The Pheasant Inn, Stannersburn

Dec 7 2008 by Sunday Sun

ME and the missus read in disbelief this week the tale of disappointed families who forked out hundreds of pounds for the “Lapland New Forest” experience and found it didn’t quite come up to scratch.

Furious punters were a little more forthright, dubbing it “Cr*pland” and some parents even set about Santa and his elves.

Goodwill to all men? Not when you’ve queued for four hours to see Saint Nick only to be told it’ll be another tenner, thank you very much, if you want little Johnny to have his picture taken with him.

They could all do with being a little more chilled, which is, literally, what me and Mrs Eats were on our last search for scran.

Our expedition took us almost as far as Kielder where, coincidentally, the very popular Winter Wonderland attraction is running at the moment.

A winter wonderland of our own awaited as we braved freezing temperatures and drove through winding country lanes lined with trees painted white by the frost.

All very Christmassy it was, too. Mrs E must have agreed as she gave my knee a little squeeze of delight, the shock of which almost made me steer into a ditch.

However, we made it safely to our destination and a much-anticipated feed at one of Northumberland’s finest hostelries . . . the Pheasant Inn at Stannersburn.

The inn is a solid, traditional, stone-built building and the orange glow from its small, deep-set windows looked very welcoming as we pulled up, especially as the temperature outside was starting to drop quickly.

Inside, we found two traditional pub rooms full of olde-worlde nick-nacks and a dedicated dining room, although food could be taken anywhere. After settling for a pint of Wylam Gold and a glass of red for She-Who-Was-About-To-Be-Fed, we secured a corner table next to a roaring fire and congratulated ourselves on our timing as a small crowd of walkers arrived for mid-hike toasties and warming soup.

Scanning the menu, we were a little disappointed to see only two traditional Sunday lunch choices . . . beef and lamb.

I plumped for the lamb, while Mrs E took the beef, both costing a slightly pricey £9.75. They also offer half portions for kids.

In no time at all, our meals arrived and my disappointment turned to unfettered joy at the first taste of the tender lamb, which was coated with a rosemary and redcurrant gravy.

It was, without doubt, the best lamb I’ve tasted in a long time . . . lean, full of flavour and perfectly complemented by the rich, fruity sauce.

The missus was equally impressed with her choice of beef and, for some minutes, we ate in silent appreciation of the fare before us, with only the occasional appreciative noise escaping our lips. Heaven.

Both meals came with boiled potatoes, carrots, broccoli and savoy cabbage — all cooked to perfection — a plump and crisp homemade Yorkshire and . . . no roasties.

It’s true. What came close to being perfection on a plate was let down by the omission of that most necessary Sunday scran item, the roast potato.

However, what we were served is good as it gets, with all ingredients locally sourced and the chef’s knack for getting the simple things spot-on making it a most memorable meal.

We had already skipped over the starters menu, which included soup, pate and toast, and sweet marinade of herring, but the friendly and unobtrusive staff drew our attention to the desserts on offer.

They included chocolate fudge cake, bread and butter pudding made with brioche and marmalade, and apple and orange crumble . . . all at £4.75. A wave of nostalgia saw Mrs E choose the bread and butter pud, while I felt chocolate fudge cake would hit the spot.

And I was right. Served with ice cream — I could have had cream — there was just the right amount to top off the main course without feeling bloated.

She-Who-Had-Now-Been-Fed was chipping away at her dessert with the smallest of bites, and explained that it was so good she didn’t want it to finish! Bless.

It’s testament to the food at The Pheasant that, despite the freezing temperatures and its remote location, punters were still arriving in numbers to sample their winter wonder-ful fare as we left.

Getting there: 20 miles north-west of Hexham and one mile south-east of Kielder Water. Easily accessible from the A68 from Corbridge to Jedburgh or see the map on their website at www.thepheasantinn.com.

Rating: 18/20