Newburgh Inn launches seven course tasting menu

By Ellie House

August 11 2022, 3:10 pm

The Newburgh Inn was taken over in April, and is already making waves in the coastal Aberdeenshire village.

The coastal village of Newburgh has always been popular with locals and tourists alike.

The fabulous beach, seal colony and of course the golf course makes Newburgh a sought after location, and thankfully it can offer the amenities to match.

From the latest addition of Trellis, a cosy cafe with sweet treats and toasties galore, to The View, which naturally offers glorious views across the water, and ongoing works for the hopeful reopening of The Udny Arms, you’re spoilt for choice.

There was one element of Newburgh however, which stood to be forgotten.

The Newburgh Inn is in a prime spot, sitting right next to the narrow track you take to the beach.

Newburgh Inn has been given a second chance thanks to new owners.

Complete with its own playpark, this place had some serious potential, but was looking a little sad and tired in its former guise as Briggies.

The previous owners closed the business down last year, and it sat empty waiting for new owners.

With accommodation upstairs, the building is somewhat of a tardis, but was also stuck in a time warp with dated mahogany furniture and gloomy rooms.

Step forward a new team, filled with enthusiasm and love for a new project.

Chrissy Graham and Emma Morrice have some big plans for the revamped Newburgh Inn.</p> <p>

Headed by Chrissy Graham, who runs five businesses in total including The Barn in Foveran and Smuggler’s Cone in Collieston, the Newburgh Inn was born.

The A La Carte menu boasts roast chump of lamb, and there’s also the more classic dishes with a modern twist, such as crispy cauliflower sliders or beer battered haddock.

Although the venue has only been open since April, the team have gone full steam ahead with a planned ladies night, afternoon teas and a revamped function room to boot.

A spectacular seven course tasting menu is also set to launch on August 12.

We caught up with front of house manager, Debbie Morrice, to find out why the team were determined to not only breathe new life into the place, but start dreaming big for the future.

How long have you worked in hospitality?

Since I was about 15, on and off. I met Chrissy because she was my daughter’s netball coach, and I remember texting her one day to ask if she was hiring anyone.

Emma has worked in hospitality from a young age, and loves meeting the many interesting people who walk through the door.

That was it, I’ve always loved the people side of things in hospitality.

The pandemic was difficult of course, but now we’re all back and running. I do the rota for around 60 people across the businesses.

Tell me about the revamp on this place? You had a quick turnaround?

Ha, yes we certainly did.

Despite living in the village, I’d only ever been into the Newburgh Inn a few times and not in recent years.

The Newburgh Inn has had a complete facelift, with a 48 hour SOS.

The place was closed last year, I think the previous owners had fallen out of love with it.

It was very run down when we got the keys, so we did an DIY SOS over 48 hours before reopening.

The last sheet of wallpaper had just gone up when a queue started forming outside, there was so much excitement.

Was it a team effort to get everything done in time?

Very much so. We all wanted to be involved, we had everyone from chefs to kitchen porters with a paintbrush in hand.

We got fed and watered in return of course, but we’re very much a family here.

Both my son and daughter work here, which is lovely and also funny sometimes.

Dark wood has been replaced with modern decor.

Just the other day I told my son to stop yapping away, and he said he learned from the best!

We all pull together, Chrissy’s daughter is also on the team. We support each other.

I always make Chrissy cry, but for the best of reasons like when I told her how proud I was that one of her businesses, The Granite Spa, had won an award.

Right from the beginning, we wanted to be the best and to support local.

We are the only pub in the village, and I think people had sorely missed having that kind of venue.

What’s different about the Newburgh Inn these days?

So much has changed in such a short space of time.

Obviously there’s the interior, it was very dark in places and there was a lot of mahogany wood.

Accommodation is also available at the Newburgh Inn.

We attacked pretty much every room, but really focused on the restaurant and the separate bar area.

We are a gastro pub, but people are always surprised to discover we offer an A La Carte menu.

We have a fantastic team of around 10 people in the kitchen, and the focus is fresh local produce.

What’s your favorite item on the menu?

That’s a hard one!

I’m loving our pan-seared corn fed chicken, which is served with sautéed potato, pancetta, and creamed cabbage with charred sweetcorn and jus.

Our starters include a smoked salmon and crab roll. We also serve roast chump of lamb with peas, chanterelle mushroom and fondant potato with a port reduction.

<br />Pictured is a starter of Pulled honey chilli chicken with fresh mango salsa and a toasted coconut crumb.</p> <p>

It’s absolutely delicious. We had a tasting night where all the staff came in and got to try the dishes.

This enabled us to get to know the food really well, as customers often ask for recommendations.

I’ve heard you serve breakfast as well?

We do, we’re open from 7:30am!

There’s the full Scottish of course, and we also do things a bit different.

You’ll find a varied menu at the Newburgh Inn, including these delicious glazed ribs.

The crispy bacon and scrambled egg bagel goes down well, as do our pancakes and the three egg omlette.

Finally onto pudding, what should I order?

The de-constructed cranachan. This is our take on the traditional Scottish pudding of raspberries, oats, cream, whisky and honey.

The assorted cheese board is delicious as well, complete with artisan biscuits, frozen grapes and a sweet onion chutney.

It was very important to us to not just offer vegan dishes, but also to be able to adapt what is already on offer to suit any kind of allergy or intolerance.

So if you speak to staff, you’ll find we can help and make suggestions.