Me and Paulie are now creating a shortlist of the best pubs in our area. This week was The Middle House in Mayfield. I had been here on a work Christmas lunch and Paulie has been with his friends, so we decided to try it together. It is funny when we look at a menu, as we tend to like the same things and end up sharing each other’s, half and half. At first I was a little overwhelmed as they had 3 menus with lots of different dishes, this usually gives me a danger alert of lots of average dishes but I needn’t of worried. Paul ordered the Harvey’s Steak and Ale pie which came with dauphinoise potatoes and a variety of yummy vegetables including red cabbage. I ordered Guinea fowl 3 ways which was made up of a thigh meat pie, pan seared breast and roasted leg,  all served with lovely kale and a creamy celery sauce. The balance of flavours, pairing of accompaniments, sauces and garnishes on both dishes were divine. The pie meat in Paulies was a little chewy and I thought mine was over seasoned with salt but to be honest this is me being fussy. The presentation of both dishes was stunning (as you can see in the pictures) and if I had asked for mine not to be seasoned again at pass it would of been top notch. I would love to know who their pastry chef is! The atmosphere in the pub is really friendly, it had a nice joyous vibe and wasn’t at all pretentious like a lot of pubs in our area can be, they have a great selection of ales and the Harvey’s beer is served at the right temperature (trust me I’m an expert!).

Would we go back? Yes we would

Does it make our shortlist? Yes it does.