and they and their partners are all passionate about offering guests a great experience.
Sophie and David, who have decades of hospitality experience under their belts, are the inn’s hosts.
During lockdown, they made improvements to the inn which feels stylish, warm and welcoming, with a mixture of open areas and smaller, semiprivate dining spaces.
A welcoming fire burned merrily away, while good lighting, and decor ranging from old beams to art deco helped create a relaxed but swish ambience.
After being warmly greeted and offered somewhere to hang our coats, we were shown to our table, presented with menus, and offered a jug of water.
My partner fancied a porter beer but they’d run out so instead our friendly waitress suggested a Spey Cadet beer from Spey Valley Brewery.
A few minutes after serving it she returned to check if he liked it or wanted to swap it for another beer – full marks for good service.
THE FOOD
The menu offered plenty of unusual choices as well as traditional favourites.
My partner opted for a prawn and crayfish cocktail while I was tempted by the Connage Dairy Gouda bon bons with compressed pineapple and pickled onion ketchup.
The cocktail, with Marie Rose sauce and crisp lettuce, was served in an unusually-shaped glass bowl, with a large, thick slice of bread he declared ‘the best he’d had for ages’.
Perfectly seasoned, the firmer-flesh crayfish added another layer of flavour and texture to this classic starter.
My trio of generous-sized bon bons were crispy and crunchy on the outside, and the tangy cheese inside was just on the point of melting, creating a starter of pure deliciousness.
For mains there were several yummy choices including roast Highland beef, chicken or pork; haddock goujons with a Windswept Beer batter, venison burger, sticky chilli chicken or a yellow pea and lentil dhal with onion pakora, Dukkah, cucumber and mint raita.
You don’t often see roast pork on menus, especially Nairnshire Pork, so I jumped at the chance to try it and was instantly rewarded with memories of childhood Sunday lunches when roast pork was sweet, juicy and full of flavour.
Three thick, juicy slices of pork were served with a mini mountain of sides including a lovely moist and spicy haggis, mashed carrot and turnip, crisp roast potatoes, plus perfectly cooked cauliflower, green beans, kale and romanesco and a decent-sized jug of rich gravy.
Across the table, something surprising was happening… half way through his dhal, my other half suddenly remembered he didn’t really like lentils as they sometimes tasted furry – his description not mine – but his views changed with this dish which he demolished with indecent haste.
The sunshine yellow pea and lentil dahl had a nice level of heat which tingled the tastebuds, while the pakora was exceptionally good, really crisp and light.
It also came with a selection of fresh
A WELCOMING FIRE BURNED MERRILY AWAY, WHILE GOOD LIGHTING CREATED A RELAXED BUT SWISH AMBIENCE
veg which personally I’d have swapped for a naan or chapatti to let you mop up every drop.
I was too packed for a pud but stole a wee taste of his sticky toffee pudding with treacle toffee sauce and honeycomb ice cream – another fabulous course with the treacle adding more old-school flavours that brought back happy memories.
THE VERDICT
First class, friendly and informative service and really good, well-cooked and nicely presented food with enough of a twist to make the menu interesting.
Although busy, at no point were we made to feel rushed while regular checkbacks ensured we had everything we needed and were enjoying our experience.