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??

First class experience delivered time & time again! Great food great service & great atmospher!read more

Been there twice with colleagues, everyone loved their food, from starter to dessert. service is…read morereally good compared to other restaurants I've been to in this country, a bit on the pricey side tho.

Great gastropub…read more This is a place we've just discovered, will definitely be back. Traditional pub (I imagine even better in the winter with the open fires roaring!) excellent waiters and terrific food.

Definitely worth a visit, the Arden Arms never disappoints…read more An impressive early bird menu (served Monday to Saturday) is complemented by both an A La Carte menu and a specials board, so there really is something for everyone. The food is great and the service is excellent; the staff are always friendly and efficient.

Family party of four, Saturday evening. We were greeted by the staff, served drinks and seated…read morewithin a couple of minutes. We ordered a wide selection, and without exception all of the food tonight was super good. It was obvious everything had been freshly prepared and cooked to order. The home cut/cooked chips are the best I've had in a very long time. Food was served hot, and the staff couldn't have been more helpful. Attentive but not intrusive. This was our first visit to The Farmers Arms and I would have no hesitation in returning. A real gem for the local area.

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!

We LOVE the Black Bull. It has had an excellent reputation for many years…read more The only downside is that it is a good way out of town so you need taxis to take full advantage of their fine wine lists and real ales. Food is superb - with the emphasis on fresh fish and seafood; service discrete and sensitive. The private dining rooms and private bar are lovely for a special get together. The main bar is very cosy, particularly in winter with a roaring fire. The perfect place for a romantic or special evening out. I sound like I'm doing an advert for the place - I've no connection other than a very satisfied customer who would love to be able to afford to go more often :-)

After trying the local 'in' restaurants in and around Darlington, what a relief to finally find…read morethis place. Fantastic quality food, well cooked without the pretentious presentation of the michelin obsessives. I think the real test of an eatery is how well they cook their steak. So, we ordered Chateau Briand (for two) rare, and it arrived in that perfect state of of just past blue, where timing is everything, served with a sublimely buttery bearnaise sauce, and what, for me, was a revelation, new potatoes with an earthy taste that were a perfect compliment to the steak, no more fried potatoes for me then. Service was attentive, without the forced 'is everything alright? I'm only asking because I've been told to' manner of many restaurants, and after being crammed into two well known similarly priced Darlington area restaurants, what a relief, space, and room for intimate conversation. The start of a long relationship methinks. Bill: £97 inc wine, two covers.

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.

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.

And so I return. Purpose, to visit and review The White Swan months later, and for good reason…read more First off, if you're here, there's a very good chance the reason is you're participating in the famed English Coast to Coast hike from St. Bees to Robin Hood's Bay. The tiny hamlet of Danby Whiske, panned by the hike founder Alfred Wainwright deserves better. On the day of my visit it was in the midst of that very walk on an utterly miserable 23 mile stretch in the rain. Soaked? No, I was under water by the time I arrived at The White Swan around 12:30 p.m. after trudging some 13 miles plus through fields, pastures, paved roads and more. I sat at a picnic table outside debating the merit of being rude and asking to come in dripping from head to toe. I stuck my head, asked the man tending bar if I could have tea outside as I was a wet mess. A few minutes later a different man emerges, says, "the man says you'll have your tea inside." I said, but I'm pretty messy. "He said you'd have it inside, nevertheless." And so, in I went, did my best to dry off a bit, and promptly savored an entire pot of fine English tea laced with real cream. Heaven help me... resurrected. I watched as a few locals entered, marched to the pub at which point pints were poured minus any orders being stated. Proper. I like that. 30 minutes later I departed again in a misty rain, but energized, and plowed through the remaining 10 miles before reaching my destination. The White Swan is forever in my debt for allowing that stay inside, the warm pot of tea, the acceptance. Thank you, White Swan. Next time I'll cut that hike in half, make a stay in the small village and celebrate the day with a proper pint. You're my style.

Having only discovered the Shoulder in the last few weeks I've already been twice; for a weekday…read moreevening dinner, and a Sunday lunch. Both food quality and service are excellent and it is my new favourite place to take friends and family. The food is prepared to order so don't turn up expecting your food to be served in 5 minutes. Can't rate this place highly enough. Now looking forward to trying one of their curry nights.