What the papers say
Country Living
March 2007
There's a sense of being in a capable pair of hands at this inn near the Cleveland Hills, Retro dishes such as prawn cocktail, chicken Kiev, and poire belle Hélène are typical menu mainstays, but the cooking is presented with neither knowing irony nor a lazy refusal to move with the times. Rather the repertoire is based on an honourable principle: well-done bourgeois dishes will stand the test of time, and always offer unaffected enjoyment.
The open-plan interior - basically, one white-walled, beamed room packed with comfortable dark wood pews and tables, raised open fire and evening candles - has its full complement of oldsters, including the defiantly bolshy, ciggy-totting hell's granny, as well as hikers, office escapees, farmers and babies in slings, but service is never less than well-paced and attentive. The cooking delivers the goods with unflashy confidence and solid ingredients are never compromised by unnecessary flourishes. More (relatively) contemporary dishes are included in the well-focused menu, such as smoked haddock and spring onion risotto, but one's heart is drawn towards fish soup, oxtail and mashed potato, and apple and mixed berry crumble with custard. Drink a glass from the excellent wine list or sink a pint, and give a quiet hurrah for traditional values and standards of hospitality.