February 18th, 2025A haven in the hills: dining review

Blackwood – A Haven in the Hills is the name of a poem by the late Grace  Rayner. It is all about the village’s rich history and scenic beauty.  

And it has also provided much of the inspiration for new Blackwood Hotel owners Jerry and Jess.  The couple, with their two young children, have been locals of Blackwood for more than seven years.

They also have plenty of hospitality experience with other venues including two in Docklands where their Cargo and Berth, in conjunction with the Salvation Army, host annual Christmas Day Brunches for those less fortunate.  

So, they are local and know food, hospitality and kindness. A great combination.  

The fantastically renovated pub opened over the January long weekend and it has been pumping with plenty of local support, and visitors keen to find a real country hotel again.  

Kyle and I headed there on Saturday and were met by Jerry, as was pretty much every customer as they arrived. Along with meeting and greeting, Jerry is also hands-on with serving, pouring drinks behind the bar and even cleaning tables.

Busy but  relaxed and clearly enjoying his latest venture, Jerry showed us to our table by the window in the dining room. There’s also a  dog friendly verandah and an inviting bar.

We opted to leave the food selection up to  him – a great idea.  Three entrees arrived – the sizzling saganaki with peppered figs ($16), hummus with caramelised onion, sumac and flat bread ($12) and Asian glazed pork belly with sticky soy ($20). All fantastic.

I love saganaki but this absolutely hit the next level with the sweet and slightly spicy figs. Kyle’s favourite was the pork belly, tender meat  with crunchy crackling.  

Next up, the mains, a very decent sized Parwan Valley porterhouse with chips, salad and a huge round of garlic herb butter ($45) and the barramundi atop cashew cream with green beans, roasted tomatoes and a fennel and herb salad ($38).  

Jerry couldn’t have known but this was the perfect pairing. I am not much of a  meat eater but while Kyle rarely has steak, he pretty much ate the lot. “I don’t need a  steak knife,” was about all I got out of him for a while.  

Buying from Parwan Valley is just part of Jerry and Jess’ ethos to shop as local as possible. (They are also providing work for locals – with a crew of 20 plus –  Blackwood’s biggest employer!)  

The barra was amazing. Perfectly cooked with crisp skin and firm flesh atop the  veggies and cream. And these are big serves – no-one is going home hungry from Blackwood.

We didn’t do dessert, we couldn’t.

But there’s sticky date pudding and choc mousse ($15 each) and a seasonal sorbet ($12).  It’s not a huge menu but it covers all the bases and every dish is done well, something I think most people appreciate these days. I think the days of broadsheet sized menus is well and truly over – or should be.  

The Blackwood Hotel is a great country pub and I am sure it will be one of those places long talked about as it reclaims its place in the history of not only the town but also the region.

I love the “real” front entrance, not a side door, the nod to its past with some of the original wallpaper left up and framed, a front bar with a bar  you can actually sit at, staff with big smiles and the sound of friendly banter.  

Oh, I nearly forgot the drinks. Plenty of beers from the tap, a good choice of wines by the glass, nothing overly expensive. As I said, a good country pub.  See you there. I’d give you an address but just find Blackwood. You can’t miss it.  

Link: www. blackwoodhotel.com.au Words & images: Donna Kelly