The Blue Bell Inn, Stanley

Dec 31 2006 By Eddy Eats, The Sunday Sun

It has been another busy 12 months for Mr and Mrs Eats. In the pursuit of bringing you the best scrans the region has to offer the Eatsmobile has put a few more thousand miles on the clock and She Who Must Be Fed has piled on a few more pounds.

It has been a close run thing this year . . . so close in fact the top spot is being awarded to two establishments.

It takes a lot to impress Mrs Eats and I. So you know that when a pub scores highly it must be doing something right.

In March we discovered one such establishment. We visited THE BLUE BELL INN, in Kip Hill, Stanley, County Durham following a recommendation from a friend of Mrs Eats.

A combination of homemade broth, a larger-than-life host, friendly staff and a good selection of pork, chicken, lamb and beef were enough to impress. Mrs Eats went for the turkey at £5.95 but for an extra £1 I was provided with a selection of all four meats.

Yorkshire puds weren't in short supply as our waitress told us if we wanted any more we need only ask. Cosy surroundings and an open fire only added to our enjoyment.

Character 4, Quality 5, Service 4, Value 5. Total 18/20.

It took us another five months to find the joint winner of this year's accolade. During one of the long hot weekends in August we found ourselves stumbling upon THE RIDLEY ARMS in the little village of Stannington, Northumberland. It's a place we had been to three years previously and we had also been impressed on that occasion.

Despite it being a hot summer day Mrs Eats set her heart on a good old fashioned winter warmer . . . steak casserole. Although I was tempted by haddock and scampi I opted for roast lamb setting us back £8.25 per head. We both found room for pudding and again there was a good selection with Mrs Eats choosing the strawberry tart while I opted for an old favourite sticky toffee pudding (both £4.50).

Character 5, Quality 5, Service 4, Value 4. Total 18/20.

So they were the top two places this year. Each year I give you my reviews of the top five establishments and a list of other noteworthy eateries. However this year there are seven other places in the list which impressed Mrs Eats and I enough to score 17 points. Based purely on my (ever expanding) gut feeling here are the other three which impressed me enough to make it into the top five.

It was a case of Hobson's choice in September as one pub stood above all the rest that month. Thanks to a new golfing pal of mine I stumbled across THE HOBSON in Burnopfield, County Durham. The pub is just over the road from the golf course and I thought it would be perfect for the 19th hole.

After grabbing a couple drinks, we teed off by ignoring the starters on offer and ploughed straight down the fairway to the main courses. Mrs E chose the turkey, while I opted for the beef, both priced at £5.95. Our deserts of toffee Dime bar pudding and chocolate fudge cake were beautifully presented and arrived with cream.

Character 4, Quality 5, Service 4, Value 4. Total 17/20.

It's always nice to discover something new. Despite meandering around these parts for many years in June we hit upon a little gem we never even knew existed. We found ourselves in the village of Knitsley, near Consett, County Durham.

Just pulling into the car park at THE OLD MILL had me licking my lips in anticipation as we were greeted with the sight of the pub's huge water wheel gently turning as water cascaded down. Picnic tables on the outside patio overlooked an attractive stream and on a bright summer's day this would be a marvellous spot.

Food wise, there's the usual traditional roasts to choose from - beef, lamb, pork and turkey - but also an excellent selection of alternatives.

For our main courses, Mrs Eats went for traditional roast lamb (£7.95) while I chose prime beef in Brown Ale, served with a dollop of creamy mash and sauteed green beans. (£7.50) We shared broccoli, cabbage, turnip and carrot mash, good old-fashioned mushy peas and, mercifully, there was plenty of delicious homemade gravy to go round.

Character 4, Quality 5, Service 4, Value 4. Total 17/20.

It's not just quiet rural pubs Mrs E and I enjoy . . . sometimes we like to hit the big smoke.We visited THE SLUG AND LETTUCE in Newcastle in May following a walk in the country. Set in the old Exchange Buildings on the Quayside, it nestles half way between the Millennium Bridge and the Swing Bridge.

The menu was so extensive She Who Must Be Fed initially had trouble deciding. I had beef and horseradish bangers with creamy potato, covered in slops of red wine gravy while Mrs Eats decided to go all posh and opted for asparagus, leek and chive tart.

Character 4, Quality 4, Service 5, Value 4. Total 17/20.

They were my top five Sunday Scrans but it would be remiss of me not to mention the following:

THE LION AND LAMB. This Best Gastro Pub of the year winner is worth a trip to the lovely little village of Horsley, Northumberland. A Harry Potter inspired visit to Alnwick enabled us to stumble across Tankerville Arms at Eglingham, a quaint little village a few miles outside Alnwick. We had scranned there before and were happy to discover standards had not slipped.

On another trip into the Northumbrian countryside we stumbled across the LANGLEY CASTLE. You could almost feel as if you were a feudal Lord dining in your own castle. So, if you want to step back in time it's just off the A69 on the road for Langley.

The tiny Northumberland coastal village of Dunstan, near Craster is home to THE COTTAGE INN. Despite the landlord holding two birthday parties there was plenty of room for a spot of top quality scran.