I had to visit England last week, and a family member invited us for dinner to The South Causey Inn, which I'd never been to, even when living here. It's a beautiful, historic building, covered in ivy on the exterior, and the grounds are stunning. Dining pods are dotted around, lit romantically with string lights. There's an English Double Decker bus, and a very old Bedford Fire Truck. Undoubtedly there was more to see on the beautiful grounds, and I was also not privy to their hotel rooms.
Inside the building we were asked where we'd like to dine, and we chose the main dining room. Spacious, all in wood, with mining paraphernalia, as my hometown is quite famous for mining. Centrally located in the dining room, is a tree! Is that real, I asked, and I got laughed at, so I still don't know if it was, but it did look real. On our table was a miner's lamp, available for purchase (95 pounds sterling) and my husband said that it looked authentic. It's real. I laughed because we live in Anchorage, which historically speaking, is not very old. The whole dining room was dotted with such antiques for purchase, as there was also an antique store on, or adjacent to the grounds.
Our server addressed us as sir and madam. I opted for the Roast of the day, husband got mince and dumplings, and my nephew got lasagne. The servings were large, and the food was delicious- tender, juicy roast beef, enormous Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes were out of this world, the accompanying veg - carrots, broccoli, cauliflower were served separately, and were tender crisp. My only issue was with the mashed potato, which seemed overly processed, almost as though it had been in a food processor or blender. Not awful, but not the best I've had (that's the only reason I give 4 stars and not 5) husband said the same about the potato, but enjoyed the mince and dumplings, and veg. Nephew comes here all the time, and loves the lasagne, which in England is made with Bechamel Sauce, unlike how we make it here with Manicotti, or Ricotta. It gives a creamier taste to the dish. None of us could finish, as the portions are large here. It's an absolute beautiful place to have dinner, or host an event, as they can cater for weddings and suchlike.
I would return in a heartbeat, it was beautiful. Nephew sneaked off to "the bathroom" which is code for, he paid behind our backs. Naughty boy. Absolutely gorgeous location, so if you're visiting the north East of England, you'd be remiss in not coming here. read more