1 day Ago
That was the case when walking into the Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk - an 18th Century village inn in Teesdale. The Rose and Crown stands proudly at the centre of this scenic part of Teesdale where the Durham and North Yorkshire dales meet. With the building dating back to 1733 and a Saxon church next door, the area is enriched with character and perfect for a historical field trip.
Serving traditional pub dishes and gastropub fare, head chef Dave Hunter has been widely praised for showcasing and utilising local produce and suppliers. With a dense fog rolling into the village from the hills, the inviting fire is the perfect precursor to our roast dinner, for it is a Sunday after all. Inside, cheerful and attentive staff are buzzing about the building’s cosy bar, sitting room and oak-panelled restaurant.
Whether you are lucky to be tucked into a snug corner or by the fire with a dozing dog, it’s easy to see how visitors spend hours inside. The menu makes much of its use of locally-produced ingredients – meat from Peat’s Burchers in Barnard Castle, fish from Hodgsons at Hartlepool, cheese from Butternkowle in Teesdale and more. Big bowls of soup are rushing out of the kitchen, warming walkers who spent the morning on the Teesdale Way, but we opt for the platter of cured meats complimented with sourdough, pickled onions and juicy cornichons.
The wine list is straightforward, handily scribbled on a blackboard above the bar, but packs a punch: three whites and three reds available by the glass or local ales and beers on draught. Platter of cured meats, gherkins, pickled onion, sourdough (Image: The Northern Echo) Service was swift yet the food never felt rushed. Serving meals to hungry visitors every day of the week is their speciality; it's their meat and drink (literally).
All roasts come with the advertised Yorkshire pudding, roast potato, carrot, gravy and seasonal vegetables but the words on the menu don’t do them justice. Crown-like Yorkshire puddings sit atop each plate’s individual pot of gravy and are worth crossing the border into County Durham for. Family feuds are known to break out up and down the country during the festive period over whether cauliflower should make its way onto the plate on Christmas Day.
Is it traditional? The hot bubbling dish placed on our table is enough to convert any sceptic. A mix of molten orange and yellow cheeses combine and slide between each floret’s crags. Lifting it onto the plate is almost impossible without extreme stretch from the cheese.
Roast loin of pork, Yorkshire pudding, apple sauce, roast potatoes, carrot, gravy, seasonal vegetables (Image: The Northern Echo) A thick crowbar of crackling, lathered in gravy and then dipped in apple sauce, is a mouth-watering snap and crunch alongside the juicy pork loin. The plate’s six spuds are a generous portion and are quickly swimming in a puddle of gravy. The roasted leg of lamb, gnarly at the edges and with a smoky BBQ flavour at its crust, is equally enjoyable.
Recommended eating: Don’t miss out on our biggest sale of the year! Get a full year of the Northern Echo for only £25 or try six months for just £6. Remarkably, there’s room for pudding. Can you really say no to sticky toffee pudding, ice cream, toffee sauce and crushed hazelnuts? It’s a real rib-sticker.
Food, drinks and a ten per cent service charge came to just over £75, a steal for quality food and service this good. Sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, hazelnut crumb, ice cream (Image: The Northern Echo) We travelled to Romaldkirk having visited the Bowes Museum’s annual festive market and the excellent Kith and Kinship exhibition, showcasing the works of L.S Lowry and County Durham native Norman Cornish.
The Rose and Crown is also the perfect launchpad or resting spot for exploring the surrounding countryside. There are walks from the door and it’s a short drive to Middleton-in-Teesdale, Low Force and High Force. The Rose and Crown, Romaldkirk, DL12 9EB Tel: 01833 650213 Website: rose-and-crown.
co.uk Open: lunch served 12pm-2.30pm, dinner 6pm-8:30pm daily Ratings (out of ten) Food quality: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Surroundings: 8/10 Value: 8/10.
