The Kitchen Garden at Meldon Park

It wasn't long ago that Meldon Park was featured on Channel 4's "A Country House Rescue" so we thought we'd pop in and see how The Kitchen Garden was shaping up. From talking to friends and family the Park doesn't seem to be very well known yet, it's located on the road out towards Wallington from through Mitford, just 6 or 7 miles from Morpeth and the A1.

The Estate really is a beautiful location for a tea room and they have certainly made the most of it, the cafe is in the warm conservatory overlooking a lovely walled garden, which visitors are free to explore. The Cafe is run by Emily Cookson who also knows how to put on a warm welcome, so nice was the atmosphere we decided to stay for lunch. Prices in the cafe are quite competitive with a range of home-made light lunches, cakes, tea and coffees etc offering good value for money. I ordered a cappuccino and the bacon and sausage sandwhich which was swiftly brought out and came with a fresh side salad. For a weekday that was fast approaching Winter there were plenty of people enjoying their lunch and wandering in the garden.

Admittedly it wasn't the best time of year for plant life when we called in, but it was still a nice little walk around the garden after a warming lunch. You can really see the work that they have put in - and just how much of their own produce that is used in the cafe.

The gift shop as you enter to the left is also impressive, filled with festive treats and gifts - if you can't find something you like here there really is something wrong with you! They have a really good range of local crafts and produce to choose from. With a Christmas Fair coming on the 8th and 9th December (entry £4, children free) this might be the ideal time to give the Kitchen Garden at Meldon Park a try for yourself.

We really enjoyed our visit and will definitely be back!

Contact Details
Meldon Park
Morpeth,
Northumberland,
NE61 3SW

Tel 01670 772 321
Email mrscookson@compuserve.com
Website www.meldonpark.co.uk

A Visit to the Congregational in Rothbury

The Congregational Art Gallery and Cafe in Rothbury

We've known about the Congregational Art Gallery for a while and it's one of those places that we've been meaning to visit for ages - a week or so ago we finally got round to it - and we are so glad we did, what a hidden treasure!

Open from March until December in the beautiful Village of Rothbury, the Congregational Art Gallery (pictured left) bills itself as 'Contemporary British Art with a Northern Edge'. You'll find the gallery at the far West of the Village, set back off the main road that leads through to Thropton, just passed the majority of the shops on the high street. Rothbury has more than its fair share of churches and from the outside you would think that this was another place of worship.... but oh no!

The gallery is really successful as a contemporary space for art, despite its classic Grade II listed setting. We were particularly impressed with the good use of  natural light giving a bright and airy feel to the art on display.

It was the Winter Exhibition that we saw, showcasing local and international artists from the finest ceramics and glassware to high quality prints and even a selection of greetings cards and gifts. The cosy seating area with a roaring fire was a really nice touch so we decided to stop for lunch while we were there. The Congregational cafe offers a limited menu in the off-season, with a choice of soups, scones and cakes with a range of coffees available when we visited.

We opted for the spiced lentil soup with a cheese and chive scone and pumpkin seed topping and the mushroom soup with home made bread. Cappuccinos were expertly made and delivered to us in no time, what a winter warmer this light lunch turned out to be! Beautifully spiced soup and a scone as light as a feather, just delicious.

We then took the opportunity to browse the wonderful gallery, there are plenty of talking points here and we had plenty of different opinions on the pieces, but that's the beauty of art. We had a fantastic hour or so at the gallery and would definitely recommend a visit if you're in the Rothbury area. Rothbury really does punch above its weight with many independent retailers, galleries and a great cafe culture and the Congregational stands amongst them perfectly. I'll leave you with a few photos of the gallery and their contact details at the bottom of the page.

Contact Details

The Congregational Art Gallery and Cafe

Upper High Street

Rothbury

Northmberland

NE65 7TL

01669 621900

www.thecongregational.org.uk 

info@thecongregational.org.uk