The Bridge Inn, Whorlton Village, Barnard Castle

Aug 2 2009 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

WHEN the sun shines She Who Must Be Fed comes over all smiley and demands a day outdoors.

This usually involves starting up the Eatsmobile and heading out into the countryside for a drive and a spot of Sunday lunch.

This is how we found ourselves outside The Bridge Inn, in Whorlton, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Mrs Eats had a friend who had been there recently and as she is always one to keep up with the Joneses, we had to go and sample it too.

It was a warm summer day so we had a pleasant drive through the countryside before pulling up outside the pub, which is run by Paul O’Hara, a former chef at Bistro 21 in Durham.

We’d arrived not far off 2pm and had our fingers crossed that they would still serve us, none more so than myself as Mrs Eats gets grumpy when she hasn’t had any grub.

We were in luck. The young woman behind the bar served us a Black Bull and a glass of white wine as we waited outside in the sunshine for a table.

When we did go through to the dining area it was as if we’d been transported into a completely different venue.

The bar in the pub is quaint and traditional while the restaurant is white and modern.

We’d already ordered our meals, so the dishes arrived almost as soon as we sat down, which was great as we were really hungry after a long drive. The pair of us had fancied the beef, which was served up on a large plate with a handful of watercress.

A selection of vegetables including green beans, carrots, peas and cauliflower came out in separate dishes along with a couple of roast potatoes each.

It all looked rather tasty and when we tucked in we were not disappointed.

The beef had a peppered crust and was on the rare side of medium.