Great roast tops off a nice day out
IF you have a dog, like a walk and enjoy lovely views then the King’s Head Inn is the pub for you.
Mrs Eats and I are big fans of the area at the foot of the Cleveland Hills where Roseberry Topping looms large and were happy to chance upon this hostelry.
A handsome-looking building, it was busy both with the public and their favourite pets.
There was a seated area by the bar in which dog lovers congregated, like a mini Crufts.
As a result there were a few explosions of barking as dogs strained at the leash ‘to make new friends’ as one pet owner sugar-coated the behaviour of her particular Cujo.
It must be a bit of a test for staff bringing the food from the k i t c h e n who had to slalom their way through this area to get to the dining section, I thought. We found a table a bit away from the din and checked out the menu. There were no two or three-course offers just a single Sunday lunch main, the choice being beef, chicken or turkey (alas, no lamb) which came as standard at £10.95 or £12.95 for a trio of meats. The starters included potato skins (£4.95), soup (£5.95), Smoked Mackerel Pate (£6.95) up to £7.95 for grilled sardines. But we decided to head straight to the main course and while Mrs Eats w e n t f o r Car park..................... Kids allowed...................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle........................ Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food............................. Disabled toilets............................. the beef I decided to choose oose something off the main menu.
Amongst a series of choices like fish and chips, steak and ale pie, curry and, perhaps because we were just a few miles from Middlesbrough, I was tempted first by the Chicken Parmesan.
In the end I went for one of the homemade kebabs, the Lamb Kofta with Greek salad and Tzatziki.
Mrs Eats loved the beef, tender and tasty, whilst the roasties and even the Yorkshire pudding got top marks.
My kebab was OK although a little dry and bland for me. It came served with a couple of pitta breads for the full-on kebab experience and even with a liberal splashing of Tzatziki it just lacked that bit of moistness to make it really tasty.
On to the puddings which, apart from a cheese board at £8.95 and ice cream that started at £2.45 a scoop, all cost £5.95.
Was it chocolate brownie or cheesecake time I wondered? In the end I went for the lemon tart and Mrs Eats the Passion Fruit Pos- set. While Mrs Eats initially loved the posset – delicious she said – I wasn’t quite so chuffed with mine.
The lemon in the pie appeared a little curdled and the pastry was chewy, not far off rubbery, and not remotely crisp.
Mrs Eats later qualified her judgement saying that, although very tasty, it was a bit rich and thick.
I had a nice pint of Tetley’s Smooth at £3.40 to wash it all down with while Mrs Eats enjoyed a medium-sized glass (175ml) of Pinot Grigio at £4.95. And we finished off with a very pleasant white coffee which cost £2.55 each.
Overall the food was a hit for Mrs Eats and a miss for me. She loved her grub while I was left distinctly underwhelmed.
As we made our way to the car, the sight of the glorious Roseberry Topping lifted my spirits and we decided to go for a walk along the nearby Guisborough Forest and Walkway.
What a beautiful part of the North it is and well worth a trip if you haven’t been.