The Northumbrian Piper, Fawdon Close, Newcastle

Oct 4 2009 by Eddy Eats, Sunday Sun

We also discovered that although The Northumbrian Piper had been well-known locally for a number of years, it was taken over by its current owners last December, and has since undergone a facelift to tidy it up and bring it bang up to date.

And one thing the owners pride themselves on is the food. It is all fresh and home cooked, and the pub is quickly becoming a popular choice for evening meals, which offer a modern twist as well as traditional classics.

But all we were interested in was our Sunday roast as we took our places at a lovely table in the pub’s dining area. This is a small but perfectly decorated area, with simple furniture and modern décor – clean and inviting.

Sunday lunch is served from noon to 3pm, and then the kitchen returns to it’s normal menu for the rest of the day – although there is the option to dine from the normal menu if – and there’d need to be something wrong with you if this was the case – you didn’t want a roast.

Sunday lunches cost either £4.95 for regular or £6.95 for large – guess which one we went for – while starters and desserts can be selected from the main menu. On our waiter’s recommendation we opted for a sharing platter for two, costing £6. It’s rare that we meet our match, but it’s fair to say that would easily do three or possibly even four people.

It arrived piled high with a selection of chicken wings, potato wedges, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, several chunks of garlic bread, and garlic and barbecue sauce dips.

There wasn’t a bad thing on the plate, and the pair of us stuffed our faces.

Not five minutes after our plate had been taken away, the mains arrived . . . and we both agreed perhaps the regular size would’ve been more than adequate.

There must’ve been half a dozen slices of delicious, tender lamb, a pile of fresh veg including the usual carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, mashed and roast potatoes and lovely big, home-made Yorkshire puds.

Along with this came a jug of lovely thick, meaty gravy which was equally delicious. The pair of us sat almost in silence as we crammed in as much of this gorgeous lunch as we could. It was, without doubt, a damn good Sunday lunch.

Not wanting to let the side down, Mrs Eats somehow saw herself able to order dessert, opting for an ice cream tower for £3. We both tucked in, although we couldn’t manage to finish it.

The Pied Piper was famous for leading away all of the children, and in my opinion, The Northumbrian Piper could soon be famous for leading away all of the diners.

To get to The Northumbrian Piper leave the A1 at the Kingston Park junction, and head the opposite way from the shopping area, up Kingston Park Road. Turn right into Belsay Gardens and follow the road round until it becomes Fawdon Close.