The Forge Inn, Ulgham

Apr 1 2007 By The Sunday Sun

It really is amazing what a few rays of sunshine can do for the human spirit.

Even the trusty old Eatsmobile gleamed in the morning sun as we piled aboard before heading out on our latest quest to find another hostelry serving up decent scran.

After trudging out religiously every Sunday in rain, hail or shine, often on deserted roads, it was quite amazing to witness the number of people who had returned to the highways in order to give the world's global warming threat a thorough boost.

The traffic on the A1 was practically nose to tail as we wound our way through Northumberland.

Many of these vehicles were probably having their first outing of the year, and the proud owners looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, while several were plodding along at a very leisurely pace without a care in the world. There is something about sunny Sunday afternoons that fills me with an overwhelming desire to take a stroll in the fresh air and then head for the nearest pub for a pint and a bite to eat.

A lot of people seemed to share the same idea, as many of the hostelries we passed on our travels seemed to be doing a brisk trade judging by the amount of cars outside.

Of course, this is not always a reliable guide. I don't know how many times we've walked into a pub expecting it to be bursting at the seams only to find that there is only one person to every car.

We turned off the A1 and headed into Morpeth where Mrs Eats felt that a walk along the river would be the order of the day so that she could fine tune her appetite.

This did the trick. It was not long before I could detect the familiar rumblings coming from her direction, and when she stepped up the pace it was a sure sign that the hunt for food was about to get underway in earnest.

We jumped back in the Eatsmobile and headed for the small village of Ulgham, just outside Morpeth. Here we found The Forge, a quaint little pub whose signs would certainly benefit from a lick of paint.

There is a public bar, but we headed for the restaurant section which was bright and airy. The room contains an impressive collection of old jugs in every shape and size which makes you feel as if you're sitting in the comfy parlour of an elderly aunt's house.

We chose a table looking out on to the garden. The waitress brought us a couple of menus and I went to a small bar at the back of the room to order a pint of Guinness and a lime and soda for the missus, who had already said that she was happy to take over the controls after lunch.

For starters I ordered the hot garlic mussels priced at £4, while Mrs Eats opted for chicken liver pate at £3.50.

There was a good selection of main courses but the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding once again proved too much of a temptation for She Who Must Be Fed, while I went for the gammon steak.

My mussels, which were no longer in their shells, were nice enough and came with two slices of toast, while Mrs Eats tucked into her pate which also came with toast and a salad garnish. She seemed happy enough with her lot.

Our main courses came with roast potatoes and vegetable dishes that included carrots, turnip, cabbage and cauliflower. This went well with the beef at £6.50 but seemed an odd combination with my gammon at £8.50.

Mrs Eats likes to get her teeth into thick slices of tender meat and was disappointed to be greeted with thin slices on this occasion. But there was nothing wrong with the vegetables, which were cooked to the texture that we like, and my gammon was tasty enough.

I decided that I would skip a dessert in favour of another pint of Guinness but Mrs Eats had no intention of letting the side down and soldiered on bravely by selecting a meringue nest with mandarin segments for £3. This restored a little of her faith as the fruit was surrounded by a mountain of cream.

The Forge does not pretend to be anything that it's not. It is a homely country pub that provides reasonable wholesome food at a reasonable price. Just don't expect anything special.

* Take the A1 and turn into Morpeth where you head for Ashington on the B1337. Continue straight over the new roundabout network and you will come into Ulgham. The Forge is on the right-hand side as you enter the village.