Black Horse, Barlow, Gateshead

Sep 30 2007 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

THERE’S many a time Mrs Eats has told Yours Truly to “go fly a kite”... usually after I’ve come home a bit the worse for wear after a night out with the lads.

But on a recent scranning adventure, kite flying was just what I had in mind.

And I had it on good authority that the Black Horse in Barlow Village, Gateshead, was the perfect spot.

We’re not talking the kind of kite the dad in Mary Poppins recommended though. I mean the living, breathing, super- soaraway red kite that is gradually being brought back to the North East after an absence of 150 years.

Now there can be few pubs in the whole of Britain, let alone the North East, that offer such a wonderful wildlife spectacle as the Black Horse.

Where else would punters set down their pints and eating irons while they race to the window to watch a stunning bird like this soaring majestically just beyond its car park? The Black Horse is bang in the middle of red kite country with panoramic views across Barlow Burn, a small valley which runs parallel to the Derwent valley and it’s the best spot around to come face to face with these feathered friends.

It’s three years since the first young kites were brought up here from down South and released within gliding distance of the MetroCentre.

Initial plans were to reintroduce 80 of the birds but in fact more than 90 have been released in total and they seem to be doing really well. As we scranned we were lucky enough to see one with its magnificent 1.5m (5ft) wingspan.

It’s true to say they’ve become a bit of a tourist attraction but the Black Horse doesn’t seem to have cottoned on to the birds’ marketing possibilities.

While I’m not suggesting the pub changes its name to the Red Kite — well, perhaps not yet — they could give the place a bit of a facelift to entice the eco-tourist pub-grub crowd. A new lick of paint, some freshly sanded floorboards and some nice pine tables might be good for starters. And how about some framed photographs of red kites over the valley or paintings of the same?

The good thing about the restaurant (there’s also a separate bar) is that it has a conservatory-style element with large windows which are great for watching the kites as you eat.

Yet even though we were there on a cool autumn day, most of the windows were covered by Venetian blinds, a necessity in full sunlight but surely not in autumn.

And while they were on with the decorating, they might give an eye to the food as well, which proved to be pretty poor. In fact, even a scavenger like the Red Kite might have turned its beak up at some of it.

Can there be any excuse for dishing up veg that comes from a tin or a jar, for example? Well, the peas and carrots that came as part of our Sunday roasts were of that ilk and the uniformly diced turnip did not appear to have been freshly peeled and chopped either.

Perhaps the cabbage was. But it was so overcooked that it was difficult to tell either way. At a modest £5.95 for a choice of dinners — lamb, beef, pork and turkey plus a vegetarian option of hazelnut and brown rice roast — you might think it rude to complain. But then that’s sometimes the job of a reviewer.

My meat, the lamb, had that processed look and taste about it and Mrs Eats was less than fussed with her turkey. In fact, she left the pub declaring she was having goose this Christmas instead.

The roast potatoes had that hard, been-hanging-around-the-kitchen-too- long feel to them, although the Yorkshire puds were OK.

Oh, I’ve forgotten about the starters . . . understandably too. Mrs Eats had gone for the classic prawn salad at £3.95, which turned out to be a sort of do-it-yourself prawn cocktail with a heap of defrosted shrimps alongside some unshredded lettuce, tomato and a dollop of Marie Rose sauce. Meanwhile, my mushroom soup didn’t taste particularly homemade.

The service was prompt but Mrs Eats would like me to point out that she prefers her waitresses to wear higher-waisted trousers. Menfolk might not agree and I’m saying nowt.

So, being less than impressed with the fare, we passed on their puds and headed instead for the delights of the tea room at nearby Gibside Hall and the mellifluous strains of Easington Colliery Band.

A heavenly slice of chocolate and prune cake for Mrs E and a chunky wedge of carrot and walnut for me and we were no longer brassed off with scranning.

• The Black Horse is in Barlow village south of Winlaton, Gateshead. From Rowlands Gill turn right from the A694, up Hollin Hill Lane (signposted for Thornley Nursery and Thornley Bank Kennels). Past the kennels, turn left at Ashtree Lane and then right on to Barlow Fell Road and after about a mile turn right into Barlow.