The Barnes, Barnes Bank, Sunderland

Aug 31 2008 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

AM I the only one who’s relieved that the Olympics are over?

Let’s face it, it’s all just a load of running in circles, splashing about, jumping around and throwing stuff.

The missus and I both felt exhausted just watching the highlights.

Eating my weight in good old-fashioned grub is probably the one event in which I could represent my country.

And, luckily, I know a place which serves meals fit for Olympians, well, it certainly was when it came to size.

Legend has it that, some 10 years ago, it was the second busiest pub outside of London. But don’t ask me which was the busiest!

So it was that we took the Eatsmobile on a short drive down to Wearside, and visited The Barnes Toby Carvery, which we had the good fortune of discovering almost two years ago.

We were glad to see the pub itself is still a solid part of the local community, and it appeared to be popular with scranners of all ages, scores of whom were squirrelled away in the building’s many nooks and crannies. Mrs E remarked that we were lucky to get a table.

As we studied the menu, we couldn’t help but notice that the pub’s walls were festooned with pictures, photos and cartoons, and that we had plonked ourselves next to a framed poster of a rotund man at a bar saying “My word, this is the place to get stout” and, around an hour later, I had to concur.

After a tasty warm-up of a spicy combo — chicken tikka and lamb kebab — for me, and fanned melon with tangy mango sauce for the missus, we made our way to the carvery for the main event.

For a flat £8, there was a choice of beef, honey-glazed gammon and turkey, all carved in front of you . . . and you can have all three if a mix takes your fancy.

I thought She Who Must Be Fed had eyes bigger than her belly as she topped her three juicy, generous slices of beef with mounds of roast and boiled potatoes, carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli and cauliflower.

But, as I followed with my succulent slices of turkey, it was difficult not to follow her lead, and we both topped off our bulging plates with stuffing balls and a mammoth Yorkshire pudding before ladelling thick gravy over the offerings.

And the best bit? You can go back again and again for as much veg as you like.

Every mouthful was worth savouring and the veg was cooked to perfection, especially the broccoli and cabbage, which still had a bit of bite to them. My Yorkshire pud was a little frazzled on the edges, but the centre was just the right side of doughy.

I have no idea how I managed to devour the entire plateful, but I hope my gold medal is in the post.

Mrs E wasn’t quite so successful when it came to clearing her gargantuan platter, but said that something from the bountiful sweet menu was calling her name, so she ordered the £3.75 strawberry sensation, a tall glass full of strawberry sauce, vanilla ice cream and strawberries. She said it was much of a muchness, but it did satisfy her sweet tooth.

My only gripe with The Barnes was the slightly slow service, but then Bank Holiday weekend may not have been the best time to visit. We could see that the poor girl serving us was run off her feet, as were other staff, dealing with orders for starters, drinks, puds and off-carvery options.

It would appear I’m not the only one deserving of a medal.

:: Travelling south on the A19, take the turn off for the A690 Durham Road, heading into Sunderland. The Barnes is on the right-hand side around two miles along the road.