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.

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??

Still a fantastic place to chill out in the Durham countryside. Food is exceptional from breakfast,…read morelunch through dinner. Hotel rooms are quaint but top floor rooms would benefit from power showers to increase water pressure as it takes a while to get wet. Loved the cask Double Maxim on taps, much better than I remember from Vaux! Prices are very reasonable for large portions.

We are repeat customers to the Old Mill, the food is always great, and lots of it…read more You have to grab a table, and choose what you would like to eat from the blackboard in the main dining room. Once you have chosen what you would like to eat, go to the bar with your table number and order. We have been on a number of occasions, and service is always great (have been when every table has been taken, and was told 40 min for food, but received it well within 30 min) Have never had a bad meal from here, or a bad word to say about the place

Stopped by this pub for a pint & bag of crisps a year ago and it looked pretty nice. This year…read morepassing again, decided to have a tea time meal. Not very busy, quality standard pub fayre. Staff very helpful & attentive. Not priced to badly for a lovely setting. Would recommend & if passing again would return. Nice size car park to rear.

The Coach Inn looks like someone has taken it off the front of a chocolate box and popped it down…read morein the equally charming village of Lesbury. It is so pretty in the summer when it is adorned with flowers that you just can't help but want to stop off there as you're passing through :-) Inside it is rather more modern than you might expect and quite smart for a pub. There is a bar area, and a room off to the side with leather chairs and sofas and a TV. At the other end of the pub there is an extensive dining area and the pub does seem heavily geared towards dining. We had just popped in for a beer and there was Black Sheep and Old Speckled Hen on both of which were very pleasant. The staff were welcoming and friendly and we spent a relaxing and very enjoyable hour there.

The food was so good we sent a proposal of marriage to the Chef, but he was too shy to come out of…read morethe kitchen.

fab food and great sunday dinnersread more

I'm most definitely a meat man and there's nothing worse when you go for Sunday lunch and you get…read moreas many veggies as you want, but the smallest portion ever of the meat itself. I've been here two or three times recently and it's certainly not an issue. Excellent well cooked meat, nice properly cooked veggies (not soggy and tasteless) and the best bit.....they actually advertise a "Trio" where if you can't decide which roast to have, you can have a nice juicy slice of each. Even better, they do a "Monster" where you get a double portion of Meat. Great food, reasonably price (but great value) combined with 2 or 3 very nice guest ales available most days and some very helpful smiley staff and I couldn't think of a better place to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I've been here a good few times and has always been lovely…read more For the price you get massive portions and is always really good food.

We ended up stranded because the tide came in (we put an idiot in charge of the tide tables, lol)…read moreThe Ship was the only place open that day, and although they were extremely busy, the landlord and his staff went out of their way to look after four random strangers who walked through his door with nowhere else to go on a chilly rainy day. We cannot thank The Ship enough for their hospitality. We recommend a visit if you are on the island.

We come here in the winter, and although it closes at 4pm most weekdays, you can have a meal here…read moreon Friday and Saturday evenings. We rush back from where we have been visiting and grab a pint before closing time. They stock a complete array of local ales and if you look on the ceiling you will find all the different locally brewed brands they have had. The food is great, never had a meal we could complain about, lovely baked goats cheese starter, seafood broth, and of course, all locally caught. Recommended with a great and very brisk walk along the sands with views of Dunstanburgh castle. Fantastic photo opportunities abound here. In fact I hate to give this little place away, but don't worry you don't stand a chance of getting booked in anywhere around here, everyone else has discovered it well before we did.

This is one of those places that you could drive past and never appreciate what a gem of a kitchen…read moreit has. Fresh, fresh, fresh... Oh, and local too. Stopped here a number of times now when driving up and down the A697, and NEVER been disappointed in the slightest.