Sunday Lunch at The Lord Crewe Arms, Blanchland

Last year we discovered The Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland and after enjoying the most amazing supper at The Gatehouse (followed by a dreamy night in one of their beautiful bedrooms) we knew it would only be a matter of time before we returned.

There are so many amazing things about The Lord Crewe Arms to tempt us back, but it was their Sunday lunch that really had my mouth watering. I heard amazing tales of mountains of food, perfect pastry and sharing feasts and I couldn't resist booking a table to see what all the fuss was about.

Sunday lunch at the Lord Crewe Arms is a little different to what you might expect as you share your dishes with the rest of the table. Perfect for an indecisive foodie like me, each table is presented with three starters followed by a platter of three meats and finishing with three desserts - all shared between everyone on the table.

This is definitely my kind of dining! I always struggle to make a decision when I'm presented with menus and will usually end up with a huge amount of regret when Simon's dish looks better than mine. No chance of that happening at the Lord Crewe Arms, although I was a little worried that sharing with my husband (the lunching champion of the North East!) would be a little stressful. If he didn't leave enough of everything for me, we would certainly end up having a domestic in the middle of the restaurant!

Being early birds we arrived for our lunch at 12:00 pm and were shown to our table. There are so many hidden corners and rooms at the Lord Crewe Arms that you can be served your lunch either downstairs by the huge open fire, in a snug corner of the bar or upstairs in the restaurant. We were upstairs which I'd say in the Summer months is definitely the best option, the views across the Northumbrian hills are stunning and the room is a beautiful light and airy space.

The Crewe Sharing Lunch menu is different every week so we were quite excited about getting our hands on it and seeing what was available for our lunch. Having looked at the Starters (Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Soup; Organic Chicken Liver parfait with Milk Loaf and Kipper Scotch Egg) we decided to start with the Main Course as we wanted to ensure we had room for dessert.

The Sharing Platter of the day was "Crewe Brew" Beef Stew; Chicken Breast, J.D. Hall's Roast Pork Loin served with Roast Potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings and Seasonal Vegetables and when our food appeared in front of us we were in awe. Where on earth did we start?

Simon recovered from his shock quicker than me and started piling the food onto his plate. Realising he was swiping all of the veg (can you believe he didn't leave me any carrots!) I quickly sprung into action and took my share of the feast. You need to keep your wits about you when sharing food!

I loved having three different meats to enjoy on my plate. I'm usually pretty dull with my ordering whenever we go out for Sunday lunch and will always, without fail, just order chicken without thinking. I never would have ordered Pork so it made a great change and it was beautiful. Each meat was perfectly prepared - really tender and packed with flavour.

The potatoes were beautifully crispy, slightly on the salty side which was a shame but that was our only criticism of our meal. The absolute highlight for me was the yorkshire puddings, not only were they huge but they tasted so damn good - I was thrilled when Simon couldn't quite finish his so I got extra (I really am a human dustbin!)

By the time we'd polished off our mains I was more than ready for a nap but needed to fight the urge to close my eyes - dessert was still to come.

The sharing desserts were Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chocolate Brownie and Gooseberry Fumble. I'd informed the kitchen about my nut allergy when we ordered and they were fantastic at letting me know exactly what dishes had nuts in and as the Chocolate Brownie had walnuts in prepared me my own special dish.

Simon loved that we had Sticky Toffee Pudding (his absolute favourite dessert) and having a smaller than normal portion meant that our bellies didn't feel too heavy after such an indulgent dessert.

My dessert highlight had to be the Goosberry Fumble - stewed fruits always remind me of being a kid and eating dessert at my Grandparents house (food memories are just the best aren't they?) and the slightly tart flavour worked so well with the sweet chewy meringue. Knowing how much I was enjoying it, Simon let me have slightly more than my half - I knew there was a reason I married him!

Sunday lunch at the Lord Crewe Arms costs £18.50 for two courses or £25.00 per person for three courses and comes highly recommended! It has to be one of the finest foodie experiences in the North East.

Find the Lord Crewe Arms at:

The Square
Blanchland
DH8 9SP

http://www.lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk/