We were making such good time on our journey to the Highlands that we decided to stop for a proper spot of lunch. B consulted the ever useful Sawday pub guide and found a good write up of The County; as it was only 30 minutes up the road it looked like it would fit the bill perfectly. Situated in the pretty village of Newton Aycliffe, no more than a mile off the A1, this great little pub come restaurant is well worth seeking out. We arrived at 12.30 and were greeted with a warm welcome by the friendly female waiting staff who were all decked out in very fetching black ensembles. While The County is more of a restaurant than a pub there is a small bar area as you enter which looked very cosy and would be a nice spot to spend an hour or two if you just fancied a cold refreshment. We were seated in the main dining area which has kept some traditional old school charm despite a very fetching modern makeover, with lots of white and light green painted wood. As we looked at the menu and the specials of the day on the blackboards the room was filling up quite quickly this is obviously a popular place with the locals. There is plenty to choose from on the menu which is well edited rather than being war and peace. There are good looking sandwiches and soup if you just want a bit of snackage or some very tasty looking main dishes if you are a after a proper meal. Despite the lure of the Whitby crab we both went for the slightly festive sounding turkey and ham pie which came with a selection of veg and some exquisite home cooked chips; both sides came presented in their own little dishes. This pie was one of the finest I have had the pleasure of demolishing. It was packed full of succulent flavoursome chunks of meat encased in a lovely shortcrust pastry jacket. Taking this meal to the 10 out of 10 level was the gravy which came in an small white jug on the side just divine and plenty of it. We washed this mountain of a pie down with some of the fine cask ale that was on offer. My pint of Jingle Fells from the Hawkshead brewery was crystal clear and just the right temperature while B was equally pleased with the Santa's Beerd from the Northumberland brewery. It was a shame that we did not have longer to linger as the desserts looked good and I would like to have tried a couple of the other ales on offer. However, the Highlands were calling us so after leaving a decent tip and requesting the opening of a London branch of this establishment we continued the long drive North, well fed and in fine fettle. read more