Astley Arms, Seaton Sluice, Northumberland

Mar 1 2009 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

They arrived in minutes and were very well received. Mine was huge . . . a massive glass bowl with heaps of prawns.

The sauce had a lovely subtle hint of brandy and the prawn-lettuce ratio was heavily weighted in the shellfish’s direction.

Mrs Eats announced her chicken tikka to be equally tasty, if not half the size. “It would’ve been fine had your’s not been so big,” she moaned as, five minutes after finishing hers, I was still like a North Sea fisherman reeling in the prawns.

We had already paid for our mains, so stepped up to the carvery . . . and another queue. But, at £6.50, it was worth it.

Diners can choose from beef, turkey or gammon, or a selection, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing balls and then help themselves to a feast of vegetables.

I went for beef and turkey, while Mrs Eats plumped for turkey and gammon, with two Yorkshires each — they give you one but ask for two and they’ll happily oblige — and headed to the veg counter.

Here, there was a choice of carrots, turnip, green beans, peas, roasties, cauliflower cheese and new potatoes, with gravy and sauces on a separate table.

We piled our plates high, headed to our seats and dug in. It was fantastic. Neither of us could fault it, but it was a case of eyes way too big for our bellies as we couldn’t finish it.

All in all, it was a good feed. The veg was spot on, the meat was perfect and the gravy was rich and meaty. The only downside was the sheer amount of queuing we had to do once inside, but that, I guess, comes with the territory . . . this place is good, and people know it’s good. Prepare to wait . . . it’s worth it.

:: To get to the Astley Arms, head into Seaton Sluice and make your way to the coast and the A183 Links road. The pub is on the main road a couple of hundred yards north from the roundabout where the A183 meets the A190.