The Running Fox, Felton - Best Sunday Lunch Campaign Review

The Running Fox, Felton

Located in the lovely Village of Felton, fairly central in Northumberland between Alnwick and Morpeth, The Running Fox occupies an enviable position overlooking the River Coquet. It is a small and chic country-style cafe that also has an on-site artisan bakery making a wide range of artisan breads, pies, cakes and scones. All of which are beautifully displayed in the window and behind the main counter and entice you into the cafe with their aroma and appearance. The nomination process revealed an amazing passion amongst the local villages for the Running Fox, many saying that it had 'transformed the Village' since it was taken over by the current proprietors at the start of the year. 

Having booked well ahead, we were shown to our table which had our name and time of booking written on a small chalk board. A very efficient idea for a venue that's on the smaller side compared to our other finalists, as it allowed the table to be used prior to our arrival, whilst still letting people know the table was booked. The Cafe was buzzing with energy with a lot of the tables chatting amongst each other, it was obvious that a lot of clients were regulars and knew each other and the staff very well, there wasn't a free seat in the house. The menu had a good choice for each course and we were very plesantly surprised with the value for money the lunch menu offered, just £10.50 if you wanted to have the full three courses! We also really liked the idea of being able to have a 'trio of meats' for a main course, giving the flexibility and choice akin to a carvery, with just a 50p supplement on the price (and at no extra cost if taken with two, or three courses).

We chose our starters which included the Leek and Potato Soup and the Smoked Salmon and Brown Bread Platter, both of which were delicious and came with a large portion of home-made bread. After a short while our main courses were ready, I had ordered the lamb and my eating partners the beef and the chicken breast with sage and onion. The meat and Yorkshire puddings were brought out on each plate surrounded by a dark, thick gravy. The vegetables were next, a mixture of roasted veg served in a lovely Le Creuset style pot, a bowl of sugar snap peas and french beans and finally a large oval dish of cauliflower cheese which had been nicely browned on top. It was good to know all the meat and veg on the plate had been locally sourced.

All were beautifully presented and the portion sizes were more than enough for our group to have a good second helping of veg. The lamb I had was wonderful, a really nice strong flavour which was enhanced by a rich, thick gravy and a good lashing of mint sauce. The other members of the group also reported tender and flavourful meat with one remarking that 'I couldn't have made it better myself', high praise indeed! The only possible piece of constructive criticism we could think of was that the plates the main course were served on could have been hotter, to help keep the food warmer for the slow eaters amongst us. This was not an issue for me personally, the food didn't stay on the plate long enough to go cold!

The staff were incredibly friendly throughout, checking everything was OK and if we needed more drinks, you certainly got the feeling that they cared and nothing would have been too much trouble for them. While we sat contentedly letting our main course settle the chef came out into the shop and gave a toddler a bag of stale bread to go and feed the ducks with by the river. It's little things like this that give you that warm feeling inside about an establishment and make you want to come back. As was the trend throughout our visits to the four finalists we didn't have room for dessert! I can however attest to the quality and excellence of the cakes (and artisan breads) from subsequent visits.

The price for their Sunday Lunch is £6.50 for a main course, £8.50 for two courses and £10.50 for three courses. They also offer a small portion of each main course for just £4. The Running Fox does not serve alcoholic drinks, but has a nice range of unusual soft drinks, teas and coffees and is also a newsagent.

Summary

This Sunday Lunch was the cheapest of our four finalists, in one case almost half the price another. We are thrilled to say that this was in no way reflected in the quality or quantity of the meal. We now understand perfectly why the locals are so ecstatic to have The Running Fox in their Village.

Highlight: The excellent value for money and friendly atmosphere.

Lowlight: Not being able to take the entire cake and bread counter home with me!

Contact Details
The Running Fox
2-4 Riverside
Felton
Northumberland
NE65 9EA

TEL 01670 787 090
WEB www.facebook.com/therunningfox
EMAIL runningfoxcafe@gmail.com