Middle of nowhere, casual dress, Michelin-starred…read more My husband and I went out of our way to eat and stay here. Was it worth the 3 hour journey from London (2-hr train ride, 1-hr by car) to make our reservation from 6-months earlier? Absolutely. Courses are small, but plenty. Staff are immensely courteous and thoughtful (they made a custom menu for our dietary needs and even had the chefs sign it before we left). And the setting couldn't be more idyllic. I'd suggest getting the wine pairing as it really completes the meal. Go ahead and stay the night as breakfast is included the next day. Just make sure to work out your travel from the train station to the restaurant. It really is out in the sticks.

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The…read moreBlack Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food experiences.

We have eaten at The Ship many times as a family and have always had a lovely time. The service is…read morefantastic, the menu is extensive with something for everyone, the place is very child-friendly, with good quality highchairs available, and I really have nothing negative to say about it at all! We happened upon the place purely by chance when returning from a day out, and I am so glad we did as it is now one of our favourite places to eat! I would recommend this pub to anyone who has a very healthy appetite, as i have never seen portions this big anywhere else! Many of the main meals would be enough to serve two people, especially some of the meat dishes, which are HUGE! Many of the meals have smaller portion sizes available, but to be fair these are still much bigger than you'd get in many other pubs. Even the children's portions are big! We have tried various dishes off the huge menu and all have been delicious; there is a quite a large vegetarian menu which pleased me; the mushroom stroganoff with pasta is lovely, and the puddings are gorgeous too! The prices are a little higher than many pub meals, but this is reflected in the portion sizes and the sheer quality of the food. I can't recommend this place high enough and am looking forward to returning there soon!

I have dined at the Hamilton Russell a few times with my husband; once on an evening and a few…read moretimes during the day. I have always been impressed with the service here; the staff are very friendly and helpful. The menu is large, although I don't like the way that it is written on boards all around the room instead of on paper menus, as it feels like you're leaning over people who are having their meal just to see what food there is! We have some had lovely lunches there, it is really nice sitting in the small beer garden at the back looking out over the countryside on a sunny afternoon. The meals are not overly expensive, and although the portions aren't huge they are probably just right for most appetites. The pub is very popular and most people I know have dined there at some point; I've never heard a negative review of the place. Although I wouldn't say it is my favourite place to eat in the area, it's well worth a look.

Myself and 10 friends dined at the Hamilton Russell on a Monday and chose to have the food from the…read morespecial Steak Night. Everyone commented how well the food was cooked, and as a bottle of wine for two was part of the deal, we only paid £12.50 each for a rump steak, lovely fat chips and trimmings as well as a half a bottle of Hardys wine each. The staff were very friendly and the service couldn't be beaten. We enjoyed ourselves so much we are going back on Wednesday to sample the Curry Night. The new owners of the Hamilton Russell are very pleasant and it is obvious they have a will to improve things. If they keep on producing good food at a good price like we have recently sampled they have 11 converts. Well done the Hammy.

As of July 2025, at a different location than indicated in Yelp. Now near the Museum Gardens at 14…read moreLendal. Three level pub will great selection of beer. I found an 8% abv IPA from Deya that was the best beer I've had in the UK this visit. Funky decor: lots of antlers, crucifixes, cherubs, and paintings of nude women. I'd definitely go again for a pint. Didn't try the food.

Fantastic ambiance and decor. This multi level bar is not a bar per se but beer and gin joint. It's…read morein need of a bit of a cleaning but at night your probably don't notice, lol. All in all kinda a fun hang out.

My friend had here 50th birthday here and the landlord put on a special eight course served buffet…read morefor her. As the only vegetarian in the large group I expected to have problems, but the staff went out of their way to make careful substitutions to the meat dishes and really made an effort to ensure that I was looked after, but eating almost the same as everyone else. There were several children in the group and they were treated with equal care and consideration. My only real complaint was that it was cold - they have two lovely fireplaces in the pub - it would have been nice to see one lit. (although its possible that they avoided this as a safety precaution given the number of young children in the group.)

Some friends and. I went to the vane arms for lunch last week,and it was SUPERB everyone of us had…read morea lovely meal.Everything was home made except the chips and the. Chef who came to our table afterwards explained that the potatoes hadn't. Been up to scratch lately but they were working on finding the right potato.It didn't stop everybody from clearing their plates The deserts were to die for and all HOME MADE,I didn't intend having a dessert ,but so glad I did. Will be going again. Mrs Sandie Welsh

Best find on holiday ever!!…read more Set in a beautiful little village with a huge village green with loads of parking round and about (although im sure that on a mid summer sunny day parking may be somewhat difficult!). The pub has a bar area and a restaurant area - we only ever went into the bar as you could eat int here and it was really cosy (dogs are also allowed!). The staff were incredibly friendly and chatty (lets face it, Yorkshire, particularly North Yorkshire folk are possibly the most friendly on the planet - i challenge you to disprove this!). The food was INCREDIBLE. Nothing fancy pants, just really good food, VERY big portions (trust me on this, you dont need three courses - choose your weapon of starter or dessert to go alongside your main - we made the mistake one night and 1) couldnt eat it all and 2)pretty much rolled home). We spent an evening in the pub, had a meal and then sat playing card games - we felt incredibly welcome. So welcome that we ended up visiting three times in a week long holiday. You cant really get a better recommendation than that can you??

Foid excellent, service excellent, we go Sunday lunch, always great, staff wonderful, need to try…read morea steak one night.

Possibly the best steak in the North East?…read more They cook their steaks on a super heated stone at your table to perfection. While the chef does that he talks to you and that is half the fun. If you love your steak, this place is a must.

Chraming cosy pub in Ellington Village in Northumberland. Near to cresswell beach & druridge bay,…read moreyou can easily stop off here if you are on your way up the coast to amble, or coming back down from that way. Very easy to find and such a nice place. Lovely friendly atmosphere, we got a warm welcome when we arrived. They do a good range of food served Mon-Sat 12pm -8pm and Sunday Lunch 12pm - 3pm. I have not tried a Sunday lunch yet but have been midweek when the food was lovely, generous portions! I thought the cost of the main meals were very good and were what I expect from a local pub. Talking to the lady behind the bar she informed us that they have just added some B&B accommodation, this will come in handy for relatives visiting us from Yorkshire, a bit different from the usual premier inn. The pub itself has a very nice lounge, very relaxing with fireplace. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant and this has a warm atmosphere. There is a separate bar area which also has a nice feel to it. I will come back here again, and although I do not live in Ellington, i wish this was my local! Plenty of parking outside the pub. Fantastic pub grub with a good atmosphere and pleasant surroundings, I'll be back!

Had a great time at this pub with a booked group of 16 people. Nothing was too much trouble for…read moreKatrina the owner, and her fab staff. One of the group cheekily added her request to the already comprehensive menu,........ and got it, Katrina actually going out to obtain her request. Stunning!! Can't speak too highly of the food, some fussy eaters were really blown away by the quality of the food. The Inn itself, is lovely and comfortable, with great atmosphere. Thanks for making the meal special x

We are regular customers at The Rat because it is such a great place with great food…read more Last night's visit was for my wife's birthday and except for one minor thing it was as good as usual. The Rat is the very definition of an English country pub. Open fires and a cosy atmosphere are exactly what you want from a pub, add in the great food and it is hard to beat. We shared a starter of smoked haddock fritters which was delicious if a little parsimonious for £7. Main courses were superb; slow cooked belly pork and 3 cuts of lamb; delicious, deep savoury flavours that are so hard to accomplish at home. My wife's warm gingerbread dessert wasn't warm which was a disappointment in an otherwise delicious meal.

Love, love, love this place! Have taken four or five different groups of friends or family there…read morefor dinner and Sunday lunch, not one person has come away disappointed or feeling hungry! This is a real gem of a pub, tucked away up the hill just a few miles from Hexham. Have heard this is walkable from Hexham on a nice day but most will need a car - one thing to bear in mind is parking can be a bit limited and a bit of a free-for-all at busiest times, but you should usually get a space somewhere. Alternatively, taking a taxi is a good option, should only cost about £6-£8 from the centre of Hexham itself. First of all, the location and setting is simply stunning. If you park across the road, the views over the Tyne Valley are fantastic. You then go into the pub itself via a lovely garden area with a pergola. Inside is a proper Northumbrian country pub, great traditional decor, roaring fires, with some unusual wall and ceiling decorations (will leave that for you to discover!) Each time we've visited to eat, we've been welcomed by the friendly staff who offer the right level of service, i.e. keeping your table clear, everything in check without being overly attentive. The bar offers a good range of real ales, usually with a local brewery on offer, all of which are very well kept. They have an excellent range of wines and spirits as well, so you could easily go here for a relaxing drink, although the bar area is relatively small. However, if you are here, you really must try the food. Honestly, the Rat Inn has served up some of the best food I've ever eaten, nothing fussy or complicated, just locally sourced ingredients cooked to perfection. What is encouraging is that there are no menus on the tables, instead you'll find the day's menu on a chalkboard, which indicates freshness and illustrates how much they care about what ends up on your plate. In fact, you can find out where the meats and veg have come from as the suppliers are also chalked up on the wall. As the menu changes fairly regularly, it is not really worth recommending any particular dish on here for fear of it not being on next time, but the Sunday roast dinners are superb and the Sticky Toffee Pudding is top notch! Bear in mind you do get hearty Northumbrian-sized portions here, it is difficult to leave here without feeling a tad on the full side... As this place features in the top 50 UK gastropubs, it can get popular and they don't have an abundance of space, which adds to its charm but is also a slight disadvantage - definitely worth booking in advance to avoid missing out. In summary, the Rat Inn really is a wonderful place and one to which I can't wait to have an opportunity to go back soon.

After being to the garden centre thought we would stop off here for some lunch and OMG it was…read moreamazing. Soon as we came in we received a warm welcome from the lady at the bar, the food was incredible, good sizes, really tasty, Chips are a must have! They also allow dogs in the Pub Section but not in the restaurant. Plates were cleared up when we had finished so they weren't sat there for ages! If we was in this area again would deffo come back.

Do NOT go here if you are looking for a warm friendly welcome!! The owner of this pub (we can only…read moreassume he is the owner as if he was a normal member of staff he'd be sacked for his abrupt attitude) has NO manners. After visiting this pub/restaurant for many years now it is with regret that we will not be going back again until it has new staff. The food is usually good but we didn't even get that far tonight. The guy behind the bar was so rude to us upon our arrival we decided to leave after one drink. He is arrogant, obnoxious, surly and we were made to feel very unwelcome. If you read this Mr Barman it would not hurt to crack a smile and perhaps be just a little polite to the people that pay your wages you horrible horrible man!!