The Ploughman: North Deeside Road, Peterculter

WITH the rain dinging down outside and a distinct lack of edible food in the fridge, there was only one thing for it – let’s go to the pub.

After battling through the wet and windy weather, we arrived at the homely Ploughman, just round the corner from where my fiance and I grew up.

Feeling like a good old feast to ward off the ensuing cold, I went for the bacon roly poly (£4.50). Three balls of black pudding wrapped in a rasher of bacon – my word, it was good. Although slightly salty, it hit the spot perfectly as The Boss looked on enviously.

However, her cauli tattie bites (£4.25) packed full of ham and potatoes in a creamy cheese sauce, went down a treat too.

Her main course, steak au poivre (£13.65), fared even better, with the accompanying peppercorn sauce adding to the perfectly-cooked steak. The one thing that was lacking was some accompaniment, the steak just being presented with a cooked tomato and the sauce on the side.

Fancying a break from the norm, I opted for chicken Maryland (£8.85), and wasn’t disappointed. The tender chicken was lightly coated in breadcrumbs, while the accompanying banana and pineapple fritters were both sweet and succulent.