North East

31 PEACE AND LOAF, NEWCASTLE

HEAD chef Dave Coulson trained under Michel Roux Jr, but his style is his own – European with a Chinese twist. But on Sunday things become a little more traditional, with mains including roast rib of beef, or belly of pork, alongside ‘asparagus, duck egg, shiitakes,’ say, or a piece of brill in a chicken pie sauce. Starters are a little more adventurous… don’t miss the raw steak and mushroom pie. And with two courses for £20, it’s very good value too. Little wonder it’s perennially packed. 7 Jesmond Road, Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 1LA, 0191 281 5222, peaceandloaf.co.uk £

32 THE CRATHORNE ARMS, CRATHORNE

BARBARA and Eugene McCoy adore their punters, organising endless music nights at their much-loved North Yorkshire pub. You’ll find locally sourced roast beef, lamb and chicken, as well as fresh fish and vegetarian options as thrilling as the meat. It’s very much a locals’ pub too, the heart of the village, with roaring fires and the feeling of a home. Dogs are welcome, and children. Crathorne, North Yorkshire, TS15 0BA, 01642 961402, thecrathornearms.co.uk ££

33 THE STAITH HOUSE, NORTH SHIELDS

CHARCUTERIE is made on site at The Staith House, as is the cream cheese and ice cream. Bread is baked each morning, salmon is smoked in the house kiln and seaweed comes from the nearby beaches. When it comes to provenance, responsible sourcing and sheer quality, The Staith House comes up trumps.

And its Sunday lunch is an award winner, with roast local sirloin of beef with cheesy leeks, spring onion fritter, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and all manner of greens.

Or pulled shoulder of middle white pig, braised shank of Suffolk Cross lamb, and roast loin of fallow deer. T

his is a pub that takes its Sunday lunch very seriously. 57 Low Lights, North Shields Fish Quay, NE30 1HF, 0191 270 8441, thestaithhouse. co.uk £££

34 BLACKFRIARS, NEWCASTLE

BLACKFRIARS claims to have the UK’s oldest dining room, where modern British food is served on great wooden tables in the 13th-Century refectory of an old friary – halibut with glazed ox cheek and oyster pie, lamb cooked three ways or gnocchi with crisp hen’s egg and smoked cheddar.

Sunday lunch is every bit as exciting, with local rump of beef, leg of lamb, pork belly and chicken, all served with the trimmings.

There’s also vegetable haggis and poached salmon for vegetarians and a decent kids’ menu and wine list. Friars Street, Newcastle, NE1 4XN, 0191 261 5945, blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk £

35 THE FEATHERS INN, HEDLEY ON THE HILL

LIKE any decent gastropub or restaurant, The Feathers Inn cares deeply about the sourcing of its meats. Animal

welfare is paramount, and traceability too. Which is why it uses trusted local farms. Fish come from local day boats, and shellfish from sustainable sources.

And head chef Rhian Cradock’s cooking has its own distinct Northern accent, although he’s the first to admit his debt to food heroes such as Fergus Henderson and Mark Hix. The man has taste. But taste is nothing without skill, and Cradock has this in spades.

Expect roast rib of Haydon beef, slow-roast Ravensworth Grange middle white pork, and spinach, mushroom and Lancashire cheese pie.

A true celebration of great North-Eastern produce. Hedley on the Hill, Stocksfield, NE43 7SW, 01661 843 607, thefeathers.net ££

37 THE BROAD CHARE, NEWCASTLE

GOOD ale, home-made pork pies and scotch eggs at the bar, and daily specials that include mince and dumplings, fish and chips and steak and kidney pudding.

Pub staples, sure, but they’re done well. You’ll also find pig’s head terrine, grilled mackerel with gooseberries, and haggis and fried duck egg. On Sunday there’s roast rib of local beef and Yorkshire pudding for a very reasonable £13.50. 25 Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DQ, 0191 211 2144, thebroadchare.co.uk £

38 THE BAY HORSE, HURWORTH

THE Bay Horse is a smart gastropub set within a 15th-Century coaching inn located in the middle of a pretty Co Durham village.

The cooking reflects the seasons, and the vast majority of produce is from local farms and shops. You’ll find good beer, roasts hewn from wellbrought-up beasts, plus some decent veggie options too. 45 The Green, Hurworth, Co Durham, DL2 2AA, 01325 720663, thebayhorsehurworth.com ££

39 THE DUN COW INN, SEDGEFIELD

THE Dun Cow Inn was once a ‘druggist, grocer, stationer, bookseller and agricultural seeds man’ as well as a pub. And, thanks to it being in Tony Blair’s old constituency, has also played host to prime ministers, presidents and pop stars.

But this is no glitzy celebrity haunt, rather a proper pub with the emphasis on good ale and local meat and fish.

There are two cuts of beef (sirloin and rump), as well as loin of pork, leg of lamb, roast chicken, breaded scampi (hooray) and mushroom Wellington, and a lot of traditional puddings too. 43 Front Street, Sedgefield, Stockton-on-Tees, TS21 3AT, 01740 620 894, duncowinn.co.uk