Farmhouse Breakkie and Allen Banks

This weekend we decided it would be safer to go for food before the walk instead of vice versa- that way no missing any closing times. Last week a handful of great farm shops across the region offered “buy one breakfast, get the second for £1" to support Farmhouse breakfast week. (You can get offers like these by signing up to www.tasteclubhq.com). We chose Brocksbushes in Corbridge. A skiddy entrance in to the car park and we arrive off the A69. From the outside it doesn't look like much but inside is a maze of fresh vegetables, chopped wood, gardening things, dog beds and extra buildings tacked on. At first we couldn't even find the coffee shop, until we saw the grotto like entrance.

Inside is half a dozen tables and through a side door, a dozen more. It has a very quaint and country tea room feel, but I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable with the very obvious 50 year age gap between us and the other diners.

We ordered 2 full english's, smoked salmon and a bacon, sausage and mushroom bap (there was 4 of us by the way). Service was pronto and it all looked really good. Thick cut bacon, big juicy sausages, rich black pudding; all the usual offenders were there on the plate. The breakfast bap was as big as Sara's head and Anelise’s smoked salmon came as a very generous portion. All in all I would say it is a great place for a hearty breakfast that doesn’t feel greasy or unhealthy in the slightest.

We returned to the car with full bellies and ready for a walk in the snow; delighted to find that Toby hadn’t been sick in the car whilst we were inside (the puppy not an unwanted friend). We drove westwards to Allen Banks, about 20 minutes past Hexham. Parked up and set off along the footpath. We took the path to the right that headed up the bank. At the top you have a great view of Ridley Hall and its grounds.

Along we walked crunching through snow and throwing snowballs for the dog who happily chased after nothing. At the first fork we went left down to the river (if you go right there is a great little gazebo perfect for summer picnics.) You get to a pool in the river where it is wider and deeper. We have been known to swim here in the summer but in the winter it is still and quiet and you can even spot the odd solitary heron if you peer hard enough. 

It is about 2 ½ miles along the river allen before you get to a bridge to cross back over and return along the other side of the river. Up to the farm house and turn left up the road for 100 yards. You can extend this walk by going right here across the farm fields and up to an Iron age fort, but as it is winter and as we spent all morning eating we didn’t really have time.

This side of the river is much steeper and rockier but had the most amazing icicles. Make sure you turn left downhill once you see the swing bridge or you could end up walking straight past the car park. A beautiful winter walk.

Harriet and Alex

 

 

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.

The Market Town

Northumberland has some of the most diverse and successful markets in the country, and consumers are increasingly seeking out these hotbeds of traditional and local produce. There is something wonderfully traditional about shopping at markets: the feeling at the heart of a beautiful town, the banter with the traders, the knowledge that your shopping is supporting small traders and local business. Northumberland has an abundance of thriving markets spanning the entire region, and they run year round.

Our artisan bakery, The Zen Baker, was established on the back of these markets, and continues to grow with the help and guidance of other producers and traders. We made a decision to grow our business organically, establishing ourselves at local markets.

This provides us with instant feedback from our customers, (so important for new businesses,) a chance to test out new ideas and recipes, and most importantly allows us to establish a base where customers know how to find us. One of the main reasons local markets are so important is that many traders simply cannot afford the overheads involved in establishing a shop, and markets provide some of the best avenues to interact with customers that small business has. The markets themselves act as a hub for producers who wish to sell direct to their customer and allow customers to put a face to the food they eat and the crafts they use. As Neil Brown, Market Manager for Morpeth says, “We have some of the finest food producers in the UK in Northumberland and you can buy it all direct at the market.” Whichever way you look at a local market - it is win/win for everyone.

For any visitors into the region, the visit to a local market is a wonderful chance to see the beating heart of a community. With each market we witness the support for local business, have the experience of traditional and unique products and we see the health, wellbeing and vibrancy of a town or village. We are very lucky to be growing our business in this wonderful setting, and we hope to see you at a Northumberland market soon.

Here are the regular markets in and around Northumberland:
Alnwick Market Place Thursday & Saturday
Amble Amble harbour Sunday
Ashington John Street Tuesday
Bedlington Vulcan Place Thursday
Berwick Marygate Charter Market Wednesday & Saturday
Blyth Market Place Tuesday, Friday & Saturday
Cramlington Focus DIY car park Wednesday
Haltwhistle Market Square Thursday
Hexham Market Place Tuesday & Saturday
Hexham The Shambles Monday to Saturday
Morpeth Market Place Wednesday
Ponteland Merton Way Friday

The Zen Baker can be found at a market near you! Check out dates and news at zenbaker.co.uk, facebook & twitter.

Photos are courtesy of Nicky Rogerson at NR Photography.

Craster and the Snowy Owl

Welcome to our first guest blog for Your Northumberland. First, a little introduction. I’m Harriet, chief writer and restaurant-picker, whilst Alex is chief route planner and pub finder. We are adopted Geordies, having lived in Newcastle for 4 years. We love the outdoors and food, luckily these two go hand-in-hand in this part of the world. This is our Northumberland...  For our first blogging ,adventure we decided to go up to one of our favourite parts of the coast; Craster. 

 The plan was to walk the 5 mile path up along the coast to Dunstanburgh Castle and back across the farm track. According to our AA walking guide taking 1hour 45 minutes, leaving plenty of time for a hearty pub lunch at the Jolly Fisherman, or so we thought. We whizzed up the A1 in Derek’s little KA (we take our friend Derek walking with us when we can’t find a dog to adopt) and soon arrived at Craster- about 45 minute drive from Newcastle. We parked in the car park for a reasonable £2 all day fee and started our walk, first down to the harbour. 

A short break at the harbour, to take some photos and for some faffing whilst Derek runs back to the car park to check he’s locked his car, and we are on our way again. We soon join a muddy path of families and fishermen trekking across the fields, the former wrapped up warm in colourful hats and scarves, the latter carrying bucket loads of tackle. For some reason it doesn’t seem right to be amongst a crowd on our frosty Sunday stroll, so we drop down to the rock pools to the right of the path, which are just beginning to ice over. 

It is down here where we get our first majestic view of the skeletal like structure that is Dunstanburgh Castle. You can’t help but imagine how imposing and incredible it must have been in its hay day. We rejoin the footpath further up the coast and walk up to the ruined castle. We don’t however pay to go in like most, in my opinion the real beauty is to be seen from the outside (plus we were saving our pennies for lunch). 

Walking round the side of the castle was one of the trickier mud negotiations, but we made it. Embleton bay appears around the corner and it would be hard to suppress the child-like urge to run around kicking up sand. This is one of our favourite beaches in Northumberland and I am not disappointed even in the icy conditions. In the past we have continued walking up to Newton by the Sea to the Ship Inn, but hunger calls and we decide to continue along our mapped route and walk back to Craster. 

We up the pace when we realise it is approaching 2pm. Past the golfers, through a farm and along the farm track; we turn around and head back South. Being set back from the coast by about ½ mile we appreciate the beauty of Dunstanburgh Castle from new angles; it really is my favourite castle. The path hooks a left and takes us over the Heughes which are really quite an impressive natural landscape. Some minor map negotiation errors cause us to head purposefully towards a new stone wall which isn’t on the map- watch out for this! We arrived back to the sleepy fishing town at 3pm exactly, just missing last orders for food at the Jolly Fisherman, which stop, at 3pm, exactly.

I do aim to support local, especially as part of my job at Taste North East www.tastenortheast.co.uk but they make it so difficult sometimes with their opening hours! Instead we head back to the car and off to the Snowy Owl at Blagdon. Part of the Vintage Inn chain the Snowy Owl lacks seaside charm but at least we can count on it being open, at what I would class as optimum Sunday lunch time. 

We pop ourselves down at a table, noticeably much more mucky than the other diners, and there is that great smell of an open fire crackling away somewhere in the large pub. They have actually just done the pub out, to coincide with the opening of Northumberlandia right on its doorstep, and it does have a warm and welcoming atmosphere. We order, to my disappointment not a single local producer on the menu as far (as I could see) and eagerly await our food. I go for a duo of venison (just to play the wild card) and the boys opt for classic gammon and chips.

The food was just slightly above average. The mash tasted like smash and the venison shepherd’s pie thing added absolutely nothing to the plate. However the venison itself was tasty and I can’t remember the last time or if I’ve ever had venison before so I was happy to give that a go. Peas are peas. Apparently the gammon was good and came with both egg and pineapple which is always a bonus, although it did leave Alex and Derek still hungry. Our waitress was friendly and service was quick, we also had a 20% discount voucher which came in handy.

Our advice to you would be; wear wellies and get up early so that you make lunch at the Jolly Fisherman! Enjoy!

Harriet and Alex

For more information about Craster and Dunstanburgh Castle visit our Craster Guide!

A Romance Writer’s Love Affair …

Whenever we have guests up from the south, I feel jealous that they are about to experience that ‘wow’ moment I had when I arrived here over thirty years ago. Before the end of the visit someone will invariably say - usually while staring out over yet another fantastic view -‘I had absolutely no idea this was all here …’

I can’t blame them. Before I moved to Northumberland, I had a very sketchy idea of the county. Now I am almost evangelical in my attitude towards the place and happy to bore anybody’s ear off about how wonderful it is.

It’s hard to remember what impressed me the most when I first arrived, although I know I was struck immediately by the light – on a clear day there’s a diamond sharp clarity that can’t fail to lift your spirits and I loved the freshness of the air. Sure it was a couple of degrees colder than I was used to, but it seemed a small price to pay. Another big plus was the people. The humour here is wry and self deprecating and the warmth feels genuine. The overall tendency is to include rather than avoid eye contact and sidle away.

The rich history of the place also pulled me in – the Romans, the Scots, the great landed families, the English Civil War – they’ve all left their mark with walls and castles, churches and bastle houses.

What really clinched it for me though was the wild, often rugged, nature of the scenery. There are clipped and managed places here, and very beautiful they are too, but it’s the untamed things I love the best. The places that offer a sense of space and freedom, from the high moors to the dark, pine-sweet forests and, of course, the stunning coastline.

 Ah, that coastline and those beaches. On the very best days the light is blond, the sea is blue, there’s a castle or a lighthouse somewhere in the picture and the sand is a great sweep of pale, soft yellow that rears up into sand dunes behind you. Even on the worst of days as the wind whips sand into your face and takes your breath away, and the spray flies off the waves pounding towards the beach, you feel alive and part of nature. And you’ll rarely have to lay down your towel to reserve a space.

So, my favourite beach? When the children were younger it was Alnmouth with its old-fashioned bucket-and-spade feel or Bamburgh for sledging down the sand dunes. But what about Warkworth, Embleton, the mighty Druridge Bay? They’ve all afforded hours of good walking, nature watching or just sheer enjoyment at being out in the fresh air with the taste of salt on my lips.

If pressed though, I would choose Low Newton.  I defy anybody who comes in by road not to be stunned by that first view as you clear the brow of the hill. It’s a cracking combination of sand, rock, grassy dunes, little beach huts and the great, ruined beauty of Dunstanburgh castle. Oh, and the pub is pretty fine too.

When I set my second book in Northumberland, I made some of the most poignant scenes happen on that beach and I had Mack, a dyed-in-the-wool southerner, completely bowled over by it.  I guess I wanted to show that original ‘wow’ moment that I had. Who knows, in the process, I might also have encouraged people who haven’t discovered the county, to give it a try.

Hazel Osmond’s second book ‘The First Time I Saw Your Face’ is set in Hexham, around Wark and at Low Newton. It’s available in paperback and on kindle. Her first book ‘Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe?’ was shortlisted for Romantic Comedy of the Year.

For more information visit www.hazelosmond.co.uk

The Coquetvale Hotel in Rothbury - Sunday Carvery

Sunday Lunch at the Coquetvale Hotel

I'm not going to go into full details here as we've reviewed the wonderful Italian restaurant at The Coquetvale Hotel in Rothbury before. When we heard that they were now offering a carvery on a Sunday we just had to check it out and we were not disappointed! It's the same high standards we've come to expect from Chris and his friendly team and is surely an early contender for the best Sunday Lunch in Northumberland title that will once again be decided by the year end! High praise indeed.

Starters were very reasonably priced, well presented and extremely tasty. The pate can be seen below and we can also recommend the crab cake which was particularly delicious (and generous in size!).

The star of the show is definitely the carvery, everything is served to you by the friendly chef.... he even carried my mum's plate to the table for her! There was a choice of beef (medium or well done - something I've only seen at one other carvery in Northumberland - the award winning Battlesteads Hotel in Wark), turkey and a glazed ham. I had a mix of ham and beef and both meats were a delight. On top of what you can see below vegetables were then brought to the table, carrots, broccoli, french beans, more potatoes and creamed leeks in a cheese sauce, all wonderful!

Desserts also sounded delightful, but we simply didn't have room! This was an outstanding lunch, you simply must visit.

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