For the last few years I have been contracted by Defender’s equestrian Sponsorship team to document their presence at horse shows around the UK.
This week we’ve been staying in Pitlochry again, for the (last ever) Blair Castle International Horse Trials and a friend asked me where I thought they should eat. I asked them why they were asking me and they replied that as i had stayed in Pitlochry for the last five runnings of the event I must have tried most places. Fair point.
So here’s my unprofessional summary of what I think of places I have eaten along with an idea of what it cost and whether I think that offers you value. Treat it with a pinch of salt!
The Old Mill
Just off the High Street in the heart of town you will find The Old Mill. As the name suggests the building was a mill and the river still flows underneath, splitting the outside space and providing a lovely background burble.
in the summer months there is a large stretch tent which provides protection from the elements for the tables and chairs in that section. There is also a bar in this tent which is a godsend when busy.
The Old Mill doesn’t take reservations which some may find strange, so be sure to allow time to wait for a table to become available at busy times. The staff here are lovely. Often they are South African and invariably have a good sense of humour.
Alex and I met Sophie (Frimble) and Marcia (Equine Products UK) on a dry evening and sat outside close to the river. Three of us had the Scampi and chips while Alex tried the Three Cheese Pancetta Mac and cheese – the better option. The scampi were small and slightly over cooked, resulting in a rather flavourless crunch-and-it’s-gone feeling. Alex reported that the mac and cheese was excellent and looked rather smug.
This year’s is not a typical experience here. I’ve had some great pub grub meals here over the years.
Two drinks each and the bill was £33 per head.
Prince of India
The Prince of India is easily found, just off the Main Street on the side road which leads to the station.
in recent years we have made it a tradition to eat here on the first night of our stay, a plsitive review in itself, but for the first time this it wasn’t the only curry we had. See below.
We’ve noticed that we never have any trouble getting a seat but then we tend to eat later than some and certainly between 5.30pm and 8pm it definitely looks busier.
As far as ambience and style goes, The Prince of India is straight out of the typical British curry house mold. Some of their curries, though are not, and I always make a point of trying a chef’s special or something else I’ve not had before. Last year one of my colleagues asked them if they could produce a dish which wasn’t on the menu and I wish I could remember what it was called because it looked excellent.
There isn’t much else to say other than I must have had about half of their menu over the years and I’ve never had a bad dish
£25-30 to include a couple of drinks.
Victoria’s
Victoria’s is also on the Main Street through the town, a little further down the hill. Originally an Italian restaurant, it still serves a range of 9” pizzas and pasta dishes, as well as more cosmopolitan flavours from around the world and classic French and British cuisine.
Of all these restaurants Victoria’s is the one I would suggest you need book in advance unless you are happy to sit in the limited outdoor space. We tried to book on Thursday for Saturday without success and had to settle for Sunday, which was still busy.
The interior has lots of character and history and feels like a Mediterranean restaurant, as indeed it should.
We started with olives and cheesy garlic bread as a treat.
I’ve had a range of main dishes here and always had a good experience, but this year went for a chicken fajita which came on its own custom serving board with (almost) enough tortillas, a spicy mix of peppers, onions and chicken and three typical condiments. I couldn’t eat pudding, so plenty.
Alex had a fusilli dish with Tuscan sausage, wild mushroom and mascarpone. If that sounds delicious, you’d be right. I was allowed a mouthful and every element was full of rich flavour. She, however, could squeeze in a homemade banoffee pie complete with proper base which she reported was as good as it looked.
Cidsin
When you’ve been here for five nights and for a few years running you start to feel like you have been everywhere twice and you’d like to try something new. This year we discovered Cidsin thanks to the boys manning the Voltaire stand who reported that it was “a curry house with a difference”.
Cidsin is within the Craigvrack Restaurant on the A924 towards Kirkmichael and Blairgowrie, the same road the Co-op is on in town. It doesn’t look a whole lot like a restaurant from the outside, but when you have parked your car and navigated the path to the front door the welcome is warm.
The restaurant describes itself as “modern indian dining” but could also add the word authentic to the adjectives used. You won’t be offered poppadums and there is no obsession with the “British” curries like massala. Instead you may not recognise some of the dishes on the menu, but they are worth investigating. I had the Chicken curry of the week, while Alex had something from the permanent menu which was recommended as very mild. In fact, nothing is very hot, so don’t head this way for a phaal.
Our dishes were delicious and we will definitely return if Scone Palace requires me next year! I may try the tiffin!
The Coach House (Fishers)
The Coach House looks like a pub from the outside, with picnic tables on the terrace, umbrellas and so on. Indeed it is a modern pub on the inside, which will please those who want to catch some sport on one of the many big screens available.
I came here on the second night of my stay, before Alex had joined me, after walking around for a while and failing to make my mind up. It is run by the Fishers Hotel which adjoins the pub, and my colleagues from the Defender Owners Lawn had reported that it was good value.
I went straight to the bar and asked if I should order from there or sit at a table, and was told that either was fine by bar staff who spoke little English (Eastern European at a guess). This is not a pub for atmosphere, unless perhaps there was a big match on. It is brightly lit
I ordered fish and chips and a Guinness and sat down at a table for two in one corner where I immediately bumped into a family of friends from Rutland. A small world made smaller by the horse trials.
My food arrived very quickly and was excellent. The batter on the fish was melt-in-the-mouth and the fish perfectly cooked. My chips were some of the best I’d had for a while. Plenty to eat and every element was good.
I was slightly surprised that fish and chip and a pint took me to £30.