The team reopened the small but mighty pub, which was previously known as the Highland and was closed in 2023, in spring 2025 and in the same year, it took the top spot in the list of 100 Best Pubs in Britain, published by the Good Food Guide.
Praised for its menu that 'nods to pubs of all stripes', the guide made special mention to the pub's bar snacks, which include half-pints of shell-on prawns and sausage rolls baked to order with homemade brown sauce as well as slices of ham carved off the joint and warmed through on the fireplace with butter-brushed dinner rolls, served alongside a dedicated mustard menu.
The pub also received its first national review in The Observer last year, where restaurant critic writer and broadcaster Jimi Famurewa said the Highland Laddie was proof this 'northern boozer' was a place of unexpected finesse.
The start of 2026 saw it launch a beef and oyster pie onto the menu. Smoked beef shin with two freshly shucked oysters, baked in rich beef stock and red wine, a beef-fat shortcrust lid and topped with another oyster, baked with garlic and herb butter.
