Review: The Three Wheat Heads Inn, Thropton, Nr Rothbury

I have really fond memories of visiting The Three Wheat Heads Inn many years ago when I was a kid, we used to go regularly for Sunday lunch as a family in the 80's. It's strange what you remember with crystal clarity from your childhood, I remember the car park at the front and the panoramic view from the restaurant, but nothing of the food. So I had a quick chat with my mum before writing this review 'Why did we stop going to the Three Wheat Heads?' I asked her 'because it went crap' was her reply and she hasn't been back since the late 80's! She always did have a way with words and it just goes to show that it takes years to build up a good reputation, but just seconds to bring it crashing to the ground and that's what sticks.

I'm sure The Three Wheats Heads Inn has changed hands many times since I was last there, but what hasn't changed is that view. Oh what a view to behold, the Coquetdale Valley in all it's glory on a sunny day warms the soul and the restaurant uses this feature well. Large glass sliding doors open out to a garden area with seating and a little play area for the kids, you can't help but stop for a moment and just take it all in. It was a little overcast on the day we visited which was a shame as it would have been nice to show you this special place at it's very best.


On to the food, it was early Sunday afternoon and we hadn't booked a table in advance which wasn't a problem for the friendly lady who welcomed us into the restaurant. Had we been ten minutes later I don't think they would have been able to fit us in so I would recommend booking ahead. The carvery lunch comes in three sizes: small, medium and large so we promptly ordered two large meals and some drinks which were brought to our table. The large portion certainly lived up to it's billing. We were told we could go up to the carvery and we went for the 'bit of everything' option which consisted of beef, lamb, turkey, ham and roast pork with 8 roast potatoes, three home-made yorkshire puddings and stuffing! There was also a choice of three different types of gravy, one plain, one with mint added and one for vegetarians along with the usual array of condiments you would expect to see. Vegetables were brought to our table in a bowl, which I have never seen before in a carvery and did raise small concerns about wastage - I wouldn't have chosen to put all those veg on my plate.

It wasn't until we were up at the carvery that we saw there was a blackboard with a range of starters, which weren't mentioned when we arrived. As there was no menu given to us we had assumed that the carvery was all that was on offer and with a restaurant full of people they are potentially missing a lot of extra revenue here. Nevermind we thought, there was more than enough food to keep us going in front of us! All the meats were extremely tender and tasty with the roast potatoes being particularly good and the gravy (I had the plain) thick and rich.


Despite a really strong appetite we just couldn't get through all the lightly cooked vegetables that were brought to us, which as I mentioned earlier was a shame. A lot of effort has clearly been made by the current owners to make the restaurant a pleasant and relaxed dining area with modern furniture and fairly plain decoration, perhaps intentional to keep the attention on that view.


We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch (which was £9.95 for the large carvery) and had absolutely no room to even contemplate a dessert after such a gargantuan plate full. I've informed my mum that after her 25 year hiatus it's safe to go back to the Three Wheat Heads Inn. And so the long, slow process of building word of mouth and a good reputation is restarted and I wish them the very best of luck.


The Three Wheat Heads Inn's Scores
Venue: 4 out of 5
Ambience: 4 out of 5
Service: 2 ½ out of 5
Presentation: 3 ½ out of 5
Taste: 4 out of 5
Value for Money: 3 ½ out of 5



Overall Score: The Three Wheat Heads Inn have the advantage of an effortlessly beautiful location so it's hard not to recommend visiting for a Sunday lunch, or any other day of the week for that matter. The view will take your breath away, the front of house staff will welcome you and you will receive good, hearty food. It should certainly be on your list to consider for a good honest family meal. 3 ½ out of 5.

My scoring system explained: 1 = Poor, 2 = Average, 3 = Good, 4 = Excellent, 5 = Outstanding

Contact Details
The Three Wheat Heads Inn
Thropton
Nr Rothbury
Northumberland
NE65 7LR

Tel: 01669 620262
email: info@threewheatheads.co.uk

Web: www.threewheatheads.co.uk

Foodie Mecca in Central Northumberland

Parmesan crusted chicken with garlic roast potatoes

As a foodie it's really not difficult to get excited about a visit to The Running Fox in central Northumberland. For a start it's a great location nestled by the bridge over the River Coquet in the attractive Village of Felton and it's easy to see just why it has become so popular.

It's just over a year since Kris and Nev took over at 'The Fox' (as we have come to call it) and what they have achieved in such a short time should be celebrated! A real mecca for the foodie with their selection of artisan goods, innovative breads, cakes and other treats all beautifully displayed to tantalise the taste buds.

 It's become so popular in fact that it's advisable to ring ahead and book a table - whatever day of the week it is. We called in just before lunch on a Saturday and we were lucky enough to drop on a table that was booked for 1pm and again after that. It gave us plenty of time though to enjoy a simply fantastic lunch, a full English Breakfast (£5.50) and Parmesan crusted chicken breast with garlic roasted potatoes (£6.50).

Full English Breakfast

The pictures say it all really, the English breakfast is packed with top quality meats that belies the extremely reasonable price and beautifuly toasted bread (we requested not to have the black and white pudding normally included). The star of this lunch was the parmesan chicken, succulent, perfectly cooked and served with a wonderfully varied salad and potatoes. Just as impressive as the food quality is the welcome and service, there is a strong community feel with everyone chatting to each other as they come and go for their papers, daily bread and even bread to feed the ducks (which is free!). I can't imagine a more pleasant environment for a lunch with friends.

If you travel through or live in mid Northumberland and haven't called in at The Running Fox then you're missing out on a real foodie treat. It's just a mile off the A1 between Morpeth and Alnwick so you have no excuse really, just go!

River Coquet at Felton

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

Tel: 01670 787090
http://www.facebook.com/therunningfox

Shrove Tuesday Football Match Exhibition & People’s Record of the Olympic Year

An extremely memorable, enjoyable and moving film has been made by a team from the Gallery Youth project and film maker Harry Henderson to celebrate Alnwick’s traditional Shrove Tuesday football match. The 15 minute film is called 'The Lads and Lasses of Alnwick: Shrove Tide Football 2012,' the words of the traditional toast made by the organising Committee in the John Bull pub after the match, which is captured in the final scene. It has been made as part of the People’s Record for the Olympic Year, along with a series of over 40 excellent documentary photos by Andrew Tunnard. Sound recordings for the film and a series of fascinating oral histories provided by participants have been recorded with the support of audio editor James Boyd. The film, photos and recordings will be at the heart of a new exhibition at the Bailiffgate Museum, opening on 4h May 2012. The exhibition will run until 29th May 2012.

The film includes footage of the rituals of the day and the match itself, from the ceremony in the castle with St Cloud’s students making pancakes for the committee, to the Duke throwing the ball from the Barbican and the procession to the pastures. It goes behind the scenes to reveal what happens in the committee tent where officials organise the match and includes interviews with young people taking part, both male and female, students from the St Cloud State Centre for British Studies and adult men and women who have been involved, including their opinions on the value of heritage and tradition to the community and the ongoing legacy for future generations. Finally it shows the ball being retrieved from the river, the presentation of medals and certificates and the toasts in the John Bull. In addition to the film, oral histories and the photographic record made during the 2012 football match, there will also be historic documents and photos from the past on display.

Work from an event at the Museum, produced by children from Alnwick South School and filmmaker Harry Henderson, will also form part of the exhibition. And photographer Andrew Tunnard will be talking about “The Representation of Culture and Heritage within Contemporary Photography” on Thursday 24th May at 7pm.

The film, documentary photos and oral histories will be uploaded onto the national website for the People’s Record Community Projects as part of the Cultural Olympiad Project, so this unique record of Alnwick’s Shrovetide football match will become part of a national archive for future generations. The People’s Record has been collecting stories of sporting events and projects across the UK in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, funded by Arts Council England.

The Bailiffgate Museum would like to invite anyone who has a photo from any Shrove Tuesday match to bring it along, put it on the community display board in the exhibition and donate it to the Museum’s archives.