The Church Mouse, Chester Moor, Chester-le-Street

Feb 7 2010 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

Character 4
Quality 3
Service 4
Value 4

Rating: 15/20

Telephone: 0191 389 2628.

Food served: Noon till 9.30pm.

Drinks: Pint of lager £2.60, pint of bitter £2.35, gin and tonic £3.45, large glass of house wine £3.40, fresh orange juice £1.30.

I’M taking you to the Temple Hamster for lunch today, I told Mrs Eats last Sunday, rather mischievously.

Blank looks all round. "OK, the Synagogue Gerbil then," I went on. Still nothing.

"Well how about the Mosque Rodent?"

"Don’t be so daft," she chided. Ten minutes passed and the penny finally dropped.

"Oh, you mean the Church Mouse!"

By the way her eyes lit up, I knew I was on to a winner.

The Church Mouse in Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, is a trusty old favourite.

Easy to find on the A167 between Chester-le-Street and Durham, we’d last visited in summer 2005, giving the place four stars in every category.

But would it still match up?

Owned by the Vintage Inns chain, it’s a popular haunt for Sunday lunches and despite its size, is always pretty full. So with a no pre-booking policy, we arrived early at 12.15pm to bag a seat.