Udny Arms Hotel: Newburgh

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MY COUSIN and her Spanish boyfriend were in town and I promised to show them the best of the North-east.

The overcast sky and gales failed to make an impression on my continental chum. But a blustery walk along Balmedie beach worked up one heck of an appetite.

We took a well-earned break from the elements at the Udny Arms Hotel in Newburgh. The bar in this pleasant country hotel was deserted, but the staff gave us a warm welcome.

The menu warned of a minimum 20-minute wait as all food would be cooked to order.

We were more than happy to soak up the country atmosphere – but without any background music or the chatter of other folk, it was all a little too quiet for our liking.

I went for a traditional Sunday roast, (£12.95) and wasn’t disappointed. The big slab of beef came with delicious roast potatoes, tasty vegetables and a home-made Yorkshire pudding which tasted lovely and doughy – like it was straight from the oven.

My cousin chose fish and chips (£8.50) – a generous portion of tasty North Sea haddock, coated in golden breadcrumbs with a dish of tartar sauce on the side. It was lovely.

Our foreign visitor had the steak pie (£8.75) which came topped with a mountain of puff pastry. He polished off the lot and declared it “muy bueno”. High praise indeed.