The Ploughman: North Deeside Road, Peterculter

IF NOTHING else, The Ploughman offers a great vantage point for seeing the Olympic Torch go past next week – banners outside say so.

But this pub does offer more – food. It’s been a constant in Peterculter for generations, a fact reflected in its olde worlde charm, all tartan carpets, wood and pictures of ploughmen.

The menu is traditional too, with nothing too fancy. And the food on the plate is honest, no-fuss fare.

I started with melon Marie Rose (£4.95), with a mound of tasty prawns – no blotting paper texture here – and a tangy sauce with a huge chunk of melon and wee slice of kiwi to add interest. It was fine enough, if inelegant.

The roast of the day (£9.95) was pork and, again, it was nothing fancy, but there was plenty of it. The lean meat was melt-in-the-mouth tender with an indifferent sea of gravy and ladle of apple sauce. The veg – carrots, tatties and peas – tasted garden-fresh, though.

My wife was the winner with a huge plateful of ploughman’s salad (£10.95) with thick slices of quality ham, roast beef and chicken of the highest quality and locally produced. She yummed her way through it all, including the leaves, peppers, onion, pineapple and cheese.

The Ploughman won’t win any Olympic medals for style, but it does its job of nice enough pub grub.