BITE user comments - PeterHenderson
Comments by PeterHenderson
This pub more or less rescued us from a dismal evening in Alston. Arriving in Alston rather tired and fed up after failing to find a campsite in Weardale for the night, we foolishly booked in for bed and breakfast at the Victoria pub in the High Street, which is another story. We then did a quick external assessment of all the pubs in the village - as we tend to do - looking for the one most deserving of our custom for food and beer. We looked at seven. One was the Victoria, which was off the short list anyway. Another had aggressive looking locals standing around outside. One was shut for the evening. A nice looking one didn't do food and in any case was about to stage the village quiz. Two others were boarded up. In desperation, we opted for the Cumberland Hotel, a rather unassuming roadside pub at the foot of the town. It would be hard to fault what we found inside. The menu was extensive, innovative and interesting (and good value). There was a fine choice of good beers. The staff were pleasant and friendly. The place was throbbing with activity. There was even a library of second hand books to peruse and make purchases from. Everything a pub should be.
11 Jul 2008 17:32
This pub has all the atmosphere of a building about to be demolished. When we arrived for bed and breakfast, the place was empty of customers, apart from a table of teenage lads nervously eyeing the door as if expecting the village policeman at any moment. Two very young girls - probably the landlady's children - were also running around. There was no real ale and to order an evening meal would clearly have been foolhardy, so we went to another pub in the village (the Cumberland Hotel) to eat. The following morning, the breakfast confirmed our worst fears about the food. The toast had mould on it, there was no cereal and the fry-up was more of a throw-up. The landlady was nice enough, though.
11 Jul 2008 17:17
What a great place, and everything a pub in a Cornish fishing village should be. There is excellent beer, nice food (including plenty of fresh fish), an interesting interior with old fishing pictures etc, and pleasant, kind bar staff. They even let me put my tent up in the beer garden overnight!
24 May 2008 16:58
This pub should have everything going for it: a central location in a beautiful village of thatched cottages, with a fine old interior and even a resident folk club. Unfortunately this is all spoilt by an unadventurous menu, poorly cooked food, a restricted choice of beer of disappointing quality, and uninterested staff. My partner and I went there for a meal a few days ago, the last night of a walking holiday along the South Downs. The "trout with almonds" I ordered had clearly been microwaved from frozen and was uncooked and only luke warm in the middle. There was no sign of it having been finished in an oven or under a grill. The almonds had presumably simply been poured on top from a cook's jar at the last minute. The landlady looked surprised when I sent it back. When a second one arrived we were assured the cook had "done her best with it" but it was still raw in the middle. We sent that back too. Rather than do the decent thing and apologise in person or offer us something else from the menu, the landlady then simply avoided us. We paid for my partner's meal (adequate but basic) and our drinks and left. It seems such a shame that a pub in such an iconic position in such a pretty village should be run so apparently badly.
25 Apr 2008 13:43
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The Langdon Beck Hotel, Forest-in-Teesdale
This pub is the Tan Hill Inn of Upper Teesdale - remote, basic and seemingly with fires burning whatever the time of year. Even if you haven't traipsed across the moors in a snowstorm to get to it, it's the sort of place that makes you feel as though you have. There was a good selection of decent ales and a nice atmosphere when we were there. Two minor criticisms though: why does everything on the menu come with chips and peas, even dishes with a pasta or rice element to them? If we'd ordered pudding (which we didn't), we'd have half expected chips and peas with that too. And the bed and breakfast was over-priced for what it was. Otherwise, the Langdon Beck Hotel is authentic and original, and you can't say that about many place in these days of Wetherspoonisation and blandism.
11 Jul 2008 17:55