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

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

Want to know where to Eat and Drink Morpeth?

We've just finished compiling our list of favourite places to Eat and Drink in Morpeth. It took a lot of doing, all those lovely places to try and in the end it was a difficult decision trying to get it down to a select few that we think are worthy of championing. My waistline can confirm that there is real quality and excellent food to be found. So here it is, Your Guide to places to Eat and Drink in Morpeth, enjoy....

http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/area-guides/morpeth/morpeth-s-restaurants-pubs-and-cafes

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne

There are few places in this country that combine such powerful religious history and stunning natural vistas quite like The Holy Island of Lindisfarne does. Visiting can be anything from a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Britain's Christianity movement to just a beautiful walk around this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Island has a population of just 160, yet it welcomes over 650,000 guests each and every year.

So what is there to do here? and where can you find out about the glorious history? the 'Cradle of Christianity'? Places to eat and drink? Your Northumberland Guide of course! Click here for your guide to Holy Island...