Humble crumble a perfect ending
EVERY now and again, Mrs Eats manages to convince me to go – against my will – on a Sunday shopping trip.
It’s not something I ever like to do, but it keeps her happy. Well, for a few hours at least.
On this occasion, she chose a trip to the Team Valley – so I immediately put my thinking cap on and tried to work out where would be best to sample the Sunday lunch.
It had been three and a half years since I’d visited the Ravensworth Arms Hotel in Lamesley, near Gateshead, and it felt like the perfect time to try their roast scran once again.
Located just a couple of minutes’ drive off the A1, the pub – which also boasts a 19-room
RAVENSWORTH ARMS HOTEL
Address: Ravensworth Arms Hotel, Greenford Ln, Lamesley, NE11 0ER Tel: 0345 60 86 040 Food served (Sun): All day
Rating: 16/20 Character...........................
Quality................................ Service................................ Value................................... hotel – has a huge outside space, as well as a massive bar and dining area. Given that Greene King owns it, there’s beer on tap – and I was delighted, and touched with nostalgia, when my pint of Rivet Catcher (£3.47) came served in a good old-fashioned glass tankard. Mrs Eats, meanwhile, ordered a glass of Coca Cola (£2). Having spent the majority of the afternoon being dragged around shops on the Team Valley, I wasn’t interested in starters – it was Car park..................... Kids allowed....................... Real ale..................................... Wine by the bottle......................... Credit cards..................................... Vegetarian food.............................. Disabled toilets............................. straight on to the mains.
There were plenty of options, too. As well as traditional Sunday dinner – beef (£10.99), pork (£9.79), turkey (£9.99), or all three (£11.99), as well as “Sunday best” rib of beef (£14.49) or lamb shoulder (£13.99) – other main-course options, also available during the week, can be ordered.
But roasts are what we enjoy the most, so Mrs Eats opted for the pork dinner, while I went for the trio of meats.
The pork – which was served with half a baked apple, stuffing and crackling – was tasty, the beef was reasonable if not spectacular, but the turkey was certainly the best of the meats. Succulent, juicy and full of flavour, I could have enjoyed a plateful of that poultry. The huge Yorkshire puddings which came alongside the roasts were a little overdone, while some of the veg – including carrots, broccoli and cabbage – had been boiled for a little too long. Yet the goose-fat roast potatoes were crispy and soaked up the flavoursome gravy nicely.
Well fed already, but with just enough room for pudding, we scanned the dessert menu. Unfortunately, the gingerbread brulee on the specials menu had sold out by the time we ordered – much to the disappointment of She Who Must Be Fed.
Hastily, Mrs Eats went for a sloe gin and winter berry Eton mess (£4.99) for her back up. Despite the fancy name, this was a fairly standard Eton mess and, if truth be told, was a little too heavy on the cream and light on fruit compote.
My home-baked crumble of the day (£4.99), on the other hand, was the highlight of the meal. The tart gooseberries which had been cooked down slowly perfectly complemented the ginger-spiced crumble on top – while the warm custard which came served alongside bound the whole thing together.
If I was the owner of the Ravensworth Arms, I’d be telling the chef to keep that as a permanent fixture on the menu, rather than as a special.
Overall, our trip out to Lamesley was most certainly worth it. The next time Mrs Eats suggests a shopping trip to the Team Valley, I’ll definitely return for another one of those crumbles.