There’s nowhere quite like Hame: St Andrews’ Grandest 19th hole
After your round you will have built up quite an appetite, for food, drink and nostalgia, and there is nowhere better for a filling and refreshing lunch than Ham’s Hame.
Situated in the basement of Hamilton Grand, this quaint and charming throw-back of a Pub is the perfect location for a post-round pint and meal to set you up for the rest of your day.
You are literally a sand-wedge away from the 18th hole of the Old Course, and you can soak up the history of St Andrews when you dine here. You can sit either in the intimate side booths or for larger groups on the majestic tables with old, traditional wooden arm-chairs and chat about the triumphs and disasters of your round.
When we visited Ham’s Hame it was a wintry Sunday, with wild wind and rain, yet it was still fairly busy, which illustrates its popularity with groups, families, couples and individuals. The busy and cosy nature of Ham’s Hame did not detract from our experience, unlike other pubs where you struggle to hear each other, it has a great ambience which is hard to find elsewhere in St Andrews.
The menu is extensive and reasonably priced, and there is something for everyone but as we are here for lunch we won’t get carried away. Here are our selections for a snack (starters), larger lunch (mains) and something sweet (desserts).
The Soup of the Day (Tomato and Lentil) costs £5.95 and is served with Crusty Bread. This, speaking as someone who rarely has soup, was a thick, creamy soup that was pleasant and with the bread could satisfy those with a smaller appetite at lunchtime.
The Steamed West Coast Mussels were served in a tomato, chorizo, white wine and thyme sauce and are a delicious snack (£8.50). As a side the Marinated Mixed Olives were served with a delicious, thick Garlic vinaigrette (£2.50) that is a perfect complement to any lighter snack or starter.
Those with a bigger appetite will definitely want to go for the Black Isle Rib Eye, a 200g rib steak with a flat cap mushroom, roasted tomato and skinny fries. The steak was perfectly cooked to my well-done request, tender and juicy (£22.95).
The pan fried Sea Bream is a must for seafood lovers, and was cooked to perfection, delicately tender but firm, with a subtle sweet flavour on top of the crushed potatoes (£11.95).
Now as we are here for lunch you may not wish to have a dessert and leave space for dinner, but if you just cannot resist then we highly recommend the Bread and Butter Pudding, which was served with vanilla ice cream. This gave it a slightly lighter feel on the stomach than if it had been served with custard as we would at home! (£5.50).
For the lovers of all things Scottish there is the Cranachan, which is served with raspberry and honey compote, oat granola and a whisky cream.
There are a wide range of drinks on offer, as with any good pub, including a selection of Liqueur coffee’s tea and Liqueurs to accompany your dessert.
Ham’s Hame also has a sumptuous area for more formal dining, the Parlour Restaurant has a wonderful Scottish décor with tartan edges and moody lighting. This area is particularly popular with groups and is used frequently for student functions and private events.
Now, back to that history and nostalgia I opened the review by talking about. You are sitting in what was the very first club for golfers in St Andrews. The Union Parlour/Club was situated here in 1835 in the same cottage that housed Hugh Philp’s club making business, and in 1812 he made gooseneck clubs for the members of the Society of St Andrews Golfers, which would become the R&A.
Thomas Hamilton was a Scottish architect, born in Glasgow and based in Edinburgh, and his works included the Martyrs Monument on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. Another of his works is perhaps the most photographed building in world golf. In 1895 the Grand Hotel, designed by Thomas Hamilton, opened on the site of Hugh Philps cottage, to capitalize on the rapid expansion of St Andrews as a popular tourist destination for golf and sea bathing.
Hamilton is said to have commissioned the construction immediately after his application for membership had been rejected by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. In an attempt to draw attention away from the Royal & Ancient, Hamilton constructed the much larger and more extravagant building adjacent to it.
During World War II, the hotel was requisitioned by the armed forces and never reopened as a hotel. Shortly after the end of the War, the hotel was acquired by the University of St Andrews and was opened as a hall of residence in 1949 under the name Hamilton Hall. In 2005, the University announced that it had sold the Hall as the result of an unsolicited bid and consequently the university session 2005-06 would be the last year Hamilton Hall would be open as a hall of residence.
In 2009 Kohler Co. acquired the building and it became a part of the Old Course Hotel and Spa, along with the Duke’s Course. Now the majority of the building serves as private residences of the highest quality. Relaunched as Hamilton Grand, a name to honour the past of this historic building and to embrace the future.
Whilst the majority of the building is private, Ham’s Hame is open to all, and for you, the golfing visitor it has now become the ultimate 19th hole in the world of golf. So go on in, sit back, enjoy the ambience, have a drink and eat some of the best food you will find anywhere and a welcome to match.
SHANK, by Matt Hooper
Matt Hooper is an Associate Member of the Sports Journalists Association
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