Ponteland, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: A “super-friendly and efficient” stone-fronted country boozer, where chef Paul Johnson (a Nathan Outlaw alum) delivers a “great menu selection” that saw it walk off with a CAMRA Pub of the Year accolade not too long ago.

A “very historic dining room” – set in a thirteenth-century former refectory that may be the oldest of its kind in the UK – adds a sense of occasion to a visit to this “atmospheric” outfit, but it’s arguably even better in summer “when you can eat outside in the courtyard garden”. The brasserie menu is “quality” (think “good seasonal produce such as game”) and “you can hear yourself talk, so it’s good for taking your parents too if they like traditional with a slight twist”.

“This lively pub close to Newcastle’s waterfront” has an “excellent bar downstairs where local brewery offerings can be tried with proper pork scratchings, scotch eggs or a pint of prawns. Upstairs offers more choice and a good wine list” – “I’m looking for an excuse to visit Newcastle again so I can return” to this “great venue”. Through a unique arrangement, a proportion of its profits helps fund the Live Theatre next door, a haven for new dramatic writing.

2023 Review: Chef-owner Rhian Cradock, who took over the 200-year-old drovers’ inn 15 years ago, has long been ahead of the curve as a champion of “locally sourced quality food”, sustainability and ethical practices – and his prices are generous, too. A “fantastic village pub – it serves the locals well while consistently turning out high-quality dishes”: “the produce and the care that goes into their production is amazing”.

“Beautifully cooked fish and really good chips” (and a good approach to dietary requirements, like “good gluten-free options served without any fuss”) help make this well-located fixture “the best in the local area”.

This “delightful old inn” with a conservatory is “good for lunch with a view” over the Tyne Valley; a “short blackboard announces half a dozen starters and mains” – “all tasty” and “not your normal pub grub” (no surprise given that chef Phil Mason and wife Karen, who took over the venue in 2007, used to run the Michelin-starred Green Room nearby).