The Plough Inn, Mitford, Northumberland

Oct 11 2009 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

Character: 3
Quality: 3
Service: 4
Value: 4
Rating: 14/20

Telephone: 01670 512587
Food served: Noon till 4pm
Drinks: Pint of lager £2.30, pint of bitter £2, orange juice 40p, small glass of wine £2.60, gin and tonic £3

PERHAPS it was a good job that there was no menu to cast our eyes over when we took the Eatsmobile through the Northumberland countryside to The Plough Inn at Mitford, a few miles west of Morpeth.

You see, Mrs Eats was finding it hard to concentrate on the purpose of our outing – Sunday lunch. It was the fault of the guys in Lycra.

Of course, she claims not to like “that sort of thing”. She says all those “lumps and bumps” could put you off your food. Yet she spent a long time staring at the group of cyclists who’d stopped off for lunch at The Plough the other Sunday.

And she certainly wasn’t put off her food . . . and there was plenty of it. And good stuff it was, too.

A friend had recommended the pub, which we hadn’t visited for a few years. “Always friendly. Nothing too fancy, but good home food,” he’d said. And so it proved to be.

Mitford is an attractive village, complete with river and a thatched cottage. The Plough is brick-built with a rather utilitarian look to the outside. The inside is traditional, quite cosy, really, and – as our friend had said – very welcoming.

I ordered a pint of Pedigree – cool, refreshing and rather good – and a small glass of wine, actually a small bottle. And we were shown to a cosy corner table, from where Mrs Eats discovered her excellent vantage point.

Within moments our host came to the table. “The choice is pork, beef or turkey,” he said. “Or you can have a slice of each.” No menu. No given price. But a very friendly smile.