Northumberland Restaurant Week

NORTHUMBERLAND RESTAURANT WEEK TO SHOWCASE NORTHUMBRIAN FOOD

-Event to bring together more than 35 restaurants around the County-

Your Northumberland Guide is to co-ordinate the first Northumberland Restaurant Week (Monday 18th to Sunday 24th March) to celebrate the County’s fantastic local produce and wonderful places to eat around the County.

This seven day event is the perfect opportunity to explore Northumberland’s produce and show that there is more to Northumberland than just stunning countryside. Restaurants and Cafes will be presenting unique offers during Restaurant Week to tempt diners. The event will be hosted and promoted by Your Northumberland Guide, with all the offers and promotions available on their website.

Dine out for great value at some of the County’s top restaurants, pubs and cafes during Northumberland Restaurant Week. Participating restaurants include: The Battlesteads Hotel, Close House Hotel and Golf, The Treehouse Restaurant AT The Alnwick Garden, DK at Vallum, The Linden Tree at Macdonald Linden Hall Golf & Country Club, Barluga in Morpeth, The Corbridge Larder, Bouchon in Hexham and many, many more around the County.

The purpose of the event is not only to raise awareness of our great restaurants, but also to help the public discover new places to eat that they might not have tried otherwise. Your Northumberland Guide’s creator, Andrew Bothamley said “We feel Northumberland is often overlooked when it comes to promoting our amazing food producers, restaurants and places to eat that we are lucky enough to enjoy all year round.”

“We wanted an event to celebrate everything Northumbrian, so with the help of our huge Social Networks we’ve covered as much of Northumberland as we can, with the aim to have an offer close to everyone in the County.”

“As far as we know this is the first event of its kind in Northumberland, has been received extremely well by restaurateurs and will be popular with the public”.

A full list of participating establishments can be found at www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/restaurantweek


For more information about Your Northumberland Guide, visit www.yournorthumberland.co.uk

You can also find us on:

Twitter at www.twitter.com/ynorthumberland

Facebook at www.facebook.com/yournorthumberlandguide

ENDS



For more media information, please contact Darren Allen:
Email: events@yournorthumberland.co.uk

Notes to Editors:
Your Northumberland Guide is an independent website created in 2011 to promote all that Northumberland has to offer its residents and visitors alike. With over 20,000 visitors a month, a social network of almost 10,000 people and a huge range of contacts Your Northumberland Guide is perfectly placed to co-ordinate Northumberland Restaurant Week.

The event will bring together restaurants from all four corners of the County, with top restaurants in each of the leading Towns and areas. We’ll be working together with as many partners as possible to raise awareness and promote our local produce and restaurants.

Review: La Bodega Mediterranean Tapas, Morpeth

La Bodega Mediterranean Tapas in Morpeth

For me having tapas isn't just a meal, it's a joyous social occasion that brings back so many great memories. Thoughts of holidays long passed, of sitting grazing into the wee hours in some very special places. Of Spanish friends that I love dearly, of sharing their spectacular food in their homes and being welcomed and treated as if part of their family. Just mention tapas and you'll get a big old smile from me. So it was with a great sense of pleasure and excitement that I booked a meal at La Bodega Mediterranean Tapas in Morpeth. Located on the main road into (or out of) Morpeth, La Bodega occupies a former pub building and is intimately decorated and a good atmosphere.

There is subtle lighting in the evening, especially in the corner where we were seated so I really must apologise for the awful standard of photographs of the food. They really don't do justice to what we were served, but you can get the idea of portion size and presentation. We were warmly greeted on this Saturday evening by friendly staff that showed us to our table and we ordered bread and ali-oli while we perused the menu. What a great start this proved to be! I sometimes find ali-oli can be two overpowering and a little bitter, but not the La Bodega way! A smooth, subtle flavour of garlic with a hint of herbs with crusty bread still warm out of the oven and I was in appetiser heaven, this bodes well I thought.

Stack of Nachos - £4.75

We decided to order the Stack of Nachos as a starter before the main tapas event. What came out was easily enough for two people to share with an abundance of toppings including a fresh salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalepenos, plenty of cheese and a wonderful surprise of re-fried beans underneath. Two out of two so far for La Bodega, I was beginning to get that buzz of excitement that comes with finding a great little foodie mecca. For our main course of tapas we ordered the Piri Piri Chicken, Albondigas (meatballs), Chorizo a la Riojana and Patatas Bravas. What a feast! The chicken was juicy and tender with a good hit of chilli, the chorizo packed with flavour and a delicious sauce from the Rioja.

Meatballs are possibly my favourite part of any tapas meal and a good barometer of a chef's skill and these were particularly good, a gentle sauce accompanied a generous portion and every drop was excitedly mopped up with the left over bread. The star of the meal however is definitely that ali-oli, the patatas bravas came smothered in it, coating the spicy tomato sauce.

Tapas selection at La Bodega

So gentle and so smooth, it soothed the chilli kick from the piri piri chicken perfectly, I couldn't get enough of it. I genuinely hope that it's made on-site otherwise I think I would be a little disappointed - I have enquired but as yet haven't had a reply, I'll keep you posted! The dessert menu was brought to our table on a blackboard, a fairly limited but nice choice, we went for the apple tart and the bread and butter pudding. Both were enjoyed but they didn't quite reach the culinary heights of the meal before it. The atmosphere by now on a Saturday evening was buzzing, a really nice mix of people out to have a good sociable meal.


Needless to say we thoroughly enjoyed our meal at La Bodega, but that's not to say it was without fault... our table was really quite wobbly and our main tapas was brought to us before we'd finished the nachos we had ordered as a starter (not the standard tapas route I know). The meatballs could have been a tiny bit lighter in consistency, but that's being really nit picky and none of it mattered in the slightest - it's tapas! Our meal of appetiser and three courses with drinks for two people came to around £45 which in my book is pretty good value considering the quality of the food.

La Bodega Mediterranean Tapas' Scores
Venue: 3 and 1/2 out of 5
Ambience: 4 our of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Presentation: 4 out of 5
Taste: 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Value for Money: 4 out of 5

Overall Score:  With offers like three tapas for a tenner in the afternoon/early evening and a sharing menu at £15.95 there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't eat here, even if you've never tried tapas before. Morpeth really does deliver on international cuisine, so give it a try, I'm quite convinced you won't be disppointed. 4 out of 5.

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

Contact Details
84 Newgate Street
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 1BU

Tel: 01670 516055
email: info@labodegamorpeth.co.uk

Web: www.labodegamorpeth.co.uk

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

Review: Restaurant Italia Plus at the Coquetvale Hotel, Rothbury

For such a small place Rothbury has a surprising number of places to eat and drink and a good variety of cuisine to choose from. There are plenty of pubs, an Indian restaurant, an Italian restaurant and a variety of cafes and tearooms. On this occasion we decided it was time to revisit Restaurant Italia Plus at the Coquetvale Hotel which is located just a short distance from the River Coquet. We visited on a Thursday evening and received a warm welcome from the staff behind the bar who asked if we had booked a table. To be honest we hadn't considered booking, but fortunately they were able to squeeze us in provided that we were able to vacate our table by 8pm. As we had arrived early (approx 6.15pm) we thought this would be no problem and as we were to soon find out, Restaurant Italia Plus is certainly a popular place to dine. The interior is unexpectedly grand to say the least with it's high ceilings, beautiful cornicing and softly lit intimate atmosphere. First impressions are really important and it would be difficult not to be pleased with the stylish look and feel of the restaurant and the friendliness of the welcome.

Potato Skins Starter (£3.95)

We were given our menus and the special 'early bird' offer was explained, if you order your main course between 5pm and 6.30pm the price you pay is the time you order! We didn't know about the offer in advance so quickly made up our minds, there was still plenty to choose from on this menu. Starters ranged from £1.95 to around £3.95 which we all agreed seemed extremely reasonable, we chose the home-made soup, potato skins and the pate between us. Our drinks arrived £14 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio and £3.40 for a bottle of Peroni (sampled just to keep the Italian feel, of course...). The starter portions were generous and was pretty much exactly what we expected from the description on the menu.

Fresh Soup Starter (£2.95)

The potato skins were just that (not hollowed out jacket potatoes, thankfully!) with a good serving of dipping sauces and a light side salad. The fresh home-made soup was tasty and looked really quite appealing and the pate's proportions were well beyond it's £3.45 price tag. All starters were readily consumed and while they didn't deliver a huge amount of style or delicacy they were definitely flavoursome, delicious and extremely good value for money. By now the restaurant was almost packed to capacity with a really diverse clientèle - a 70th birthday family celebration on one table, lots of couples and a teenagers birthday meal on another. It all made for a bustling atmosphere without ever being too lively to overwhelm conversation.

After a brief wait it was on to the main event and we had chosen to sample: Pizza Pepperoni (Pepperoni sausage, chilli oil, red onion, grated mozzarella), Pollo Piccante (Roasted chicken breast with chorizo, roasted peppers, garlic and spicy tomato sauce) and Costada di Manzo al Diane (6oz rib-eye steak with sauce of mushrooms, French mustard, red wine and cream). All were priced at £6.25 as we ordered at, you guessed it 6.25pm and came with a choice of vegetables, chips or salad.

Pizza Pepperoni

I had the pizza and what can I say? It was a taste sensation, honestly one of the best pizzas I have had since sampling the world famous Lombardi's in New York's Little Italy, Americas first pizzeria. It was what was done differently here that made it so special, the red onions were slowly caramelised, not fresh and sharp which married with the flavour of the pepperoni beautifully. The light touch of chilli oil gave a bite that was softened by the herbs and creamy mozzarella, it is just a glorious combination of flavours that was bang on the mark. I am somewhat of a pizza fanatic so this is high praise indeed! Our other main courses were also very well executed including a very moist chicken breast with a rich tomato sauce and a steak cooked with precision, exactly as ordered.

By now we were approaching 7.45pm and we were very aware that we had agreed to leave our table by 8pm. We were asked if we would like to order a dessert and questioned whether or not we would have the time with the member of waiting staff. The lady who looked like she was in charge came over to us and said she had re-arranged the tables to accommodate us, should we wish to take our time over dessert. This was a lovely gesture and we decided to order just one dessert to share between us as the rest of the meal had been so substantial.

We opted for the Pear and Basil Tarte Tatin which was actually turned out to be the low point of the meal. We needn't have worried about the proportion of the dessert and the flavour was overpowered almost completely by the use of herbs. Add into this a slightly undercooked pastry base and I wasn't exactly enthralled by the end to our meal. My dining companion on the other hand said she thoroughly enjoyed it...
vive la différence... or whatever the Italian translation of this might be.

Restaurant Italia Plus' Scores
Venue: 4 out of 5
Ambience: 4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Presentation: 3 ½ out of 5
Taste: 4 out of 5
Value for Money: 4 ½ out of 5

Overall Score: It's not the authentic Italian feel that you may get from such places as Marabini's or Gianni's in Morpeth, but the food elevates the restaurant way beyond this very slight niggle. A wonderful atmosphere in what is obviously a very popular restaurant delivered an excellent Italian Meal. 4 out of 5.

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

Contact Details
Restaurant Italia Plus at The Coquetvale Hotel
Station Road
Rothbury
Northumberland
NE65 7QH

Tel: 01669 622900
Fax: 01669 620379

email: stay@cvhotel.co.uk

Web: www.coquetvale.co.uk

The Treehouse Restaurant at The Alnwick Garden - Review

Alnwick Castle from the approach to the Restaurant

However you approach The Treehouse Restaurant at The Alnwick Garden, you cannot fail to be impressed by what meets you. From the main town car park you walk by a beautiful view of Alnwick Castle which at this time of year is carpeted with spring bulbs and you get a sneak peak of the grand cascade of the garden. Even from the Garden’s main car park you have the imposing view of the Treehouse itself and its stylish decked entrance. If you weren’t excited about your meal when you set off you certainly will be when you arrive, it’s hard to imagine a more impressive and unique venue.

The Treehouse Restaurant

Once inside the Treehouse itself the sense of wonder continues, it’s a living landscape and offers a dining experience like no other anywhere in the world. The building was built around the trees, some of which now appear to grow through the floor and everywhere you look there is twisted bow and twig forming the walls. It’s hard to see where the building stops and the trees start, it’s such an elegant and natural setting with a roaring scented fire in the middle of the room and thousands of subtle lights intermingled within the branches. There’s a lot to take in and you may find yourself stopping and staring in wonder when you walk through the door, until a member of staff politely gets your attention!

We had a table for four booked for a Sunday lunch, our coats were taken and we were shown to our table by the fire in the centre of the room. I slid along the bench to sit with my back to the fire and it was an unfortunate coincidence that both myself and my father who were seated here both suffer from bad backs. Within in a couple of minutes I became uncomfortably warm with the fire being no more than 2 feet away and the concrete lip of the fireplace was in my lower back with no support above it. We quickly realised that we wouldn’t be able to comfortably enjoy a long, relaxed meal at this table and made the awkward decision to ask to be moved. We were one of the first groups to arrive and the staff were incredibly accommodating so it wasn’t an issue at all despite our waiter’s joke ‘yes we can move you to a table just outside the door’. He really deserved praise for how he interacted with us and the tables around us, he had just the right balance of friendliness and cheeky humour without ever overstepping the mark. The service we received throughout the meal was almost faultless.

Inside the Treehouse Restaurant

At our new table we relaxed and perused the menu which was cram packed with local and seasonal produce, which was excellent to see. Local produce included Brinkburn Goats Cheese, Swallow's Smoked Haddock, Doddington Dairy Ice Cream, Northumbrian Cheeses and sustainably sourced fish.

I found myself distracted by the beauty of the room and had to keep drawing myself back to the task in hand – choosing from the extensive Sunday Lunch menu. We all commented that it was nice to see menu where we were tempted by so many dishes, it was genuinely a difficult decision to make for each course. Around the table we had the Goats Cheese and the Treehouse Terrine for starters. The generous portion of Terrine was pork and duck wrapped in bacon and served with salad, a sauce and toasted brioche. The goats cheese was equally generous in size and served with salad, beetroot chutney and a basil and balsamic dressing. The quality of ingredients, particularly in the terrine shone through with an excellent depth of flavour and simple, clean presentation.

On to the main courses, being Sunday most of our party opted for the roast dinner (beef and pork) and we also had one chicken. I’ll get the one downside of the meal straight out of the way, the topside of beef was extremely tasty but by no stretch of the imagination could it be described as tender. The pork however was a delight, so tender it barely managed to hold its form and served with a delicious honey crunch mustard and apple sauce. Each plate was cleanly presented with the meat of choice, several roast potatoes, mashed potato, a huge homemade Yorkshire pudding and in the case of the beef a good serving of extremely tasty, rich gravy. Vegetables for the table of four came in a small cast iron pot and consisted of mange tout, French beans, broccoli, carrots and courgette. When they arrived I was concerned that there might not be enough for four, but as it turned out it was just the right amount. The trend recently with many restaurants is to provide an obscene amount of food in an attempt to give the appearance of value for money, a wasteful bandwagon I'm pleased to say the Treehouse hasn't jumped on.

Roast Topside of Beef and homemade Yorkshire Pudding

The divine Sticky Toffee and Ginger Pudding

We were all extremely pleased with our main courses, the Roasted Supreme of Chicken came with a leek and herb crust, confit potato and a blue cheese sauce, a difficult dish to present well. It would have been rude not to have sampled a dessert, so after a short break we had a look at the menu. What choice! Classic dishes with a modern twist included Sticky Toffee and Ginger Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream, Treehouse Lemon Posset, Homemade Cheesecake, Dark Chocolate and Orange Tart and a Trio of Northumbrian Cheeses. I tend to rate a restaurant's desserts by the standard of their Sticky Toffee Pudding so the decision, for me at least, was straighforward.

As it turned out it was the highlight of the meal, the light pudding had a good warm hit of ginger which was balanced by the butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream perfectly. The addition of the ginger to the pudding was a new (to me) combination of flavours which made the taste buds sing and I will certainly be taking this idea away with me. The Cheesecake and Lemon Posset were also throroughly enjoyed with the posset having a consistency and smoothness close to a panna cotta. After all this wonderful cuisine we couldn't even manage to fit in a coffee to round off the meal, we were perfectly content.

It came time for us to head home and we could barely bring ourselves to leave the table, a sure sign of a great meal. We will be returning!

Highlight: The Treehouse itself, the food could be michelin standard and still easily be overshadowed by the pure genius of the venue.
Lowlight: It's being very nitpicky as we enjoyed the meal so much, but the tenderness of the roast topside of beef could be improved.

The Treehouse Restaurant’s Scores
Venue: 5 out of 5
Ambience: 4 ½ out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Presentation: 3 ½ out of 5
Taste: 4 out of 5
Value for Money: 3 ½ out of 5

Overall Score: Sunday Lunch at The Treehouse cost £22.75 for three courses or £18.50 for two courses. In my view this prices the restaurant into the ‘special occasion’ category, regular dining here might be somewhat extravagant and beyond the means of a lot of people especially in these hard times. That’s not to say I wouldn’t consider it to be reasonable value for money, the special venue certainly justifies (in my mind) a large part of the premium you’re paying. It’s the kind of dining experience that you’ll remember for a long time, the stuff great memories are made of and in my mind you can’t put a price tag on that. 4 ½ out of 5

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

Battlesteads Hotel, Wark, Nr Hexham - Best Sunday Lunch Campaign Review

The Battlesteads Hotel, Wark, Nr Hexham
A beautifully clear and sunny Autumn day was perfect weather to enjoy the scenic drive out to the Village of Wark, the location of The Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant. It's just a short drive from Hexham, a few miles North along the country lanes where we found The Battlesteads on the outskirts of an idyllic rural Village. The welcome we received from the staff behind the bar was just as warm and comfortable as the atmosphere inside, the bar area itself is full of character and very nicely presented.



We ordered drinks and then were given the option of sitting in the restaurant or the conservatory to dine. As it was such a fantastic day we opted for the bright and comfortable conservatory that looked out onto a lovely walled garden area. We watched the many birds fluttering about the garden, on and off the numerous feeders and commented on how wonderful the outside space would be in summer. We were given our menus by a very personable member of staff that we had a chat with for a few minutes. We talked about lack of mobile signal in the Village and how the Hotel has wireless broadband in the bar area, but the signal won't go through the thick stone walls and reach where we were sitting.

We knew from the large number of nominations we received that The Battlesteads grow their own vegetables, but it wasn't until we were there talking to the staff that we realised just how deep this commitment goes. All the salad, fruit and vegetables are grown on site and their care for the environment is literally second to none. Two days prior to our visit the Hotel had won a prestigious Responsible Tourism Award for being 'Best Accommodation for the Environment' beating competition from such giants of the industry as the Savoy in London and other major hotels around the world.

We chose from the extensive menu and ordered our starters which were the Roasted Garlic and Potato Soup and a Salad of Baked Squash, Prosciutto and Pecorino Cheese with a Balsamic Dressing. The starters arrived with a mixture of home-made bread presented on a slate with pieces of butter that were a little on the hard side. The presentation of the Salad of Baked Squash in particular was fantastic, the beautiful colours of the dish were matched by the delicate balance of flavours perfectly. My soup was piping hot, plentiful and full of hearty garlic flavour which went perfectly with the variety of bread.

There were plenty of choices for the main course other than the option of carvery which was nice to see, but we had to sample the traditional Sunday lunch. When we approached the carvery area we were greeted by a cheerful chef and four of the largest joints of meat you will ever see. Two of the joints were local beef, one cooked beautifully to medium, perfectly evenly pink throughout and the other was cooked 'well done'. What a brilliant idea this is, beef is usually only served well cooked through at a carvery and I've certainly never seen this option anywhere else before. The other joints on offer were a delicious looking turkey and roast pork with crackling and stuffing.

We both opted for the medium beef which was expertly carved, I had a mixture of this and the roast pork. The chef then talked us through the vegetables on offer which included duck fat roast potatoes, carrot and swede, broccoli and cauliflower cheese and pan fried sprouts with bacon. You could also help yourself to the giant Yorkshire puddings (or rather Geordie puddings, as I was corrected!) and were invited to come back and help ourselves to more should we wish to. There was then a member of staff by the gravy and sauces to explain what was available, I had some of the wonderful horseradish sauce to go with the beef.

There were plenty of staff in the restaurant, more than you would expect from an establishment of this size which made the service a joy to behold. We returned to our table and eagerly demolished the fantastic lunch that was before us. The meat was as tender as could be with a fullness of flavour to match, and the freshness of the vegetables shone through. This is precision cooking of the highest order and I honestly couldn't fault anything on the plate. After we had finished our main course we decided that we wouldn't be able to manage a dessert, we had seen several go by us and they did look lovely. We asked for the bill and with it came two small chocolates which we were told had been made by the owners wife, Dee. They were small chocolate cups covered in caramel and tiny edible gold stars, with an alcohol soaked cherry inside. They were so good that we asked if we would be able to buy half a dozen to take away with us. If the desserts are of the same standard as these chocolates then we really did miss out on a treat. We even overheard the table next to us discussing how fantastic the puddings are before they'd even ordered a starter! Our strange request for chocolates to take home was no problem at all and within minutes they were delivered in a beautiful wrapping to our table by Dee herself, who just asked that we make a donation to Children In Need rather than pay for them.

The price for this meal was £12.50 for two courses or £14.50 for three courses, with drinks being reasonably priced, particularly the Peroni.

Summary
An absolutely outstanding lunch in a restaurant that has an amazing ethos and commitment to local sourcing that goes well beyond the call of duty. Extremely friendly, knowledgeable and attentive staff made the whole meal a pleasurable experience.

Highlight: The stunningly tender beef and the freshness and flavour of the home-grown vegetables.
Lowlight: Not being able to fit in a dessert.

Contact Details
Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant
Wark on Tyne
nr Hexham
Northumberland
NE48 3LS

TEL (0)1434 230 209
WEB www.battlesteads.com
EMAIL info@battlesteads.com

The Wellwood, Amble - Best Sunday Lunch Campaign Review

That's it, we've visited and experienced a lunch at each of the four finalists in our Campaign to find Northumberland's Best Sunday Lunch. The finalists came top in our nomination process that consisted of well over a thousand votes and recommendations from Your Northumberland Guide visitors. I won't be scoring the finalists in the usual style of my reviews as I wouldn't like to give away the winner until the big announcement on Saturday 26th November. All four finalists offer a spectacular lunch and come extremely highly recommended. Lets get the reviews underway with:

The Wellwood in Amble
Located in the Harbour Town of Amble, famous for being 'The Friendliest Port' The Wellwood, sister restaurant to the award winning Zecca, is a relatively new addition to Northumberland's eating establishments. It's just a short distance from the harbour area, with it's wonderful views of the Coquet Estuary and out to sea towards the Coquet Island. This makes a lovely pre or post lunch walk and the beaches of Amble Links and Warkworth are easily within striking distance. It's a stunning part of Northumberland's heritage coastline, so The Wellwood has a big job on it's hands if it is going to live up to it's fantastic location. The nomination process revealed just how much community support The Wellwood has already managed to gather and we arrived to a buzzing restaurant and bar area.

We received a warm welcome from the staff behind the bar and were shown to our reserved table in the restaurant area. The lady who seated us was extremely friendly and gave us our menus, what a lovely introduction to the Wellwood it was. The Sunday lunch menu is diverse and we were pleased to see that the provenance of the meats were clearly marked and there is an obvious commitment to sourcing ingredients locally. The starters that our group went for included the home-made mushroom soup and a smoked salmon roulade, both of which were excellent. The salmon roulade in particular was a highlight of the meal with generous portion sizes and a beautiful, plentiful dressing.

Moving on to the main event, it's what we have come for, the roast itself. We chose to sample both the beef and the pork from the main menu and were frankly gob-smacked when it arrived. One of the largest Yorkshire Puddings I have ever seen adorned a huge amount of meat, which was itself sat on potatoes and crushed carrot and swede. Roast potatoes surrounded the tower in the centre of the plate and a shard of crispy crackling stood proudly in the centre of the pork dish. Then the vegetables arrived, served in three separate bowls along with a jug of gravy. There was barely enough room on the table for everything and I can honestly say I have never seen as much food served for a single course in a restaurant! It was very nice to see extra gravy brought out as a matter of course, getting these little things right means you can just get on with your meal and not have to keep asking for things. This goes for the service as well, which was discrete, friendly and efficient throughout our meal.

The beef was plentiful and tender and the pork was a sliced tenderloin, which is rather unusual for a Sunday roast. The vegetables were cooked well and extremely tasty, the only slight disappointment for me were the parsnips which had an unusual herby perfume that I couldn't quite identify. I'd love to know what it was as I certainly haven't tasted that flavour combination before. The amount of food provided was just a little too much for this rather large appetite, there were a tiny few vegetables left over after we had all had our fill. What an experience this main course was, an assault on both the senses and the appetite in equal measures. There is just no way that any of us could have eaten a dessert after such a generous main course so we are unable to comment on them. I didn't actually see another dessert brought out to any of the tables around us, so maybe we weren't the only ones that were full to bursting point! The cost for this two course Sunday lunch was £12.95 and had we dared to brave a pudding it would have been £15.95, with extremely reasonably priced drinks.

Highlight: The wonderful smoked salmon roulade starter and the magnificent portion sizes throughout.
Lowlight: My dad moaning that he was too full to do up his coat when we left!

Summary
It is clear that The Wellwood has quickly become established as the place to go for a great meal in the area. The staff seemed to know almost of all of the people that came through the door, a sure sign of popularity and a good, regular, and most importantly loyal customer base. This restaurant is just what Amble has been waiting for!

Contact Details
The Wellwood
High Street
Amble
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE65 0LD

TEL 01665 714646
WEB www.thewellwood.co.uk
EMAIL info@thewellwood.co.uk

Northumberland's Best Sunday Lunch: The Finalists!

A huge thank you to all the people (well over a thousand) who took the time to nominate in our campaign to find Northumberland's Best Sunday Lunch. We are so fortunate to have so many fantastic places to eat in our great County and proud of the quality of the produce on offer. That pride flowed through all the nominations and four establishments stood out in particular, their immensely supportive and passionate customers spoke out! We will be visiting each of the finalists to sample and judge their food, writing a full review on the blog and announcing the winner at the end of November. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get updates! In no particular order here are your four finalists:

The Wellwood - Amble
In sheer numbers of nominations, The Wellwood just beat the other finalists to come out on top. The reasons were varied and passionate, but centred on the amazing flavour of their gravy. I look forward to sampling it!

"Another amazing lunch today at The Wellwood, this place never fails to deliver! The local "Gloster Hill" beef from the farm just a stones throw away shows real commitment to sourcing local. This from Zecca's sister restaurant who won last years Northumberland Business Awards for using local produce. Keep up the good work and please never ever change the gravy!".....

"An almost perfect lunch - I leave perfection to my late Grandmother. Good slices of quality meat, crunchy roast potatoes, a yorkshire pudding you would break your ankle if you fell from, just cooked fresh veg. The chef usually adds a different variation of veg such as cauliflower cheese. Lashings of hot tasty gravy..... Dont get me started on the puddings. I believe a Sunday lunch deserves a hot pudding. Bread and Butter, Crumble, Sticky Toffee - all served with custard. As I say - Almost Perfect!".....

"I have no hesitation in recommending it to all my "guests" as I run a 4 Star Gold holiday cottage. Those who visited the Wellwood, which are many, all report the quality of this establishment in the guest book and also recommend it to oncoming guests. I think it's a privilege to have such an establishment in our area and I hope long may it last!".....

The Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant - Wark

Local sourcing and home grown food were the theme in almost all of The Battlesteads' nominations. Sustainability is a buzz word of the moment and the customers here are clearly impressed by their efforts to keep things local. The beautiful location and highly praised food sealed the deal for them.

"This is a family run business with the proprietors being very much hands on giving that personal touch to all customers who eat there. There is a excellent variety of food on offer including a selection of fish and Gammon, all food is locally sourced with a lot being grown on site. (sustainability benifits everyone who live in and visits this beautiful unspoilt county.) The resaurant is always busy - testiment to its popularity yet the service is excellent and you are always greeted with a friendly smile. Excellent Food, surroundings and staff all locally sourced!!".....

"Every time I go its always lovely, nice selection of starters, lovely roast joints and vegetables, their ice cream menu is really different from Beckleberry's and the home made puddings are better than what mum used to make! Make me feel welcome and my custom is valued.".....

"Buffet lunches, large variety of vegetables, three - four meats. The roast Pork, Beef, Lamb and/or Chicken, just melt in the mouth and the flavour just erupts on the taste buds. Varied starters and deserts.Great welcome, busy, but found a table for us but only just.".....

The Running Fox - Felton

A large number of people felt that The Running Fox has had an amazing impact and transformed the Village of Felton since they re-opened earlier in the year. It is clearly a special place that is held in high esteem by the community it serves, quality and value for money were mentioned again and again. Combine all this with a beautiful location by the river and they are on to a winner.

"Chris and Nev have done a wonderful job since taking over the Running Fox only this year, their fare is all made on the premises from locally produced sources. I would say their success so far is down to them being "people persons" which reflects on their staff who are very friendly. They truly deserve to do well as they do go the "extra mile" for their customers.".....

"This is a fab little establishment. Compact and cosy with lovely views of the river it never fails to deliver outstanding meals from locally sourced produce all at a reasonable price. The service is always friendly and the tables are always busy. A sure sign of a popular eatery!! Love the Running Fox.".....

"This wonderfull village cafe is Northumberlands best kept secret... wonderfull fresh food.. beautifully presented along with attentive staff... and if that isnt enough... extremely reasonably priced!!!".....


No.19 at Close House - Heddon on the Wall
Standing out more than any other for the constant and direct praise for the standard of cuisine and service is No.19 at the Close House Hotel. 'Contemporary' and 'unique' are words that were regularly repeated throughout the nominations, patrons were genuinely impressed with the location, friendliness and excellent service.

"What a stunning Place for a family Sunday lunch. The views of the Tyne valley are incredible, the staff are very friendly making you at ease as soon as you arrive. The menu flooded with produce from Northumberlands wonderful larder. Everything on the menu was beautifully presented, the meat and vegetables beautifully cooked and for those with a sweet tooth the desserts are top class. Simply a great Sunday lunch."......

"No 19 puts its own stamp on a traditional Sunday dinner, using locally grown produce it really stands out against others in the local area. Being someone who dines out every sunday, always sampling new restaurants, No 19 has really stood out as the best in the area. Me and my family no longer sample new restaurants as we know that we cannot possibly find any better.".....

"No 19 at Close House is an exceptional place for Sunday lunch, the variation and choice in the menu is so unique but not lacking in the traditional roast, the locality of ingredients is also what puts no 19 above the rest. Beef from wallington, lamb from ingram valley, local veg, what more could anyone ask for, definitely number one in the region.".....

Massive congratulations to the finalists! I can't wait to visit you all and sample your wonderful Northumbrian food.

Review: The Railway Inn, Acklington

Friday evening, 8pm, "where will still be serving food?" we asked ourselves. A quick google search for the places we could think of in the vicinity and we decided on the Railway Inn at Acklington, who served food until 9pm that day. When we arrived at about half past eight we could hear how the busy the bar was as we walked through the door, a quick peek inside and I thought there was no chance we were going to get seated. There were large groups of people dining and all the visible tables were full... until we realised that the restaurant went right around and behind the bar, revealing a much larger eating area than I had expected. There was a musician and a singer setting up near the entrance so we decided to head to the far end of the restaurant area where there were two tables still available.

We were greeted by a really friendly lady at the bar who took the drinks orders and said they'd being them over to our table, so we sat, took in the atmosphere and browsed the menu. It looks like the Railway Inn has been recently refurbished and on the whole it has been a success, although I was slightly bemused by the RAF theme to the décor. If anything I would have expected the railways to feature, but I'm sure there must have been sound reasoning behind this, even if it wasn't immediately evident. The place was buzzing with large groups, families and quite a lot of children milling around the restaurant, and with that comes a lot of noise.

Our drinks arrived and we placed our food order, although we were told there would probably be a long wait as a group of 22 had just ordered their food. I had the potato skins to start and to my surprise they arrived within a few minutes! Perhaps they had decided to sneak our order for two in ahead of the group, for which we were very grateful. The starter was acceptable, some of the thicker potato skins hadn't quite been cooked through, but there was plenty to eat and the dips were tasty. As we finished the starters the 'live music' started up which made conversation, even at the far end of the restaurant almost impossible. The quality of the act was somewhat questionable, with the female lead managing to make each song sound identical to the last and I don't think the guitar player knew more than three chords. However, having said that the large groups of people seemed to be having a whale of a time and as time passed and the drink flowed the atmosphere became even more boisterous.

Our mains arrived promptly, I had chosen the Gammon Steak (£12) and my dining partner had Belly Pork (£10). The Gammon was of generous proportions and extremely succulent, it was obviously a very good quality piece of meat and the eggs were fried to perfection. There was however an impostor on the plate! I despise mushrooms in any form and there were four very large ones presented to me with my main course. Quite why anyone would choose to put a fungus in their dinner is well beyond me and I certainly would have welcomed opportunity to ask that they weren't included. Unfortunately they weren't mentioned on the menu, so I wasn't able to, but thankfully it didn't quite manage to put me off my meal. My dining partner's belly pork was also very good, the layered fat was ever so slightly under-rendered, but the crackling on top crackled perfectly.

We decided after our mains that we couldn't face another course (or another song) and asked for the bill, which was incorrect. The till had charged the Belly Pork at £13 instead of the £9.95 that is was marked at on the specials board. This was no problem, it was quickly rectified and apologies were made profusely. The correct total for two starters, two main courses and three drinks came to a little under £40.

Highlight: The friendly, attentive and personable staff.
Lowlight: The noisy, boisterous 'holiday camp' like atmosphere.

The Railway Inn’s Scores
Venue: **1/2
Ambience: *1/2
Service: ****
Presentation: **
Taste: ***
Value for Money: **

Overall Score: All credit to the Railway Inn for managing to fill such a large venue with happy, paying customers, which is no mean feat in the current economic climate. It is perhaps better suited to the families and groups staying on site than it is to the casual diner. We left having had our fill, in more ways than one. **1/2

My scoring system explained:
***** Outstanding **** Excellent *** Good ** Average * Poor

The Restaurant Guide

I've been getting a lot of requests from businesses recently asking for me to review their Cafe, Restaurant or Pub. This increasing level of interest in the site is absolutely great and I welcome anyone that takes the time to read the site to contact me, feedback is vital. As a 'foodie' visiting restaurants and sampling beautiful food is a real hardship as you can imagine, but somebody has to do it! What is this blog post about you're asking? Well I am getting to the point, I promise. I wanted to clarify how I do reviews and what my policy is for including places to eat. I want the site to be seen as a personal recommendation from somebody who knows the area well and knows a good meal when he sees one.

Every restaurant, cafe, pub, hotel, B&B, self catering apartment or business that is related to tourism is welcome to be listed on the site and if I've missed you then let me know! I'll sort it out as soon as I can. I won't ever slate somewhere, won't criticise and harm a business just for the sake of it, that goes against everything I stand for. But on the same level, I only want to highlight places that I really like and would feel confident that somebody going there on my recommendation wouldn't be disappointed. I have started a list of places that have invited me to visit them and I will do my best to get round to them as quickly as I can. I would also like to point out that when I do visit somewhere for a meal it is done without the proprietor knowing in advance. I think I should experience a meal exactly the same way any other customer would, otherwise what would be the point? Impartiality and trust is the key.

Unfortunately life and work gets in the way of doing the things I'd really like to spend my time on, but I'll get round to as many places as is humanly possible. I hope that helps to clarify how I go about my 'reviews', it's more of a recommendation service really. Visit the Eat and Drink section of Your Northumberland Guide's website for more information.

Budle Bay and Waren Mill

What could be more beautiful than one of the most important bird watching bays in the United Kingdom? Waren Mill sits on the edge of Budle Bay, at low tide it is a vast expanse of mud-flats, home to literally thousands of migratory birds in the winter. At high tide in the summer, the bay is filled with watersports enthusiasts enjoying kite surfing and jet skiing in one of the most naturally beautiful, and safe, venues around. Your Guide to Budle Bay and Waren Mill is complete and can be read here http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/area-guides/budle-bay-waren-mill

Embleton Guide

Yet another new Guide is ready and this time it's the beautiful coastal Village of Embleton. The Guide also covers Embleton Bay, one of the most beautiful, clean and safe beaches in the whole of the Country. The Guide covers Things to Do, where to eat and drink, golf, walking, amenities.... everything you need to plan a visit to the area. Have a read and let us know what you think. http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/area-guides/embleton

Rothbury Area Guide

Your guide to Rothbury is now complete! There's loads of information here and Rothbury itself has a huge amount to offer the visitor. The Town has an amazing range of amenities, award winning independent shops and galleries and beautiful countryside on it's doorstep. Things to do include fishing, walking, cycling, nearby Cragside House and Gardens, Brinkburn Priory and Goats on the Roof Rare Breed Centre. Eating out is just as diverse as the choice of retail, with an Italian restaurant, an Indian restaurant and many pubs and Cafes, they are all covered in our comprehensive guide. http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/area-guides/rothbury

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...