Cheers North East magazine #52 - July-August 2015

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cheers WWW.CHEERSNORTHEAST.CO.UK // JULY/AUGUST 2015 // ISSUE 52

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1st July - 31st August Participating outlets: LEEDS & HUDDERSFIELD

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WELCOME Here we are, school’s out for summer and the beer gardens and terraces are ready to soak up the sun. Well, that’s the hope, anyway. There’s nothing that pleases us more than the prospect of al fresco drinking and dining when the sun’s over the yardarm. It makes us think we’re sur le continong and being very international in our habits. Having said that, there have been a few times already when it’s a relief to get out of the heat and into a dimly-lit bar for a bit of respite and some welcome peace and quiet (though most landlords would disagree with that). At least, the licensed trade was spared a dose of austerity in George Osborne’s July Budget. As for the heat, I heard a comment earlier this month outside Newcastle Labour Club that I’d never, ever expect to hear in the city. A chap was wheezing into his cigarette and turned to his female companion and said: “That’s a lovely breeze, isn’t it?” We’ve got a broad range of subject matter as usual in this issue – highlighting The Strawberry, Box Social Brewing, Newcastle’s new micropub, and downing a few pints in an English pub in Moscow, which wasn’t as bizarre as we’d imagined it might be. And you could do worse than support as many of the summer events we’ve sourced for you. Some of them even involve beer. Have a great summer and you’ll know the temperature is already too high when you hear: “That’s a lovely breeze, isn’t it?” Alastair Gilmour Editor, Cheers North East

CONTENTS 22

Tyneside rockers Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell are about to take The Lindisfarne Story on national tour. We managed to sit them down to talk about the band’s longevity and how pubs are interwoven with the very fabric of music and creativity. In fact, Ray reckons without pubs there would have been no Lindisfarne – it’s they wrote songs, sang songs, rehearsed songs and worked out a few tunes. Billy’s first-ever gig was in a pub and the experience didn’t appear to put him off. Obviously the years have rolled on and the pair take a much more measured approach to their time away from performing – but read that in our main feature.

COVER: RAY LAIDLAW, LEFT, AND BILLY MITCHELL GET SOME PRE-TOUR PRACTICE. PHOTOGRAPH: PETER SKELTON

THE SATURDAY OF THAT WEEKEND SAW THE BIGGESTEVER DAY’S TAKINGS IN MY 15 YEARS HERE MICHAEL HILL, THE STRAWBERRY, NEWCASTLE

EDITORIAL 01661 844 115 07930 144 846 Alastair Gilmour alastair@cheersnortheast.co.uk @CheersPal www.cheersnortheast.co.uk We are tweeting. Follow us @cheers_ne

MEET ME ON THE CORNER

04 11 12 14

LATEST NEWS UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES MONSTERS OF MASHING A DAZZLER IN MOSCOW

16 24 34 38

STRAWBERRY RIPENING A SUMMER OF EVENTS STAKES HIGH ON MENUS FUN WITH FUN STUFF

PUBLISHED BY:

ADVERTISING 01661 844 115 Gillian Corney gillian@offstonepublishing.co.uk Emma Howe emma@offstonepublishing.co.uk

Publishers: Jane Pikett & Gary Ramsay Unit One, Bearl Farm Stocksfield Northumberland NE43 7AJ

Photography: Peter Skelton

enquiries@offstonepublishing.co.uk twitter: @offstonepublish www.offstonepublishing.co.uk

OUR SPONSORS

Wylam Brewery

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for omissions and errors. All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. When you have finished with this magazine please recycle it


NEWS

HUGE THANKS TO THE GOOD GUIDE GUIDES CRUISIN’ ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON

The 5th Annual Rock & Roll Charity Bike Cruise sets off from The Schooner, Gateshead, on Sunday August 9 for the 25mile round trip to Wylam. This year’s charity beneficiaries are The Stroke Association, Alzheimer’s Society and Daft As A Brush. Last year there were 91 participants so pub owners Dave and Julie Campbell are hoping to crack 100 this time and also beat the previous best fundraising figure of £5,407. The ride is a fun event, not a race, and takes in a few fine ale establishments en route. Visit www.theschooner.co.uk Better still, pop into the pub for an information pack.

4 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

One of the country’s most prominent beer writers and commentators has been on Tyneside for a whirlwind tour of our pubs and breweries. Roger Protz (right), editor of the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) Good Beer Guide, was working on a commission for licensed industry publication, the Morning Advertiser, charting the changing face of the North East pub scene. He doubled up by taking notes for the Good Beer Guide for its new city focus that will include Newcastle in the 2016 edition. It amounted to quite a bit of work in two days, but former Head of Steam managing director Tony Brookes made sure Roger had a cast-iron itinerary, while Wylam Brewery’s Matt Boyle subsequently took over the chaperone reins, accompanied by local Camra member Gary Taylor, for a tour of the city. Roger visited Tyne Bank, Wylam, Out There, Hop & Cleaver, Tavernales (Bridge Tavern), Northern Alchemy and Three Kings breweries

as well as The Low Lights Tavern in North Shields and the Free Trade Inn, Cumberland Arms and Crown Posada in Newcastle. With that level of attention, he has just got to have been impressed.


NEWS

GRACIE FEELS THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY A sister company of County Durham-based Sonnet 43 Brew House is set to shake up the North East spirits scene – and make history at the same time. Poetic License Independent Small Batch Distillery will be Sunderland’s first distillery when production

starts this summer at the Roker Hotel, right on the seafront. Believed to be the first in-house distillery outside London, it will produce craft spirits through a range of gins, vodkas, rums and even absinthe.

Sonnet 43 and Poetic License come under the Tavistock Hospitality umbrella and the company has expanded neatly into niche beer and spirits production and quality pubs such as The Lambton Worm in Chester le Street since the brewery opened at Coxhoe in 2012. Unsurprisingly, Mark Hird, Tavistock Hospitality’s managing director, said moving into distilling felt like a natural progression. “We feel we can now expand and use the skills and knowledge we have developed in the brewing world in the distilling industry,” he said. “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of what we do, and this is the proof.” The distillery’s centrepiece is a 500-litre pot still named Gracie. Drinkers can watch the production process as it happens through huge glass panels – sipping cocktails made with the boutique spirits created in front of them. Poetic License (whose brand ethos is “to be at liberty to deviate from conventional rules”) will concentrate on three core products to begin with, producing fewer than 300 bottles at a time. Northern Dry Gin, Old Tom Gin and Graceful Vodka are to be sold within the Roker Hotel bar itself and also online and to the wider trade – retailers and wholesalers. Sonnet 43 Brew House is preparing to launch a new craft keg range later this year, which is expected to complement its current five core cask beers.

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 5


NEWS

WALLOWING IN AWARDS GLORY A former Northumberland cinema and theatre where Ant & Dec made their stage debut in the 1980s has been recognised for architectural excellence – as a pub. The Wallaw in Blyth has been highly commended in the prestigious Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Pub Design Awards alongside The Harrogate Tap at Harrogate Station, North Yorkshire. The JD Wetherspoon-owned

Wallaw, which opened in December 2013 following a £2.1m development, was one of the stars in the “conversion to pub use” category in the annual competition, run by Camra in conjunction with English Heritage. Sean Murphy, Pub Design Awards judge and competition organiser, said: “The awards celebrate the architects, designers and pub owners who have the bravery and vision to go above and beyond when

Film star: The Wallaw in Blyth

restoring, conserving or designing pub buildings.” The Wallaw – which closed in 2004 – is a splendid, brick-faced former 1930s cinema, named after its first owner, Walter Lawson. Pub manager Phil Riddle said: “It has been a landmark in the town for many years and, since opening as a pub in December 2013, has become a great

addition to the Blyth community.” The Grade-II listed, Art-Deco Wallaw was built in 1937 as a theatre with seating for 1,441 patrons before becoming a cinema. The original main projector from the cinema is the centrepiece in the main entrance space of the pub. A feature 3D artwork, made of film reels found on the site, is also on display.

The Blue Bell A warm welcome to customers old & new

New Summer Menu Available - Open All Day For Food 3 Casks . Dogs Welcome . Beer Garden . Wednesday Quiz Night - 9pm includes Free Supper OPENING TIMES: Monday closed Tue - Sun 12 -11, Food served 12-9, Sunday lunch 12 -3 17 Mt Pleasant, West Mickley, Stocksfield

tel: 01661 843146 6 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

ANARCHY IS CHANGING...


NEWS

Muckle happy: Martin Hammill toasts to a fish

The Steamboat SUNDERLAND & SOUTH TYNESIDE CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2015 DOG

FRIENDLY

PUB

27 MILL DAM, SOUTH SHIELDS, NE33 1EQ

(0191) 454 0134

LING-GER OVER A DRINK TO THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY Regular readers will be aware that Hadrian Border brewing manager Martin Hammill is a keen fisherman – indeed, he spent several years working professionally in the North Sea. But he has perhaps unwittingly laid down a challenge. While fishing off Muckle Flugga lighthouse, north of Shetland in 400 feet of North Atlantic, he

landed a monster ling weighing in at 42lb, the biggest fish of the trip. Naturally, he celebrated with one of his own beers, Grainger Ale, on the foredeck of the ship. “It’s possibly the most northerly bottle of our beer consumed in Britain so far – if not the world,” says Martin. Do any of our intrepid readers know different? Bet you do (info@cheersnortheast.co.uk).

A WHISKY A DAY KEEPS AGEING AT BAY A great-grandfather from Sunderland, who at 111 was believed to be Europe’s oldest man, has died in India where he was spending time with his family. Nazar Singh’s death came shortly after he had celebrated his birthday on June 8 by sending pictures back home showing him with a pint of lager and a whisky chaser. Born on a farm in Punjab, Singh moved to the West Midlands

in 1965 where he worked in a foundry, then on retiring in 1989, came to the North East to live with one of his nine children. His grandson Harvinder Gill described him as “an incredible chap”. The secret of his longevity? “Good family, good food and happiness,” he would say. Singh only gave up gardening at 107 and enjoyed drinking milk and almond oil – but had a drop of whisky every night.

QUOTE “I’M AS DRUNK AS A LORD. BUT THEN I AM ONE, SO WHAT DOES IT MATTER?” BERTRAND RUSSELL

High House Farm Brewery Restaurant, Tea Room, Wedding & Function Venue

Tuesday Lunch Time Special A main course from the specials board, something sweet from our selection of home baked goodies & a cup of tea or coffee.

£6.50 Near Matfen, Northumberland, NE20 0RG T: 01661 886192 E: info@highhousefarmbrewery.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 7


NEWS

SPECIAL WORD MAKES A COMEBACK

A slight change of name is expected to clarify a North Yorkshire beer’s identity. Black Sheep Ale has been given a facelift, reverting to the nearoriginal name of Special Ale when it was first brewed more than 20 years ago. Black Sheep Special Ale is a 4.4% abv premium strength cask ale with a crisp, dry and bittersweet flavour and rich fruit aromas. It is produced with Maris Otter malted barley, Challenger and Progress hops and crystal malt that helps to deliver its rich flavour and darker colouring. It is the same high quality liquid as its much-loved 500ml bottled version which is currently experiencing its highest-ever sales due to growing national popularity. As for cask, high quality new clips bearing the

new name Special Ale are available for pubs in a premium, engraved wood finish. Jo Theakston, Black Sheep sales and marketing director, said: “Black Sheep Special Ale was first brewed in 1993 as a counterpoint to our session favourite Best Bitter and whilst it has never lost its ‘special’ feel and place in our hearts, over the years the word was dropped from the brand. “It’s time to bring that back – with a rustic new look – because we want to bring more character to the beer at the point of purchase and have a stronger bar call.”

AHA, IT’S YET ANOTHER WIN

For the seventh year running, Russian River’s double IPA, Pliny the Elder (8.0% abv), has been voted America’s best commercial beer. Members of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) – the publisher of Zymurgy magazine – voted for up to 20 of their favourite beers in an online poll. More than 19,000 votes were received for almost 6,000 different beers from 1,763 breweries. As in recent years, flavourful IPAs and double IPAs were crowd favorites, making up eight of the top 10 beers. “I say it every year, but we really are honoured and humbled,” said Vinnie Cilurzo, co-founder and brewmaster at Russian River. “There are so many great beers out there.” AHA top five beers: 1 Russian River Pliny the Elder

2 Bell’s Two Hearted Ale 3 Ballast Point Sculpin IPA 4 Stone Enjoy By IPA 5 Founders Breakfast Stout AHA top five breweries: 1 Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa, California 2 Stone Brewing Co, Escondido, California 3 Bell’s Brewery Inc, Kalamazoo, Michigan 4 Founders Brewing Co, Grand Rapids, Michigan 5 Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Paso Robles, California.

There’s neigh beer like Wylam...

8 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk


SJF "July" 210x297 (kids) NELifestyle (aw) 26/06/2015 10:18 Page 1

SPECIALS

A warm SPECIALS winter welcome awaits Come out of the cold and join us at one of our Great Food Pubs across the North East or stylish Café Royal restaurant and enjoy hospitality the way it should be. Proudly serving locally produced homemade food using only the freshest and finest ingredients, you’ll find a delicious range of comforting winter favourites. You can also savour a handsome selection of beers, handpicked ales, wines and spirits all served in a warm, family-friendly atmosphere. To book the place to be this winter pop into one of our venues for a menu or visit

www.sjf.co.uk

MONDAY ~ FRIDAY (12NOON -6PM)* 1ST JULY - 31ST AUGUST Enjoy summer the way it should be with great food, great drink and great hospitality. Throughout the summer, come rain or shine, you can also enjoy our great family special where KIDS EAT FREE* * Terms & Conditions: One child eats free from the Children’s menu (main course & dessert value £5.95) with every adult purchasing a main meal from our current menu, child menu for those 10yrs and under.

The green

RIDLEY ARMS • THE PAVILION TWIN FARMS • THE GREEN THE MANOR HOUSE • CAFÉ ROYAL FITZGERALD’S QUIZ NIGHT • FAMILY FRIENDLY • COVERED OUTDOOR TERRACE

white mare pool

White Mare Pool, Wardley, Gateshead NE10 8YB • T: 0191 495 0171

www.sjf.co.uk


PUB NEWS

§

The Adam and Eve Re-launch event Friday 7th August from 5pm onwards: Live music Food and cocktail samples from our brand new menus All welcome

Open daily from early

Sunday Lunch served from 12pm

§

§

Ask about our Believe it Loyalty Card for great all year round offers

Weekly specials nights Wide range of craft and cask

Find us on Facebook Follow us on twitter and Instagram

Seconds out: Contenders at The York Tap

PUB TAPS THE POTENTIAL OF THE BIG BEER FIGHT NIGHT How do you think a battle between Black Grouse and Black Harry would turn out? Wolf versus Lord Marples? A Battle of the Beers involving Allendale Brewery from Northumberland and Derbyshire-based Thornbridge commenced at The York Tap on York Station – and although there was only going to be one winner, it was a close call. “The line up on the night was spectacular,” says Khaled Abdulgani, bar manager at The York Tap. “We showcased a new Saison and a California Common from Allendale, whilst Thornbridge dry-hopped a few of their classics, so there were new and exciting beers all round.” Customers were handed the opportunity to vote for their favourite beers with sales and

feedback taken into consideration, but it was a “tweaked” version of one of the UK’s best beers that provided the howitzer moment. “It was a really tight battle, only 10 pints separated the two breweries,” says Khaled. “But on the night it was the dry-hopped Jaipur that made the difference and won it for Thornbridge.” “The evening provided a unique networking opportunity between the breweries and ale drinkers – and that was actually the real winner, so we’ll do something like this again. “Allendale head brewer Neil Thomas said it was a dream come true to be pitching against one of his most inspiring breweries – and that’s really what made the event so special as opposed to a traditional tap-takeover.”

YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND Bohemian Rhapsody is about to get another Czech connection. Classic rock band Queen is launching a beer brewed by Protivin Brewery in South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Brewery owners Pivovary Lobkowicz Group has announced that the Pilsnerstyle beer with a distinctive hop character will feature designs from the band’s A Night At The 10 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Opera album cover, which was released in November 1975. This year marks its 40th anniversary. It’s is not the first time Queen has babbled in alcohol. The band released a Latvian vodka called Killer Queen in 2014 – again on the 40th anniversary of that particular song. According to a press release at the time, vodka was former frontman Freddie Mercury’s favourite drink.


PUB NEWS

UNDERNEATH THE ARCHES

The populist wave of micropubs has lapped into Newcastle, as Alastair Gilmour discovers Former paramedic officer Mark Hall is pleased he was listening to Chris Evans on Radio Two one morning. The presenter was interviewing Martyn Hillier, the man who started the micropub movement in 2005 when he opened the tiny Butchers Arms in a vacant shop in Kent. Hillier’s pub idea – no television, gaming machines, just conversation – has spread throughout the country, driven by more relaxed planning and licensing laws regarding premises change of use. Mark was considering a new career after spending the last few years as an NHS Trust “troubleshooter”, so being a man who likes his beer, he started thinking what a good idea it was. He eventually settled on an archway in Forth Street, Newcastle, where several enterprises have

come and gone and several more have been a great success. It’s not just location, location, location, it’s business model, business model, business model. Mark’s new, 50-seater micropub, The Split Chimp, opened in early June and each week has seen business and awareness increase from the previous one. Beers are mainly from “incredibly helpful” local microbreweries such as Almasty, Cullercoats, Hadrian Border, Box Social, Sonnet 43, Allendale and Tyne Bank. Those from further afield include Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. Beer from the wood supplied by North Shields-based Three Kings brewery has proved a real hit, too. The pub has a main bar and mezzanine floor which acts as more of a lounge where customers tend

to head for. Perhaps it’s the comfort of the Chesterfield sofa or the deep-buttoned wing chairs but a mix of squat stools and high chairs give people plenty of options – or maybe it’s the thrill of being right under the rumble of the East Coast Main Line that’s compelling. The main bar’s counter front is actually a fridge for bottled beers – customers can simply reach in and fish out what takes their fancy. There is no traditional cellar so casks are stacked behind the counter, swathed in cooling jackets

linked to a chiller unit to keep the beer at the right temperature. “We’ve been attracting a real mixed crowd of all ages,” says Mark. “We only do snacks like crisps but we get sausage rolls in from The Sausage Emporium made with Mordue Workie Ticket which have been going really well.” The Split Chimp name is apparently derived from the wooden wedge that props a cask up and keeps it steady. Mark Hall took it to heart; he’s not shifting.

NOW OPEN after Major refurbishment

THE WHITE SWAN (OVINGHAM) Only a 2 minute walk from Prudhoe train station! Open every day from 12 noon

REAL ALES ON TAP NEW Menu - food served everyday - Daily Specials Board Traditional Sunday Lunch 12 noon - 5 pm Beer Garden with childrens play area - Families & cyclists welcome - Dog friendly QUIZ NIGHT EVERY TUESDAY - starts 9.15 pm free supper! ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTS JULY: Fri 17th - Gas Lighters, Sat 18th - Rock Monster, Sat 25th - Riff Hounds Fri 31st - Lyrical Whisky feat Jazz Riot

Main Road, Ovingham, Northumberland, NE42 6AG tel: 01661 833 188 www.whiteswan-ovingham.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 11


BREWERIES

MASHTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

When we think of brewers producing different beers we tend to think that it’s only the ingredients and quantities they play around with. The brewing principle itself is pretty much universal but Cheers has discovered that there are different strokes for different folks – literally. Take mashing-in “paddles”, for example. There’s a huge range in the simple piece of equipment that basically makes sure that malted grains are mixed thoroughly with

boiling water to create a liquor. It seems to be when it comes to stirring, it’s a case of each to his own. Ewan McCann at Three Kings Brewery in North Shields says: “My tool for mashing-in is an ordinary garden rake customised by Ray the welder over the road. We removed the wooden handle and replaced it with a stainless steel one. It works perfectly.” Wylam Brewery brewer Ben Wilkinson has used an actual canoe paddle in the past – but the

Great mix: Ben Wilkinson at Wylam Brewery

6 Handpulls Serving a rotating selection of local ales and ciders 10 keg lines featuring premium lagers, beers & ciders from around the world Over 2 dozen gins with an extensive range of tonics Freshly prepared food served everyday until 9pm (5pm Sundays) Amazing Sunday Lunches Minstrel Gallery function room available to hire Dogs (and their well behaved owners) welcome Free Wifi @BlackbirdPontNE

Blackbird Ponteland

Tel: 01661822684 bookings@theblackbirdponteland.co.uk www.theblackbirdponteland.co.uk

12 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

THE SWINBURNE ARMS

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

• 5 Hand Pulls with Local Real Ales on rotation • Beer Garden / Sandwiches & Bar Snacks served daily OPENING TIMES

Mon: 3pm - 11pm Tue 11am - 2pm / 3pm - 11pm Wed: 3pm - 11pm Thur: 11am -2pm / 3pm - 11pm Fri: 3pm - 11pm Sat 12pm - 11pm Sun: 11am - 11pm

31 Northside, Stamfordham, Newcastle upon Tyne NE18 0QG Tel: 01661 886 015


Whisker: Carl Kennedy, Northern Alchemy

Holy grail: The Stables’ paddle

high temperatures caused the plastic to buckle. He recently sourced a high-quality, foodgrade “spatula” from a French catering equipment company, exactly the same as those used to stir huge vats of curry. “I use it more as a hop paddle,” says Ben. “We get a great mix anyway when the mash comes down through a really tight tube but it helps to use the paddle. It can stand

Raking in: Ewan McCann’s simple solution

very high levels of temperature, so it’s great for the job.” Northern Alchemy brewers Andy Aitchison and Carl Kennedy have taken the hi-tech route at their shipping container brewhouse perched next to the Cumberland Arms in Byker, Newcastle. They make the most of an industrial plaster mixer, swearing by its efficiency. “It not only pushes the mixture down but also

upwards which we think makes all the difference,” says Carl. Looking much like the paddle we’d immediately recognise as boating equipment – except for the holes – is what John Taylor uses at The Stables Brewery at Beamish Hall, County Durham. “I carved it myself out of a plank of sycamore,” says the ever-resourceful John. “It does the job really well.”

Artisan Ales and Craft Beers Core range available now, plus seasonal specials. Tel: 07803791761 e: info@boxsocial.pub www.boxsocial.pub Twitter: @boxsocialbeer Find us on facebook: boxsocialbrewing www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 13


VIEW FROM ABROAD: MOSCOW

THE BEST OF OLD TRAFFORD Lunch in a Manchester United supporters pub has Alastair Gilmour in raptures. But it’s in Moscow

IPA DAY 2015

THURSDAY 6TH AUGUST 4PM - LATE

The Fox & Hounds

(COALIES) • 6 REAL ALES ON TAP • SUNDAY LUNCHES • BEER GARDEN - CHILDREN WELCOME • QUIZ NIGHT - WEDNESDAYS (FRIENDLY BANTER) COALBURNS, GREENSIDE, TYNE AND WEAR, NE40 4JN, TELEPHONE 0191 4132549 14 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

When you discover there’s a pub in Moscow with a framed cover of Cheers on the wall, what’s an editor to do but go and see it for himself? So we did. We had been invited to the Bobby Dazzler British-themed pub a year ago when its owner Alex Merenkov paid a visit to The Stables Brewery at Beamish Hall, County Durham, along with around 20 of his staff whom he treats to UK beer tours on an annual basis. On their way from Scotland they arranged a meeting with Stables brewer John Taylor – who brews a beer called Bobby Dazzler in homage to Sir Robert Shafto (Bonny Bobby Shafto) the former Durham MP who lived at Beamish Hall and is celebrated in nursery rhyme with “silver buckles on his knee”. “Come next year and see what we do,” said Alex. “Britishness is very popular in Russia; many people love England from learning about it at school. There are a lot of British traditions that people like.” The Cheers cover from June 2014 features a smiling Alex Aksenov, a popular sports journalist who happens to spend quite a bit of time in Bobby Dazzler, so now it sits in a gilt frame alongside footballers (Bobby Dazzler football fans are big on Manchester United) and dogs. Bobby, or Bobu, is a favoured name for a dog in Russia and one

features on the pub logo. I have to admit to some apprehension at heading for a sports bar which I imagined was lined with television screens and speakers and dripping with Man U regalia, selling beer I could get at home – particularly as our time in Moscow was tight. I was also concerned our hosts would sense my disappointment that the pub wasn’t quite Russian enough. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Sure, there’s a corner featuring Best and Charlton and Giggs and Scholes and red and white. There are a few modest flat screens, and founts dispensing Spitfire and Bishop’s Finger, but Bobby Dazzler is a bobby dazzler – a brilliant corner pub in a desirable city suburb that oozes ambience and friendliness. Alex Merenkov introduced us (John and Joanne Taylor and myself) to the pub chef, a German by the name of Adolf Becker whose forte is fusing culinary cultures. “It’s hard to get Russians to eat German and English dishes,” he said. “So what I do is English and German with a Russian twist.” He chuckled at his own ingenuity – in fact Adolf chuckles and smiles a lot. That kind of guy. A sharing platter of carpaccio was set down. The thinly sliced raw meat served with a bean and rocket salad was the appetizer we were looking for – along with our Fullers London


Pride. “We’re the only place in Moscow that that serves carpaccio for lunch,” says Adolf, but his twinkle suggests he’s telling a pork pie. A plate of Bavarian sausage with wonderful vermicellistyle cheese topped with a pretzel was somehow also squeezed onto the table. He then presented a dish of salmon and king prawn sausages with sweet chilli sauce and grilled courgettes, which was sensational – as was the leg of Bavarian lamb and more sausage that followed. “You want very good tasting food to have with tasty beer,” said Adolf, as if it were justification for slipping fish and chip goujons in front of us. The battered cod was fresh and moist and, like everything else, took us by surprise. Adolf told us the pub goes through three thousand portions of fish and chips a month which are done in garlic “to lift the flavour”. “I want quality, quantity I don’t need, it’s expensive,” he said. Bobby Dazzler was a revelation. Fellow diners were more mature than you’d find in an equivalent British sports bar; the food was faultless and the beer, like everything else, was as good as the brewer intended with prices on a par with what we pay in the North East. “Bobu also keeps dark spirits away,” said Alex Merenkov. Now, that I can believe. www.bobbydazzler.ru

Top dog: Bobby Dazzler sports bar in Moscow. Left: Chef Adolf Becker and one of his amazing culinary creations

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 15


COMMERCIAL FEATURE: ACTON ALES

Acton Ales “For those who know”

From left to right: John Pringle Sir John Hall Michael Sproat

As one of South Northumberland’s newest breweries, but with over 18 years experience in the real ale industry, Acton Ales is now developing into one the North East’s most exciting microbreweries.

The Joiners Arms, Northumberland’s only 5* Coaching Inn, are proud to support Acton Ales

The newly-formed relationship between founder/master brewer Paul Johnson and Michael Sproat and John Pringle from the Portland Bar & Grill in Ashington, will see Acton Ales take the next step in its quest to provide that allencompassing real ale experience,

The Plough at Mitford Fine food, Quality Ales, Lagers & Spirits

....................

On the beautiful Northumberland coastline...

.................... Contact us to book your visit

01665 576 112

info@joiners-arms.com | www.joiners-arms.com Newton-by-the-sea, Northumberland NE66 3EA

16 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

With a warm welcome from Dean & Alyson Supports Action Ales


COMMERCIAL FEATURE: ACTON ALES with a selection of ales in both cask and bottles to both new and existing customers, that they believe (and quite rightly so) you justly deserve. Under the watchful eye of master brewer and longtime ale enthusiast Paul, the group will adhere to Acton Ales’ original ethos of priding itself in taking the best ingredients and incorporating them with traditional methods to produce the finest quality ales . The powerful combination of Paul’s dedication, expertise and unquestionable passion – and an added injection of investment from Michael and John, with the initial purchase of two new 25BBL (FV’s) to increase the brewing output, along side SIBA membership - will see the business take the next and natural step, introducing new and exciting products to its already extensive range that includes the popular Seahouses, American Dark Knight and Golden Cocker. But why stop there? From July all “Acton Ales” product will be

available in 500ml bottles. One of the brewery’s biggest supporters is local millionaire property developer and former Newcastle United chairman, Sir John Hall. In 2012, miner’s son Sir John agreed to spearhead efforts to regenerate the economy in his hometown of Ashington. Sir John has been Chair of Ashington Town Team since it was established in 2012 by local businesses and community organisations and never misses an opportunity to champion positive investments that help to ‘put Ashington on the map. A regular visitor to the Portland Bar & Grill, Sir John recognises the efforts being made by the brewery to create jobs within the community while supporting other local businesses as they develop. Don’t just take Sir John’s word for it, try them for yourself and savour the flavour of Acton Ales.

2 Castle Island Way, North Seaton Ashington Northumberland NE630XL T: 077 0770 3182

Riverdale Hall Hotel COUNTRY HOUSE & RESTAURANT

THE PORTLAND BAR & GRILL

Ashington's premier venue serving home cooked pub grub, Sunday carvery, beer garden, quality ale. Alongside our Licence wedding venue & function room The Portland Bar & Grill has it all... Station Road Ashington NE63 8hg 01670857020

Tel: 01434 220254 • email: reservations@riverdalehallhotel.co.uk www.riverdalehallhotel.co.uk • www.bellinghamgolfclub.com

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 17


PUB NEWS

STRAWBERRY FEELS FOREVER

The front door is 27 yards from the Gallowgate stairs at St James’ Park. It’s the classic meeting place for Newcastle United fans and probably the best known football pub in the country. The Strawberry, however, is much more than simply a place where a few lunchtime pints raise expectations only for the beer to be served with a dash of frustration come the final whistle. The Strawberry three kings Advert.pdf is 1a terrific 30/10/2014 city-centre pub with a friendly atmosphere, a

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Striking The Strawberry is a mere kick away from St James’ Park

great range of ales and a menu that many a dedicated eating-place would do well to take a slice from. The NUFC memorabilia is the first thing you notice – framed photos of the club’s greats hang alongside scarves, pennants and matchday programmes. Here a Mac, there a Nobby, everywhere a Gazza. And such is its affinity with The Toon, The Strawberry changed its name 18:33a couple of years ago for a short spell to La Fraise, in honour of its heavily French-

influenced squad. The pub layout itself is simple and squarely proportioned with lots of standing room, although there’s enough seating to satisfy the busiest city shopper – and as one would expect from a sports-focused clientele, televisions flicker away and gaming machines flash their eyes at would-be punters. An impressive selection of cask ales supports local enterprises with the likes of Jarrow Rivet Catcher, High House Farm Nettle


Terrace seat: Michael Hill Beer, Acton Brewery Seahouses and Panda Frog Alletic Drift, plus Deuchars IPA heading the away team. Food is of the all-day-fuel variety that includes giant Yorkshire puddings filled with chicken curry, sausage and mash or roast beef. A great value favourites list features fish and chips (£3.99) and 10oz rump steak (£5.99) with sandwiches, toasties, nachos and sharing platters keeping partners Caroline Austin and Michael Hill on their toes between kitchen, bar and tables. The pub’s name originates from the mid-1700s when the nuns of St Bartholomew’s in nearby Newgate Street tended extensive strawberry gardens, making wine out of their booty. And we have much to be thankful for to one John Brunton. His 1859 will stated that his executors should “leave all that tenement or dwelling house, the lower part whereof to be used as a beer house”. Imminent plans will see the upstairs converted into another bar area with access to the sunny rooftop terrace at the

rear. This is expected to be ready for the Rugby World Cup matches that St James’ Park is to host in October, a huge event that Michael is thoroughly anticipating, if Rugby League’s recent Magic Weekend is anything to go by. “The Saturday of that weekend saw the biggest-ever day’s takings in my 15 years here,” he says. “Actually, I think the Sunday was even more than that. It was one of the best sporting weekends ever for the city – the atmosphere was electric with 12 teams competing. “Even when it was Hull versus Hull, each set of supporters were singing ‘we hate Hull’. I was thinking, what part of Hull do you all hate?” “And there was not an ounce of bother – rugby folk know how to drink, too. They simply took over the pub and the city and didn’t want to leave.” Newcastle United’s Premier League season kicks off on Sunday August 8 with the visit of Southampton (1.30pm). It’s the start of another set of magic weekends for The Strawberry.

THE DUKE FIGHTS BACK The Duke of Wellington in High Bridge, Newcastle, has new owners – and has benefited from a minor facelift. But the biggest change is that the Duke and all his exploits are celebrated once

again on the pub walls. Out have gone the black-and-white prints of Hollywood stars to be replaced by images of Waterloo’s hero, which at least gives some purpose to the decoration.

Open 10am - 11pm, Monday - Saturday, food served between 12 noon - 9pm. Open 10am - 11pm Sunday, food served between 12 noon and 8pm.

Andy and Susan Smith, and staff would like to welcome you to the new Twice Brewed.

freshly made food with a twist, new wine list, 6 real ales, world beers and spirits. Bar, restaurant and beer garden. 16 letting bedrooms.

Phone: (+44) 01434 344534 Email: twicebrewedinn@outlook.com

A warm welcome to customers old and new Bringing a new look, with new menus, a new chef and a new pub experience to Seaton Delaval. Classic Menu served 6 days a week. Sunday Lunch @ The Hastings 1 Course £6.95 2 courses £9.45 3 courses £11.45 Live Music every Friday & Sunday.

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Thursday: 11.00 - 23.30 Friday & Saturday: 11.00 - 00.30 | Sunday: 12.00 - 23.30

Wheatridge Row Seaton Delaval Northumberland NE25 0QH Tel: 0191 2376868 www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 19


BEER O’CLOCK

SNAP CRACKLE AND SLURP

World leaders agree – drinking beer at breakfast time is officially OK. Well it would seem that if two of the most powerful people on the planet think so, why shouldn’t we follow suit? Accompanied by beer, sausages and men in lederhosen last month, Barak Obama received a warm welcome to the Bavarian Alps from Angela Merkel before two days of intensive G7 Summit negotiations. He then asked Merkel if the talks could be held outside “over a glass of beer” rather than at Schloss Elmau, the luxury hotel where the seven world leaders were meeting. So, the two leaders sat down to a breakfast of the local sausage weisswurst, a glass of banana and clove-flavoured weissbier and

pretzels, all of them appearing to swig back the beer, despite the early hour. Victoria Schubert, the brewer from Brauerei Karg (who learned to brew in London), confirmed the leaders had been drinking the real thing. “They were certainly not drinking alcohol-free beer,” she said. “It was 5% proof, with an original gravity of 11%, and like all German beer it was brewed according to the 500-year-old purity laws.” Breakfast beers are nothing new – as is having a glass in the morning when most people’s mouths are still smarting from Colgate Extra. After all, nine o’clock in the morning for one person might be lunchtime for an early-rising worker. That’s the line

Wake-up call: Barak Obama enjoyed his early drink David Gladwin, owner of Black Isle Brewery in Ross-shire, took at any rate when he was criticised for producing a 2.8% abv Cold Turkey Breakfast Beer. He defended it as being for “people who appreciate what they are drinking”. Gladwin stressed the term breakfast beer was more to suggest its suitability for drinking at any time and not specifically breakfast. “Unfortunately, if you mention

breakfast and beer in the same sentence people do jump to rather predictable conclusions,” he said. Meanwhile in Denmark, Mikkeller’s Beer Geek Breakfast Stout has been named the country’s best beer. The blend of oatmeal stout and coffee creates an intense, full-bodied, wellbalanced beer. But what we really want to know is did Obama and Merkel slice their bread into soldiers to dip in?

5 Real Ales always on tap. NEW MENU NOW AVAILABLE Full English served from 6am Monday - Friday in C C Hudsons Open Mic nights - Fortnightly on Tuesdays Function rooms available for private hire Grand Central Station, Neville St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DG

Tel: 0191 2616611

www.centurion-newcastle.com 20 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk


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THE LINDISFARNE STORY

WE CAN SWIG TOGETHER Tyneside’s best loved and longest-running band is still on the road. Alastair Gilmour finds out that Lindisfarne, pubs and beer are inseperable Here’s a quiz question: How many times has the legendary Lindisfarne played at Newcastle City Hall? The answer is an astonishing 134 – and there’s a plaque backstage to prove it. Now, how many times has Lindisfarne played on actual Lindisfarne since the band came to prominence in 1970? The answer to that one is once – and that was July 28 2015. “We’d never actually played there until this month,” says original drummer and foundermember Ray Laidlaw. Ray and former front man Billy Mitchell (1992004) have teamed up to take The Lindisfarne Story on nationwide tour in a celebration of the band’s musical achievements. It’s the second time they’ve done it – this time around it’s 45 dates over two-and-a-half months. Curtain up is The Theatre By The Lake at Keswick on September 13, then winding up in Frome, Somerset, on November 29. In between times the pair appear in more towns than a train driver’s sandwich – Tewkesbury, Morecambe, Bishops Stortford, Derby, Swansea, Clacton… the list goes on. Closer to home there’s Whitley Bay Playhouse (October 4), Consett Empire (October 31) and The Sage, Gateshead, on November 21. “We first thought of the idea three years ago, but it’s not practical these days to do it with a full band,” says Ray. “Everybody’s doing different things, we’ve all got other lives, so we decided to do it as a two-piece. “It’s a fun show to do. It was Billy who talked me into it – it got me out of my comfort zone. There are gaps here and there to get back home, but sometimes getting back interrupts the rhythm, so it’s better for the show if there’s no time off. “No two shows are the same – the idea is that you’re responding to stimulus on the night and sometimes things will come up that you didn’t expect. We revisit the times and the music in a very simple way.” 22 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

On the road, the rock-and-rollers have one daily ritual – once they check into the venue, usually around 3pm – and get set up by quarter to five, they head for the nearest Wetherspoons. Ray says: “When you think about it, it’s dinner time for us, so we’ll sit down for something to eat and allow ourselves one pint. Remember, you’re on stage for three hours without a break. But we always go into the bar after the show to talk to the punters.” Wetherspoons’ opening times, the readilyavailable food and reasonably priced drink are an obvious attraction for performers, some of whom may be in a different town every day while on tour, so they’re the antidote to disorientation. “Wetherspoons is known in the business as ‘the actor’s friend’,” says Billy. “It’s a phrase coined by (actor) Nicholas Lumley.” Pubs and beer have always played a significant role in Lindisfarne’s long existence – and that of Billy Mitchell. “My first-ever gig was in a pub,” he says. “The Percy Arms at Percy Main in 1961. I think it’s called Sambuca now. It was a leek club do and I was about 15. We were called The Triffids, there was no PA and you just started playing until they said stop. We were shite and got paid off – £2 to go away.” And Ray Laidlaw reckons that without pubs there would have been no Lindisfarne. He says: “We used to meet in pubs – originally the Haymarket Hotel in Newcastle – write songs in pubs, rehearse in pubs, perform in pubs and relax in pubs. Most of our best ideas came in pubs – and some of the worst, depending on how long we’d been there.” In the 1970s, Lindisfarne were the first band to enjoy sponsorship by a brewery – through Scottish & Newcastle and Newcastle Brown Ale. Promotional stickers were produced with the five band members’ heads superimposed on the five points of the blue star logo. One of the last venues the original line-up played was at the

“WETHERSPOONS IS KNOWN IN THE BUSINESS AS ‘THE ACTOR’S FRIEND’”


THE LINDISFARNE STORY

Great British Beer Festival in London under the sponsorship of Theakstons. On one tour, the stage set was an eight-foot high, full stage width Tap & Spile bar, complete with handpulls and beer. If any of the band wasn’t playing during a particular number, they would perch themselves at the counter with a pint. Ray regards the Magnesia Bank in North Shields as Lindisfarne’s spiritual home and its creative crucible. He reckons it’s where some of the best songs ever written first saw the light of day, sometimes to be studied more soberly next morning and discarded. “Lindisfarne’s HQ, for want of a better word, was the Magnesia Bank,” says Ray. “For years and years we would meet up there – we all lived around there and we had all our social occasions there, we used to rehearse upstairs, we did pretour gigs there to try a few things out. We even used to have our agm there. We would pull up a table with our management company AGM and go through the agenda. “We held Alan’s wake at the Magnesia Bank (original front man Alan Hull died in 1995). There was no other place we would have gone.” Two-and-a-half months is a long time for two musicians to spend in close harmony. Perhaps it’s just as well there’s a JD Wetherspoon in Newport (The Queen’s Head Hotel) and one in Hereford (The Kings Fee). Then there’s The Gatehouse in Lichfield, The Postern Gate in York, The Perkin Warbeck, Taunton… plus another 40 more for winding down in.

Accompaniment: Tap & Spile on stage

THE STORY SO FAR

Glass act: Lindisfarne’s Ray Laidlaw, left, and Billy Mitchell get into tour mood

The Lindisfarne Story is a celebration of the group’s music and achievements. Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell perform acoustic versions of Lindisfarne’s classic songs and tell the inside story of the band’s rise to fame, from Whitley Bay to San Francisco Bay, from Rothbury to Glastonbury. The show is illustrated with personal archive photographs and describes their worldwide tours, festival successes and television appearances, their triumphant return home, and their unique relationship with Newcastle City Hall, venue for more than130 Lindisfarne performances. Ray says: “Lady Eleanor, Meet Me On The Corner, Fog on the Tyne, Run for Home, all of these songs have a story behind them.” Details: www.thelindisfarnestory.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 23


EVENTS

SCHOOL’S OUT A selection of festivals, fun, food and beery things to help put sunshine into summer – and all well worth supporting

ONGOING THE ART OF MINING Monkwearmouth Station Museum, North Bridge Street, Sunderland An exhibition of paintings and drawings celebrating the region’s rich mining heritage by a group of amateur and professional artists who include Derek Slater, Rick Smith, Bill Hindmarsh, Tom Lamb and Terry Parks. Tel: 0191 567 7075 JULY 6-AUGUST 2 DARLINGTON COMEDY FESTIVAL Various locations around Darlington.

24 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Starring Alun Cochrane, Chris Ramsey, Angela Barnes, Carl Donnelly and much more. www.darlingtoncomedyfestival. co.uk JULY 12-AUG 2 SOUTH TYNESIDE FESTIVAL Sunday Concerts: Bents Park – four consecutive Sundays in July and August star Billy Ocean (July 19) and North East favourites Joe McElderry, Collabro and Lola Saunders (Aug 2). www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk JULY 13-19 MIDDLESBROUGH

Camra angle: The Great British Beer Festival


EVENTS RESTAURANT WEEK Various venues throughout Middlesbrough and featuring an all-day breakfast parmo – Teesside’s signature dish – at Central Park. Exclusive menus and offers, so revisit and old favourite or try something new. www.lovemiddlesbrough. com/whats-on/restaurant-week-2015 JULY 16 FYNE ALES FESTIVAL The Bacchus, High Bridge, Newcastle NE1 iEW Starting on the Thursday and running over the weekend, the Bacchus is featuring offering cask and keg beers from Fyne Ales, with Jarl remaining on the bar as a permanent feature. Food and beer matching session on the Thursday with five halfpints of Fyne Ales combined with five canapés. Advance ticket only (£20pp). Depending on demand it might be possible to run two sessions, so get into the Bacchus and sign up as soon as you can. Tel: 0191 261 1008. JULY 16-19 SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, Cumbria LA8 9LR The 9th Summer Beer Festival features more than 60 beers from 15 indie breweries. Four bars, street food, live music – on bus and rail routes, 12noon-late each day. www.hawksheadbrewery.co.uk

JULY 17-18 ASHBROOKE BEER FESTIVAL Ashbrooke Sports Club, West Lawn, Sunderland SR2 7HW Ashbrooke Beer Festival returns for its sixth year, and this time the organisers have ordered more stock. A weekend renowned for its punters drinking it dry, one of Sunderland’s most popular annual events will feature more than 30 real ales and cider as well as a wine and cava bar. Admission is £8 and includes two drinks and a commemorative glass. Tel: 0191 528 4536. JULY 17-19 SUMMERTYNE AMERICANA FESTIVAL Sage, Gateshead Quays NE8 2JR The weekend-long party celebrating its 10th anniversary is a sizzling celebration of American roots music. The hugely-popular event this year features Emmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash, The Shires, Rodney Crowell, plus many, many more (local and breakthrough). As usual, The Central, Gateshead, is running events to link into Americana with a beer and cider festival, barbecue and music (Hati plus three supports, Dean Owens, Chloe Chadwick, Simma and buskers) to complement the atmosphere. Three of the staff have worked with local brewers to design and brew a beer each. Manager Gav has produced a Five American Hop Pale Ale dry

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 25


CAMRA 2015 South West Northumberland Pub of the Year Winner

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY BEER FESTIVAL

Friday 28th - Monday 31st August featuring Hadrian Border & Rudgate Real Ales

Excellent selection to tickle your taste buds! Sunday 30th - Live music with The Mudskippers from 5.30 pm

Monday 31st - Buskers from 1 pm (weather permitting)

Buskers Night Tuesday 28th July - 11th & 25th August

Live Music - Saturday 25th July The Hamstrings from 8.30 pm Pie & Peas, toasties, sandwiches & a selection of coffees available every day

Karaoke Night Saturday 5th August and 5th September

Station Road, Wylam, NE41 8HR. Telephone 01661 853431


hopped with a sixth at Anarchy Brew Co, Spencer has brewed an American Brown Ale infused with bourbon with Allendale Brewery, while Scotty has collaborated with Tyne Bank on a Black IPA. For those going to Americana at the Sage don’t forget The Central offers two-pint take-out beer cartons plus spirits in handy containers. www.summertyne.com JULY 18 MEET THE BREWER The New Bridge, Argyle Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle NE1 6PF Meet brewer Rob from Wallsend’s Two By Two Brewery and enjoy a tap take-over. Rob will be on hand all night to discuss his beers and brewery; there will be a bar full of his beers, and New Bridge manager Jill will provide a little spread to welcome folk in. From 7.30pm. Tel: 0191 232 1020.

Tel: 0191 433 6965 www.northern-pride.com/ shop/tickets

JULY 24 NORTHERN PRIDE PRESENTS ACOUSTIC PRIDE St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Oakwellgate, Gateshead NE8 2AU Celebrating the talent and individuality of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Acoustic Pride is a special evening featuring two outstanding performers, Carol Laula and Gina Le Faux. Tickets £9.

JULY 24-25 BOGSTOCK 2015 REAL ALE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL Carts Bog Inn, Langley on Tyne, Hexham NE47 5NW More than 20 real ales, 15 ciders and hog roast. Music from Wild Murphys, Blistered Molly, Kentucky Cow Tippers and The Gatecrashers. Open 6pm till late. Tickets £10 incl three beer tokens. www.sunderlandlive.co.uk/airshow

Legendary: The Boathouse, Wylam, Beer Festival is over the August Bank Holiday weekend

JULY 25-26 WYLAM BREWERY BEER FESTIVAL Tyne Bar, Maling Street, Byker, Newcastle NE6 1LP A bar full of Wylam goodies. Entertainment from Big Ray and The Hipthrusters (Saturday 3pm) and Archie Brown and The Young Bucks (Sunday).Tel: 0191 265 2550 JULY 30-AUGUST 2 KENDAL CALLING Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 2HN The Lake District’s music festival celebrates a

On Sunday 9th August the 5th Annual Rock & Roll Charity Bike Cruise will be setting off from The Schooner for the 25mile round trip to Wylam. This year’s charities are The Stroke Association, Alzheimer’s Society and Daft as a Brush. For more details on how to join in check out our website or pop into the pub. www.theschooner.co.uk

J U LY

August

bank hol

Fri 10 – Chuck LeMonds (USA) & Klaus Ambrosh (Aut) 6:30 Sat 11– Ray Stubbs R&B Allstars 8:30 Sun 12 – The Sleaze Sisters 4:30 Sat 18 – John Lewis Trio 8:30 Sun 19 – The Revolutionaires 4:30 Sun 19 – The Hallelujah Trail 8:30 Fri 24 – Shipcote & Friends 6:00 Sat 25 – The Smokin’ Spitfires 2:30 Sun 26 – Miss Mary & The Mr Rights 4:30 Thur 30 – The South Shore Roundup 8:30

Sat 1 – TBC Sun 2 – Buskers 3:00 – followed by Big Red & The Grinners 5:30 Sat 8 – The West Coast Band 8:30 Sun 9 – The Dust Town Dogs (after the Charity Bike Ride) 4:30 Sat 15 – Broken Levee 8:30 Sun 16 – STAN 4.30 Sat 22 – Teresa Watson Band 8.30 Sun 23 – The King Bees and Struggle Buggy 4pm

Thurs 27 – The South Shore Roundup 8:30 Sat 29 – King Size Voodoo Traveller 8:30 Sun 30 – Big Ray & The Hip Thrusters 4:30 Mon 31 – Ant Music ( Adam & The Ants tribute) 3:00

South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3AF 0191 477 7404 | www.theschooner.co.uk

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 27


EVENTS decade in the game with a lineup that includes Kaiser Chiefs, Snoop Dogg, Billy Bragg, James and Elbow, plus Hyde & Beast and Holy Moly & The Crackers. www.kendalcalling.co.uk THROUGHOUT AUGUST MALHOTRA BEER & CIDER FESTIVALS Newcastle-based Malhotra has long been considered one of the region’s top leisure industry companies. August will see a number of Malhotra pubs host their own beer and cider festivals. Osbornes in Jesmond kick things off with beer, cider, live music and a BBQ (August 6-9). The Runhead in Ryton will continue the fun between August 13-16, before the newly-refurbished Three Mile Inn, Gosforth, introduces its very first ale (August 20-23) from The Artisan Brew, its new in-house brewery. The Sandpiper, Cullercoats, wrap things up with nine fun and entertainment-filled days (August 23-31). Osbornes, Jesmond, NE2 2AN. Tel: 0191 240 7778 The Runhead, Ryton, NE40 3HJ. Tel: 0191 413 9517 Three Mile Inn, Gosforth, NE3 2DS. Tel: 0191 255 2100 The Sandpiper, Cullercoats, NE30 3ER. Tel: 0191 253 5050

AUGUST 1 OPEN DAY Roosters Brewery, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire HG5 8LJ Meet Baby-Faced Assassin, Blind Jack, Yankee, et al. See how beer is made, drink it, appreciate it. www.roosters.co.uk

trade stands, ferret racing, quoits, food tents and bar, Hexham Brass Band. Adults £6, concessions £5, under 12s free. www.slaleyshow.org.uk

AUGUST 8 PUBLIC ART WALK Gateshead Quays and Riverside Park. Meet at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Oakwellgate, Gateshead AUGUST 7-9 NE8 2AU BLAYDON BEER FESTIVAL Blaydon Rugby Club, Hexham Road, Swalwell, Experience some of the many and varied public artworks in the area, accompanied by one of the Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 3BN The sixth annual festival returns to Blaydon Rugby artists (2pm-4pm). Dress for outdoor weather and some uphill walking. Tickets £3. Football Club with a jam-packed weekend of Tel: 0191 433 8420 www.gateshead.gov.uk/ entertainment for all the family. While bouncy castles and magicians will be on hand to keep kids whatson young and old entertained, there will be live music AUGUST 11-15 running day and night across the weekend and a CAMRA GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL wide selection of food and drink to keep festival London Olympia goers fuelled. There are a variety of ticket options The UK’s biggest beer festival is back again available with a weekend pass at £20 and daily bigger and better than last year. This year GBBF passes starting from £6. has a “discovery” theme featuring more than Tel: 0191 420 0505 900 real ales, international beers, ciders and admin@blaydonfestival.co.uk perries. Also on show will be the beers that are competing in the Champion Beer of Britain. In AUGUST 8 excess of 55,000 people are expected to attend 156th SLALEY SHOW the weeklong event which will feature more Slaley, Northumberland NE47 0AD than 350 British breweries alongside fantastic A traditional country show for all the family. international brews. Falconry, horse and pony competitions, terrier racing, exotic animals, dog agility, poultry, craft and www.camra.org.uk

In aid of

Friday 24th July 4pm til 11pm Saturday 25th July 12 noon till 11pm Sunday 26th July 12 noon until the beer runs out Bands include Friday 24th – Miss Mary and The Mr Rights Saturday 25th (afternoon) – The Mudskippers Saturday 25th (evening) – Alive and Kicking

Admission £4 - CAMRA members £3 Tickets Phone 01434 230209 Online www.battlesteads.com Pay on the day

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beers includ to try, ing l and ci agers ders

Transport service available from Hexham – Friday night and Saturday afternoon/early evening. Phone for details.

Wark, Hexham, Northumberland NE48 3LS. Tel: (01434) 230 209 Fax: (01434) 230 039 Email: info@battlesteads.com www.battlesteads.com 28 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk


EVENTS AUGUST 15 175th ALLENDALE SHOW Traditional country show set in beautiful surroundings. Wrestling; tug of war; terrier racing; quoits; competition classes for horses, sheep and dogs; Cock of the North qualifier, and a range of trade and craft stands. Tel: 01434 683869

JULY 24-25 SUMMER LAFFALANG Westovian Theatre, Ocean Road, South Shields NE33 2JS Hugely entertaining comedy show produced by Ed Waugh and Gareth Hunter – 13 original sketches “what Ed wrights” linked by a top stand-up

comedian. Tickets £10. Tel: 0191 424 7788 www. edwaughandtrevorwood.co.uk JULY 24-26 BATTLESTEADS BEER FESTIVAL Battlesteads Hotel, Wark, NE48 3LS

AUGUST 26-29 35th DURHAM BEER FEST Students Union, New Elvet, Durham DH1 3AN Open Wed 6pm-10.30pm (Camra members from 4pm). Thu-Sat 11am-10.30pm. www.durhambeerfestival.org.uk AUGUST 28-31 THE BOATHOUSE WYLAM BANK HOLIDAY BEER FESTIVAL The Boathouse, Station Road, Wylam, NE41 8HR The Camra 2015 South West Northumberland Pub of the Year will host its annual August Bank Holiday Beer Festival as usual, and this year they have company. Local favourites Hadrian Border and Rudgate Brewery will be providing a selection of their finest real ales – including Ruby Mild, Newburn and Coast to Coast. Live music will come from local acts Mudskippers and The Hamstrings alongside a serving of buskers and karaoke. Tel: 01661 853 431

Tempting: Hawkshead Beer Festival is a much-anticipated Lakes event

Your invitation to the 'Glastonbury for chefs' Farm tours • Trends & demos • Innovation zone • Farmers’ market

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EVENTS The fifth annual beer festival at Northumberland’s eco-friendliest pub, hotel and restaurant features great beers, lagers, ciders, food and live music. This year’s charity is Stay Strong Stu. Stay the weekend and unwind. www.battlesteads.com JULY 24-26 27th SUNDERLAND AIR SHOW Seaburn Beach, Sunderland The annual action-packed programme with thrills on air, land and sea and traditional, contemporary and classic demonstrations. Live music, fireworks, children’s entertainment, aerial displays and acrobatics, vintage aircraft and, of course, The Red Arrows. Flower power: Kendal Calling

AUGUST 29 BELLINGHAM SHOW Everything to keep the whole family entertained all day. Stannage International stunt team, pony rides, live music, canny canines dog agility, vintage vehicles, fell running – and more. www.bellinghamshow.co.uk

include Reverend and the Makers, Craig Charles, DJ Yoda, Smoove and Turrell, Adamski and The Skints. Local acts include Nadine Shah, Lake Poets, Jonny Dickinson, Hannah Biel, Frankie and the Heartstrings, Happy Cats, Trev Gibb, Backyard Rhythm Orchestra, Shields, Mister Tooley and Dancing with Ghosts. www.lindisfarnefestival.com

SEPTEMBER 4-6 BERWICK FOOD & BEER FESTIVAL The Parade, Berwick upon Tweed TD15 1DF The Beer Festival marquee on the green opposite the town’s Georgian Barracks will offer a huge range of local beers and a chance to explore Berwick’s malting history, thanks to generous sponsorship from Simpson’s Malt. And the all-new Street Food Street linking the Beer and Food Festival areas will give visitors an even wider choice of delicious dishes to sample on the spot. www.visitberwick.com/food-event/berwickfood-beer-festival

SEPTEMBER 10 HERITAGE OPEN DAYS: HISTORIC PUBS EVENING St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Oakwellgate, Gateshead NE8 2AU. Join author John Boothroyd for a talk about his book The Old Pubs of Gateshead. Bar available to sample some local ale. After the talk, take part in a traditional pub quiz. 6.30pm-9.30pm (quiz from 8pm). Free, book in advance. Tel: 0191 433 4699 www.gateshead.gov.uk/whatson

SEPTEMBER 4-6 LINDISFARNE FESTIVAL Beal Farm, The Causeway, Beal, Northumberland TD15 2PB A new music and creative arts festival for over 18s with music from a range of internationally renowned acts, as well as a selection of up and coming artists and North East talent. Indie rock, soul and funk, blues, folk, jazz and hip hop sounds

SEPTEMBER 16-19 YORK CAMRA KNAVESMIRE BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL Knavesmire, Tadcaster Road, York YO24 1DJ 450-plus real ales, 100-plus ciders.Marquee, beer garden, lots of seating, food stalls, Camra members’ stand, shop, tombola. Various entry prices from £3. www.yorkbeerfestival.org.uk

The 2015

Ashbrooke

Beer Festival

A fantastic selection of over 30 real ales, ciders & perries

17th & 18th July

Friday 17th July 4.00pm till 11.00pm

Wine and Cava Bar Food available

Saturday 18th July 12.00pm till 11.00pm

Liddle’s Coaches of Tyneside - a small, friendly, family run mini coach company. We are a Walbottle based business and specialise in private and contract mini bus hire in Newcastle and the North East area We provide a dedicated service at a highly competitive price with our 7 to 16 seater Mercedes mini coaches. Whether your requirements are a short trip or long distance, private or corporate hire please contact us and we will be happy to help and advise. We look forward to welcoming you on board very soon.

admission

£8

d o drinks an includes tworative glass em comm

MAIN SPONSOR towncentrecitroen.com

Ashbrooke Sports Club West Lawn, Sunderland: 0191 528 4536 www.ashbrookesports.org children under the age of 18 are welcome if accompanied by an adult

30 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

Telephone:0191 267 4000 Email:info@liddlescoaches.co.uk

www.liddlecoaches.co.uk


EVENTS SEPTEMBER 19 WE ARE FAMILY FESTIVAL Jackson’s Landing, Hartlepool Celebrating Camerons Brewery 150th anniversary this family-friendly music is festival curated and produced by Hartlepool collective The Jar Family. With around 70 premium quality North East beers and street food is the place to enjoy yourself. The fun starts at 12noon with a diverse range of events. On the Main Stage are Smoove And Turrell, The Jar Family, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Field Music, Parastatic, Boy Jumps Ship, Shields and Mouses. Starring on the Marina Stage are Hyde And Beast, The Lake Poets, Kingsley Chapman, Para Alta, Kosoti, Street Party In Soho, Shoot The Poet and Cape Cub. We Are Family is a bold initiative to galvanise the area with an accessible music event of distinction. Tickets (£6pp) available online at wearefamilyfestival.com or at Christ Church, Church Square, Hartlepool. Tel: 01429 890000 SEPTEMBER 23 UNIVERSAL COOKERY & FOOD FESTIVAL - VALLUM FARM

Vallum Farm, Military Road, East Wallhouses, Newcastle, NE18 0LL The prestigious Universal Cookery and Food Festival – an annual gathering of the UK’s leading chefs and producers comes to Vallum for the first time on Wednesday 23rd September. The event is vast, attracting exhibitors from all over the country and featuring live debates and demos, farmers’ market and food stalls. Organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs, the event will attract leading chefs and producers from all over the country – and, no doubt, some very famous names. Tel: 01293 854403 OCTOBER 23-25 CRAFT BEER CALLING The Boilershop, Stephenson Works, Newcastle. Sixty of the world’s leading craft brewers assembled under one roof for one weekend only. Gin palace, cider cellar, street food market, top-class DJs, plus guest speakers and maybe a surprise or two – what more do you need? www.craftbeercalling.com Do you have an event to share? Send it to: info@cheersnortheast.co.uk

RAY LAIDLAW & BILLY MITCHELL

TELL THE STORY OF TYNESIDE’S FAVOURITE BAND IN MUSIC, WORDS AND PICTURES! SEPTEMBER 13TH

KESWICK

THEATRE BY THE LAKE OCTOBER 3RD

BILLINGHAM FORUM OCTOBER 4TH

WHITLEY BAY PLAYHOUSE OCTOBER 31ST

CONSETT EMPIRE NOVEMBER 21ST

GATESHEAD SAGE GATESHEAD

MEET ME ON THE CORNER - LADY ELEANOR RUN FOR HOME - FOG ON THE TYNE AND MORE! WWW.LINDISFARNESTORY.CO.UK

COME AND ENJOY THE 6th ANNUAL Sponsored by

WADE FINANCIAL

In support of

CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERS

BLAYDON RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

7-9 AUGUST LOTS OF live music,day & night

Ask Ruby ·Yellowstone · D Plus · Local Buskers · Dirt Poor Trio RABBLE ROUSERS · Acoustic Beatles · Erik and theVikings Irish dance performance

Kids Entertainment Bouncy Castle ·VIDEO GAMES · MAGIC SHOW BALLOONS · TOMBOLA · FACE PAINTING

email: admin@blaydonfestival.co.uk or go to www.blaydonfestival.co.uk @blaydonbeerfest Blaydon Festival

Sponsorship, VIP Packages, Schedule & Tickets available online

www.blaydonfestival.co.uk

Real Ales styled on a Theakstons theme with rotating Guest Ales. Served alongside a wide range of Beers, Wines & Spirits • Karaoke Fortnightly • Motorcycle Meets alternate Tuesdays • Live Music • Beer Garden • Traditional Menu • Live BT Sports • Large Car Park OPENING TIMES Mon - Sun 12pm - 23pm Sun Lunch - 12pm - 3pm Restaurant Monday - Saturday 12.00 pm - 8pm

Telephone: 01670 813 345 www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 31


BREWERY PROFILE: BOX SOCIAL BREWING

BREWERY PROFILE BOX SOCIAL BREWING

WHERE IS IT? On a crafts and specialist business site in Newburn, Newcastle, close to the Dilly Line, a former single track waggonway that transported coal from Lemington and Throckley to the River Tyne at Newburn. It’s now a popular pathway for dog-walkers, cyclists and joggers who could well be tempted by the micropub tasting room now being developed. 1-3 Winnings Courtyard, Walbottle Road, Newburn, Newcastle NE15 9RU www.boxsocial.pub info@boxsocial.pub 07803 791 761 @boxsocialbeer

An opportunity to expand and think outside the box Box Social Brewing is the realisation of a dream for Ross Holland, pictured, – who worked in sales and marketing at Morpeth-based Anarchy Brew Co – and his father Steve, a former fireman. A Box Social is originally Victorian term for a convivial gathering – curiously alcohol-free – where people would bring a selection of goodies to share. The equipment has a six-barrel brew length (216 gallons) with vessels sourced from a variety of breweries, including one in Cornwall and Ringway Brewery in Stockport (owned by a Geordie with a passion for black-and-white casks). Brewing for cask, keg and bottle takes place once a week at the moment. The unit is compact – with room to expand. A tasting room is being developed with a mobile bar which will act much like a micropub – no television, gaming machines or other distractions from enjoying great beer. One highlight here (for Cheers at any rate) is the wallpaper in the toilets – pages from the magazine. The idea is that there’s always something to read. And an old fire engine is also available as a mobile bar for festivals and weddings. Outlets include The Bodega, Crown Posada, Bacchus, Tyneside Cinema bar, Free Trade, Cumberland Arms, The Telegraph, dAtbAr and Bierrex in Newcastle, along with specialist beer shops Coppers (Gosforth) and Glug (Newcastle’s Grainger Market), while a selection is sent once a month to customers in Yorkshire and Carlisle. And at least one problem has surfaced through early success. “We need a bigger cold store already,” says Ross. 32 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

THE BEER

Traditional styles with a modern twist brewed in small batches. Cream Ale (4.5% abv), a handsome pilsner-style beer with a sour fruity sharpness. India Brown Ale (5.6% abv) in keg and bottle which with a full mouthfeel and hop fruitiness. Gentleman’s Nectar (4.2% abv), an American-style pale ale with tropical fruit to the fore. More of a style, it will change and develop in time. Centennial Mild (3.8% abv) is unusually highly hopped for bitterness which Milds traditionally aren’t. Session Red IPA (4.1% abv) brewed specially for the recent Newcastle Racecourse Beer Festival.


NEWS

BACK TO THE FUTURE AT THE COUNTY The County Hotel in Hexham has a new owner – and it’s the son of a previous one. David Harding, who has the Crown Inn at Humshaugh and ran The Dyvels at Corbridge until last April, is set to return to the pub his mother and father Dianne and Peter operated until Peter’s death in 2012. Punch Taverns has decided that after an 18-month closure it was time to invite an experienced hand to put the sparkle back into The County and invested £700,000 on a refurbishment. Also taking on the challenge is Paul Watkins who in recent times had been the main man at The Golden Lion at Corbridge. David Harding will continue to run The Crown but look out for positive moves at The County.

THE RAILWAY HITS THE BUFFERS

Pub chain Enterprise Inns has decided the Railway Hotel at Haydon Bridge, Northumberland, has reached the end of the line. It has closed its doors following a series of seven new tenants in 12 years and is to be sold at auction in Leeds. An Enterprise spokesman said: “As part of our ongoing business, we do from time to time identify a pub that may no longer have a

BEST FOODIN the WORLD!

Absoulutly

lovely STAFF

(Prety and handsom) The Elm Tree 12 Crossgate Durham city

long-term future in our estate. After careful consideration, the decision has been made to sell the freehold of the Railway Hotel with no further restriction on use.” Local speculation leans towards the premises being converted into flats but despite its temporary closures over the years, The Railway has always continued to operate as a popular pub at the heart of the local community.

Do Enterprise Inns realise what they have on their hands? Is there a knight in shining armour who could turn this historic pub around? Knowing pubcos and their lack of local knowledge plus The Railway’s potential, it ain’t rocket science.

fAN DABIE

DIB DAB

ye old Elm TREE

fUN atmosphiar

they let dogs’ in

Everyones’ jolly!

Thanks for the feedback Scarlett aged 9 The Angel 53 Crossgate Durham city

The John Duck Ale House 91a Clay Path Durham city www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 33


PUB FOOD

THE STAKES ARE HIGH

More than ever these days, pubs have to offer a great menu to attract custom, writes Alastair Gilmour Pubs must raise their game when it comes to their food offer if they want to attract new custom and retain repeat business, according to new research. High quality food is the factor most likely to encourage people to visit pubs more, underlining the need for licensees to provide a dining offer that appeals to a wide range of visitors, so concludes a Mintel report (as if we didn’t work that one out for ourselves). More than half of the 1,485 adults polled said they could be encouraged to visit pubs more often if they had more tempting food. This scored ahead of “cheaper drinks” and “special offers”, reinforcing the importance of food to the trade. Four in ten customers now expect pubs to have a high

quality menu – with hand-made, locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients coming high on customer expectation. Providing a package more tailored to the local catchment area by stocking local brewery beers and farmers’ produce can be a great way for landlords to underline their importance and relevance to the community. The Rat Inn at Anick, near Hexham, is one pub that hasn’t been slow to raise the tempo of its food offer, having recently brought in two chefs from the celebrated Three Chimneys restaurant on the Isle of Skye. Kevin Maclean, former head chef at the world-renowned restaurant, and chef de partie Connor Mackinnon have adapted well to Phil Mason’s Rat Inn kitchen which has prompted the pub to extend its food availability hours

Many hands: Phil Mason, left, and Kevin Maclean at The Rat, Anick – always a problem when there’s only a couple of pairs of hands in the galley. “There’s only ever been the two of us,” says Phil who runs the pub with partner Karen Errington. “We simply felt it was time for a change and have now started opening on Mondays and offering food all day. We haven’t changed our style

– only an extension of our range. Menus change all the time anyway, although our ribs of beef are still a big favourite.” Kevin, however, has also been at work on his speciality, desserts. “We’re reflecting seasonality and what’s available locally on the day,” he says. “It’s more about all of us now having time to do things.

THE FEATHERS INN An historic pub with Six Cask Ales, Great Hospitality & Award Winning Food. Picturesque location & only a couple of miles from Hexham Now open on Mondays serving food 12-2 and 6-9. A range of snacks available throughout the afternoon.

Reservations 01434 602814 www.theratinn.com Twitter:@ratales The Rat Inn, Anick, Hexham, Northumberland NE46 4LN 34 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

NORTHUMBRIAN-INSPIRED CUISINE, ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC AND MEMORABLE. A CRACKING COMMUNITY INN WITH CHARACTER AND CHEER The Good Pub Guide County Dining pub of the year award winner seven times from 2007 – 2015 • The Michelin Guide Eating Out in Pubs •Inspectors favourite eight times 2007 – 2015 • The Times 20 best Gastropubs in Britain 2014 • The Sunday Times Britain’s top 130 restaurants under £50.

THE FEATHERS INN, HEDLEY ON THE HILL, NEAR STOCKSFIELD NE43 SW


PUB FOOD

Ola: Rhian Cradock, The Feathers Inn “I’m really enjoying it here and after ten years at the Three Chimneys it takes a bit of getting used to. There it’s mainly an Easter to October season, all bookings, and a bigger team.” By comparison Phil says on the one day they could have two people lunching at 20 past 12 and two hours later have to cook and serve for 62. As we reported last month, Feathers Inn chef/patron Rhian Cradock recently spent some time in Barcelona in the company of Ferran

Carterway Heads, Northumberland

job vacancy an opportunity has arisen for a local out-going & friendly new member of staff to join our front of house team at the manor house inn we pride ourselves on excellent service along with fantastic local food & a friendly welcoming atmosphere interested applicants can please either drop a cv & covering letter in at the bar or send via email to themanorhouseinn@gmail.com STEAK NIGHT Every Monday from 5pm 2 x 10oz Sirloin or Rib Eye steaks served with hand cut chips & vine tomatoes for £25 or any 2 steaks and a bottle of house red or white wine for £35

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Like us.....

Plus all side dishes for £2.50 and Sauces for £1

fresh, delicious, local food served 12pm - 9pm mon-sat fantastic sunday lunches 12pm - 8pm Cosy bed Bed and breakfast Breakfast cosy rooms with stunning views

PUB QUIZ 1st Thursday of every month 1st Prize... £30 and a bottle of Zonin Prosecco 2nd Prize... £20 and a bottle of wine. Any two of our delicious main meals for £20 between 6pm and 8pm

booking strongly advised t: 01207 255268 e: themanorhouseinn@gmail.com w: www.themanorhouseinn.com please quote ‘cheers magazine’ www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 35


FOOD Decadence: The Red Lion’s creme brulee

Adrià, former owner of elBulli in Spain, which for several years was recognised as the world’s best restaurant. “He’s all about cooking methodology,:” says Rhian, who was there to listen and learn, to adopt and adapt for his team back home at Hedley-on-the-Hill near Stocksfield. “He loves telling you about how flavours develop, why things taste the way they do, and how it all comes from his background and how it’s all very simple. He even makes tacos with amazing flavours at €3, so they’re very accessible. There was I having a little €5 meal and people were spending €150. They were happy to

do that but he wants quality food to be for everybody.” What do we really want in our pubs? It appears to be local focus and regular dishes combined with seasonal surprises. Like some of the best food-led establishments, pubs don’t have to have massive conurbations on their doorsteps. For instance, The Red Lion at Milfield which sits north of Wooler, halfway between Newcastle and Edinburgh, boasts a population of 200. Yet it’s invariably full with diners choosing from Claire and Iain Burns’ menu that includes honey-roast pork belly, pan-fried chicken breast with haggis and salmon fillet with garlic king

The Blacksmiths A Fa mily owned and ran pub in the heart of Durha m.

prawns. Home-made desserts such as vanilla crème brûlée spell decadence. The Red Lion’s philosophy is classic innkeeping – well-kept ale, top quality wholesome food, efficient service and a bed for the night. A huge beam across the pub’s main room doubles as a chalkboard for local produce. It also reads like the itinerary for a Border Reivers’ raiding party. Norham, Ford and Doddington villages are not only within cannon-shot; their respective butchery, bakery and dairy products are justifiably highly regarded. The Blackbird, Ponteland, is another pub that has set its sights high with country pub favourites combining contemporary flair and imagination – without sacrificing tradition. Chef Ian Lowery’s weekly changing menu will at some time feature sea bass fillets, confit of duck, rib-eye steak, rack of lamb, and a sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce to set the pulse racing. Bar food includes ham and pease pudding stottie and pork and leek sausage and mash. A fair old selection of ales reflects the owners’ passion for good beer and convivial surroundings. In the Mintel report, faster serving times and improved seating and décor go hand-in-hand with a quality menu, adding even more to the dining and drinking experience. In the North East, we seem to be getting it right.

Hadrian Border Brewery’s long-running project at the Station Hotel in Gateshead is progressing slowly. A summer opening date has now been rescheduled to the back end of this year. Plans are complete and with landlords Network Rail for approval. The next step is to have a steel framework manufactured and fitted before moving into the roofing and general building. In the brewhouse, meantime, Hadrian Border’s charity series of beers is being well received, the latest being Buster Gonads, celebrating the Viz character, with proceeds going to testicular cancer charities.

The Red Lion Inn in Milfield, Northumberland, NE71 6JD

Real Ales on Tap

Fantastic fresh, locally sourced food served seven days a week

Regularly Changing Freshly prepared, home cooked food including sandwiches & light bites

Lunch and dinner, all day Friday & Saturday Bar menu available all week Al La Carte menu available Wed to Sat Sunday lunch served between 12 - 4 Homemade bar snacks always available. Beer garden - Functions catered for, we even give full private use of pub, contact us for more details.

4.5 Station road, Low Pittington, Durham DH6 1BJ, 0191 3720287 36 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

STATION PROJECT STILL ON LINE

Traditional Sunday Carvery from 12 noon

B&B Accommodation 4 New additional bedrooms

Quiz Night Wednesdays Burger Thursdays Outside Catering and Bar Hire

01668 216224 iain@redlionmilfield.co.uk www.redlionmilfield.co.uk

Find us on facebook


FOOD: BEER CAN CHICKEN

PREP TIME

.5hr

COOK TIME

1.5hr SKILL

BEER CAN CHICKEN

1

To make the rub: In a small bowl combine the rub ingredients. Discard the neck, giblets, and any excess fat from the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out under cold water and pat dry. Lightly cover with the vegetable oil and season, inside and out, with the rub

2

Open the beer can and pour off half – better still, drink it. Set the half-full can on a flat surface and slide the chicken over the top so the can fits inside the cavity. Transfer the bird to the grill, keeping the can upright. Carefully balance the bird on its two legs and the can

Traditional family run pub since 1975

We’re i Good Bn the Guide... eer a (2013)gain

Regular Music & Folk Nights

Mon - Fri: from 4pm • Sat: from 12pm Sun: 12pm - 3pm & from 7pm BRIDGE END INN, Ovingham 01661 832219

SERVES

If you told teenagers you were going to insert a half-drunk beer can into the backside of a chicken and grill it, chances are they would actually get interested in cooking. Not only is this a fun way to barbecue a chicken, it tastes great too. While the chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed in steamy beer, keeping the meat wonderfully moist. FOR THE RUB: • 1 tsp dry mustard • 1 tsp granulated onion • 1 tsp paprika • 1 tsp salt • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic • 1/2 tsp ground coriander • 1/2 tsp ground cumin • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

INGREDIENTS • 1 whole chicken, 4-5 pounds • 2 tsp vegetable oil • 1 can of lager or other beer

4

3

Grill over indirect medium heat until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 170ºF (75ºC) in the breast and 180ºF (80ºC) in the thickest part of the thigh (1.25 to 1.5 hours)

4

Wearing barbecue mitts, carefully remove the chicken and the can from the grill – it will be hot. Let it rest for 10 minutes before lifting it from the can. Discard the beer. Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Serve warm with your favourite barbecue food, dips and salad

The Black Horse Low Fell, Gateshead

For futher information please follow us on facebook and twitter Black Horse, Low Fell •

@BlackHorse_GHD

166, Kells Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead, NE9 5HY 0191 491 0534 • blackhorselowfell@hotmail.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 37


FUN STUFF

SIGN OF THE TIMES

THE DIRTY DOZEN

TWELVE QUIZ QUESTIONS TO GET ONE OVER ON YOUR FRIENDS. OR NOT

Restaurant and takeaway signage is a rich source of eyecatching names and styles, but it’s a wonder this one in Gateshead hasn’t been used more often. Or has it?

1 Alexandra Mary are whose two middle names? 2 Pineapple, Armandinho and Fluke are all types of which musical instrument? 3 According to an 1811 census, a quarter of all the women in England were called what name? 4 How many hurdles are there in a 400m hurdles race? 5 What year was the first motor race held that was classed as Formula One? 6 How many floors did each of the Twin Towers have? 7 In the Wild West, how was Henry McCarty better known? 8 Which sport uses a Stimpmeter to measure the speed of a surface? 9 In 1944 Helen Duncan was the last woman to be convicted of what crime? 10 Which fashion house manufactured uniforms for the SS in the 1930s? 11 Nils Olav, colonel-in-chief of the Norwegian Kings Guard, was knighted by King Harald V in August 2008. What was unusual about Sir Nils? 12 Which superstar missed a penalty during the opening ceremony of the 1994 US World Cup Finals?

A MAN WALKS INTO A BAR… … AND SAYS: “I’LL HAVE A LARGE WHISKY BECAUSE I’VE JUST BEEN SACKED.” “WHAT FOR?” ASKS THE BARMAN. THE MAN SAYS: “THE BOSS ASKED IF I BELIEVED IN LIFE AFTER DEATH AND I SAID YES.” “SO, WHAT’S WRONG WITH THAT?” ASKS THE BARMAN. THE MAN SAYS: “HE SAID THAT WAS GREAT BECAUSE WHEN I TOOK THE DAY OFF YESTERDAY TO GO TO MY GRANDMOTHER’S FUNERAL, SHE CALLED IN TO SEE ME.”

PHOTO QUIZ Which pubs can these signs be found on? And which nursery rhyme do they combine to form? 1 The Cumberland Arms, Byker, Newcastle 2 The Fox & Hounds (Coalies), Coalburns, Ryton, Tyne & Wear. 3 The Ship Inn, Ouseburn, Newcastle. Nursery rhyme: Bar Bar Black Sheep, of course. QUIZ ANSWERS 1 The Queen. 2 The Ukulele. 3 Mary. 4 Ten. 5 1950. 6 110. 7 Billy The Kid. 8 Golf. 9 Witchcraft. 10 Hugo Boss. 11 He is a penguin. 12 Diana Ross. 38 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk


FUN STUFF

GRAND PRICKS MAKE DO July’s British Grand Prix obviously prompted Fosters and Carling lager lovers to construct their own Formula One racing car. Obviously not Red Bull fans, then.

MIND YOUR PEES AND QUEUES Danish revellers at Roskilde, northern Europe’s biggest music festival, have been queuing excitedly to urinate in metal troughs this summer in an initiative that will see their wee eventually turned into beer. Left to ferment for four months and when nitrogen levels are judged to be acceptable for use as fertiliser, the liquid will be transported to a nearby farm and spread over five hectares

of barley – enough to produce 200,000 litres of beer that can be sold back to punters at Roskilde 2017. The scheme, called From Piss To Pilsner, is an attempt to promote beer recycling – with sound reasoning and a bit of fun behind it. “Everybody wants to be more environmentally-friendly,” says festival-goer Rasmus Skobbo. “Roskilde has a reputation for being pretty clean and green but this is a whole other level.”

TAKE IT FROM THE TOP

This half of Wylam Bitter sipped in a Northumberland beer garden made Cheers reader Steve Bardy go all creative. We all know the feeling.

BI G LAMP

EST 1982

BREWERS

One of the North East’s favourite ales, it blesses the taste buds

The future is looking bright with Lamp Light, so have a couple tonight

0191 2671689 - www.biglampbrewers.co.uk www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 39


A-Z PUB GUIDE

Cheers is all about pubs in the North East and this should be a good place to start... COUNTY DURHAM BUTCHER’S ARMS

Middle Chare, Chester le Street, DH3 3QB t: 0191 388 3605

DUN COW

37 Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HN t: 0191 386 9219

GREENBANK HOTEL

90 Greenbank Road, Darlington, DL3 6EL t: 01325 462624

HALF MOON INN

130 North Gate, Darlington, DL1 1QS t: 01325 465765

HAT AND FEATHERS

Church Street, Seaham, SR7 7HF t: 01915 133040

HEAD OF STEAM

3 Reform Place, Durham, DH1 4RZ t: 0191 3832173

HOLE IN THE WALL

14 Horsemarket, Darlington, County Durham DL1 5PT t: 01325 466720

ITALIAN FARMHOUSE

South Street, West Rainton Houghton - le - Spring DH4 6PA t: 0191 5841022

NUMBER TWENTY-2

THE CROSS KEYS

Front Street, Esh, DH7 9QR t: 0191 3731279

THE CROWN

Mickleton, Barnard Castle, DL12 0JZ t: 01833 640 381

THE BLACKSMITHS

Station Road, Low Pittington Durham, DH6 1BJ 0191 3720287

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON

Woodstone Village, Fence Houses, DH4 6BQ t: 0191 385 6695

THE GARDEN HOUSE INN North Road, Durham, DH1 4NQ t: 0191 3863395

THE GEORGE & DRAGON 4 East Green, Heighington Village, DL5 6PP t: 01325 313152

THE GREY HORSE

115 Sherburn Terrace, Consett, DH8 6NE t: 01207 502585

SURTEES ARMS

Croxdale Bridge, Croxdale, DH1 3HP t: 0191 3783782

Maiden Law, Durham, DH7 0QT t. 01207 520900

YE OLDE ELM TREE

12 Crossgate, Durham City, DH1 4PS t: 0191 386 4621

THE AVENUE INN

Avenue Street, High Shincliffe, DH1 2PT t: 0191 386 5954

THE BAY HORSE

28 West Green, Heighington, DL5 6PE t: 01325 312312

THE BEAMISH MARY INN No Place, Nr Beamish, DH9 0QH t: 0191 370 0237

THE BLACK HORSE

Red Row,Beamish, DH9 0RW t: 01207 232569

THE BRITTANIA INN

1 Archer Street, Darlington County Durham, DL3 6LR t: 01325 463787

THE CLARENCE VILLA

86 New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AQ t: 0191 3741918

THE HONEST LAWYER

THE JOHN DUCK

91A Claypath, Durham City, DH1 1 RG

THE LAMBTON WORM

North Road, Chester le Street, DH3 4AJ t: 0191 3871162

THE MANOR HOUSE HOTEL

The Green, West Auckland, DL14 9HW t: 01388 834834

THE MANOR HOUSE INN

Carterway Heads, Shotley Bridge, DH8 9LX t: 01207 255268

THE MARKET TAVERN 27 Market Place, Durham, DH1 3NJ t: 0191 3862069

THE MILL

Durham Road, Rainton Bridge, DH5 8NG t: 0191 5843211

THE MINERS ARMS

41 Manor Road, Medomsley, DH8 6QN t: 01207 560428

THE NEWFIELD INN

2 Mechanics Yard, Darlington, DL3 7QF t: 07783 960105 5 Tubwell Row, Darlington, DL1 1NU t: 01325 461448

THE ROYAL OAK

7 Manor Rd, Medomsley Village, DH8 6QN t: 01207 560336

THE SCOTCH ARMS

Blackhill, Consett, DH8 8LZ t: 01207 593709

THE SHIP

Low Road, Middlestone Village, Middlestone, DL14 8AB t: 01388 810904

THE SMITHS ARMS

Brecon Hill, Castle Dene, Chester le Street, DH3 4HE t: 0191 3857559

THE SPORTSMANS ARMS

Moor End Terrace, Belmont, DH1 1BJ t: 0191 3842667

THE STABLES

Beamish Hall Hotel, Beamish, DH9 0BY t: 01207 288 750

THE STABLES

West Herrington, Houghton le Spring, DH4 4ND t: 0191 584 9226

THE THREE HORSESHOES

Pit House Lane, Leamside, Houghton le Spring, DH4 6QQ t: 0191 584 2394

THE WHITE LION

Newbottle Street, Houghton le Spring, DH4 4AN t: 0191 5120735

THE WHITEHILLS

Waldridge Road, Chester le Street, DH2 3AB t: 0191 3882786

WICKET GATE

Front Street, Chester-le-Street, DH3 3AX t: 0191 3872960

THE WILD BOAR

ADAM & EVE

Barrasford Hexham, NE48 4AA t: 01434 681237

BARRELS

59-61 Bridge Street, Berwick, TD15 1ES t:01289 308013

BATTLESTEADS HOTEL

Wark, Hexham, NE48 3LS t: 01434 230209 www.battlesteads.com

BEADNELL TOWERS HOTEL

Beadnell, NE67 5AY t: 01665 721211

CROSS KEYS

Thropton, Rothbury, NE65 7HX t: 01669 620362

DIPTON MILL INN

Dipton Mill Road, Hexham, NE46 1YA t: 01434 606577 e: ghb@hexhamshire.co.uk www.diptonmill.co.uk

DOCTOR SYNTAX

New Ridley Road, Stocksfield, NE43 7RG, t: 01661 842383

DUKE OF WELLINGTON Newton, NE43 7UL t: 01661 844446

DYKE NEUK

Meldon, Nr Morpeth, NE61 3SL t: 01670 772662

ELECTRIC WIZARD

New Market, Morpeth, NE61 1PS t: 01670 500640

FOX AND HOUNDS

Main Road, Wylam NE41 8DL t: 01661 598060

GENERAL HAVELOCK INN

Haydon Bridge, NE47 6ER t: 01434 684376

JOHN THE CLERK OF CRAMLINGTON

Front Street, Cramlington, NE23 1DN t: 01670 707060

JOINERS ARMS

Wansbeck Street, Morpeth, NE61 1XZ t: 01670 513540

JOLLY FISHERMAN

THE VICTORIA INN

MINERS ARMS

86 Hallgarth Street, Durham, DH1 3AS, t: 0191 3860465

NORTH YORKSHIRE THE CROWN INN

THE COUNTY

THE OAK TREE

THE DOG & GUN

40 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND

Frederick Place, Houghton le Spring, DH4 4BN t: 0191 5128050

Newfield, Chester le Street, DH2 2SP t: 0191 3700565

Front Street, Tantobie, Stanley, DH9 9RF t: 01207 235 445

Hawkshead Brewery, Mill Yard, Staveley, LA8 9LR t: 01539 825260

RED LION

Vicars Lane, Manfield, DL2 2RF t: 01325 374243 Coopers Lane, Potto, DL6 3HQ t: 01642 700232

Craster, Alnwick, NE66 3TR t: 01665 576461 Main Street, Acomb, NE46 4PW t: 01434 603909

LION & LAMB

Horsley, NE15 0NS t: 01661 852952

NEWCASTLE HOTEL

Front Street, Rothbury, NE65 7UT t: 01669 620334

OLIVERS

60 Bridge Street, Blyth, NE24 2AP t: 01670 368346

THE CARTS BOG INN

Langley on Tyne, Hexham, NE47 5NW. t: 01434 684338

Front Street West, Bedlington, NE22 5TZ t: 01670 536160

THE CRASTER ARMS

RED LION INN

THE CROWN INN

Stanegate Road, Newbrough, Hexham, NE47 5AR t: 01434 674226

RIVERDALE HALL HOTEL

Bellingham, NE48 2JT t: 01434 220254

BARRASFORD ARMS

Edmundbyers, DH8 9NL t: 01207 255545

Durham Road, Coxhoe, County Durham, DH4HX t: 0191 377 3773 13 The Green, Aycliffe Vilage, County Durham, DL5 6LX t: 01325 312273

THE BEER HALL

Main Road, Chatton NE66 5PS t: 01668 215244

THE PUNCH BOWL INN

THE QUAYS

THE FLOATER’S MILL

CUMBRIA

PERCY ARMS HOTEL

Mountsett, Burnopfield, NE16 6BA t: 01207 570346

THE DUN COW

Front Street, Sedgefield, TS21 3AT t: 01740 385 6695

1 West End, Stokesley, TS9 5BL t: 01642 710263

Prudhoe Station, Low Prudhoe, NE42 6NP t: 01661 832323 THREE HORSESHOES Hathery Lane, Horton, Cramlington, NE24 4HF BAMBURGH CASTLE INN t: 01670 822410 Seahouses, NE68 7SQ t: 01665 720283

THE PLOUGH

THE QUAKERHOUSE

THE HALF MOON INN

THREE HORSESHOES

The Bank, Barnard Castle DL12 8PH t: 01833 690 130

Darlington Road, Durham DH1 3QN t: 0191 375 7651

22 Coniscliffe Road, Darlington, DL3 7RG t: 01325 354590 e: rew@villagebrewer.co.uk www.twenty2.villagebrewer.co.uk Chilton Lane, Ferryhill, DL17 0DH t: 01740 655724

THE OLD WELL INN

THE WHITE SWAN

THREE WHEATHEADS

Thropton nr Rothbury, NE65 7LR t: 01669 620262

TWICE BREWED INN

Military Road, Bardon Mill, NE47 7AN t: 01434 344534

THE ALLENDALE INN

Market Place, Allendale, Hexham, NE47 9BJ, t: 01434 683246

THE ANCHOR HOTEL

Haydon Bridge, NE47 6AB t: 01434 688121

THE ANCHOR INN

Whittonstall, Nr Consett, DH8 9JN t: 01207 561110

THE ANGEL INN

The Wynding, Beadnell, NE675AX t: 01665 720 272 Humshaugh, Hexham, NE46 4AG t: 01434 681 231

THE DIAMOND INN

Main Street, Ponteland, NE20 9BB t: 01661 872898

THE DYVELS INN

Station Road, Corbridge, NE45 5AY t: 01434 633 633

THE FEATHERS INN

Hedley on the Hill, Stocksfield, NE43 7SW t: 01661 843 607

THE FORESTERS ARMS West Sleekburn NE62 5XE 01670 813345

THE GOLDEN LION

Hill Street, Corbridge, NE45 5AA t: 01434 632216

THE GOLDEN LION

Market Place, Allendale, NE47 9BD t: 01434 683 225

THE HADRIAN HOTEL

Wall, Hexham, NE44 4EE t: 01434 681232

Main Street, Corbridge, NE45 5LA t: 01434 632119

THE HERMITAGE INN

THE BADGER

THE HORSESHOES INN

Street Houses, Ponteland Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 9BT t: 01661 871037

THE BLACKBIRD

Ponteland, NE20 9UH t: 01661 822 684

THE BLACK BULL

Matfen, NE20 0RP t: 01661 855395

THE BLACK BULL INN Etal, TD12 4TL t: 01890 820200

23 Castle Street, Warkworth, NE65 0UL t: 01665 711 258 Rennington, Alnwick, NE66 3RS. t: 01665 577665

THE JOINERS ARMS

Newton-by-the-Sea, NE66 3EA t: 01665 576 112

THE MANOR HOUSE

Caterway Heads Shotley Bridge, DH8 9LX t: 01207 255268

THE MANOR INN

Main Street, Haltwhistle, NE49 0BS t: 01434 322588

THE BLACK & GREY

THE NORTHUMBERLAND ARMS

THE BLUE BELL

THE OLDE SHIP INN

Newgate St, Morpeth Northumberland NE61 1BU t: 01670 504312 Mount Pleasant, West Mickley, Stocksfield NE43 7LP t: 01661 843146

THE BLUE BELL

Hillstreet, Corbridge, NE45 5AA t: 01434 431143

THE BOATHOUSE

Wylam, NE41 8HR t: 01661 853431 • 14 Real ales on tap • CAMRA 2013 • Northumberland Pub of the Year Winner

THE BOATSIDE INN

Warden, Hexham, NE46 4SQ t: 01434 602233

THE BRIDGE END INN West Road, Ovingham Prudhoe, NE42 6BN t: 01661 832219

• 5 Real Ales • Traditional family run pub • Folk & music nights

The Peth, West Thirston, Felton, NE65 9EE t: 01670 787370

9 Main Street, Seahouses, NE68 7RD t: 01665 720 200

THE PACKHORSE INN

Ellingham, Chathill, NE67 5HA t: 01665 589292

THE PILOT INN

31 Low Greens, Berwick upon Tweed, TD15 1LZ t: 01289 304214

THE PLOUGH

Village Square, Cramlington, NE23 1DN t: 01670 737633

THE PLOUGH INN

Front Street, Ellington, NE61 5JB t: 01670 860340

THE RAILWAY HOTEL

Church Street, Haydon Bridge, NE47 6JG t: 01434 684254

THE RAILWAY INN

Acklington, Morpeth, NE65 9BP t: 01670 760 320

THE RAT INN

Anick, Hexham, NE46 4LN t: 01434 602 814

THE RIDLEY ARMS

Stannington, Morpeth, NE61 6EL t: 01670 789216


THE RED LION

22 Northumberland Street, Alnmouth, NE66 2RJ t: 01665 830584 www.redlionalnmouth.co.uk

THE RED LION INN

Milfield, Wooler, NE71 6JD t: 01668 216224 www.redlioninn-milfield.co.uk

THE SEVEN STARS

21 Main Street, Ponteland, NE20 9NH, t: 01661 872670

THE SUN INN

Acomb, NE46 4PW t: 01434 602934

THE SUN INN

High Church, Morpeth, NE61 2QT, t: 01670 514153

THE SWINBURNE ARMS

31 North Side, Stamfordham, NE18 0QG t: 01661 886015

THE TANNERY

Gilesgate, Hexham, NE46 3QD t: 01434 605537 • Beer & Whisky room • Live music • Dog friendly

THE TAP & SPILE

Eastgate, Hexham, NE46 1BH, t: 01434 602039

THE TRAVELLERS REST

Slaley, Hexham, NE46 1TT t: 01434 673231 www.travellersrestslaley.com

THE WELLINGTON

Main Road, Riding Mill, NE44 6DQ t: 01434 682531

THE WHITE SWAN

Main Road, Ovingham, Prudhoe Northumberland NE42 6AG t: 01661 833188

THE WHEATSHEAF

St Helens Street, Corbridge, NE45 5HE t: 01434 632020

THE VICTORIA HOTEL

1 Front Street, Bamburgh, NE69 7BP, t: 01668 214431

THE VILLAGE INN

Longframlington, Morpeth, NE65 8AD t: 01665 570268 www.thevillageinnpub.co.uk

TEESSIDE BEST WESTERN GRAND HOTEL

Swainston Street, Hartlepool, TS24 8AA t: 01429 266345 e: grandhotel@tavistockleisure.com

BRITANNIA INN

65 High Street, Loftus, TS13 4HG t: 01287 640612

CLEVELAND BAY

Yarm Road, Eaglescliffe, TS16 0JE t: 01642 780275

THE CLEVELAND HOTEL

9-11 High Street West Redcar, Cleveland, TS10 1SQ t: 01642 484035

TYNE & WEAR ALUM ALE HOUSE

BENTON ALE HOUSE

LA TAVERNA

THE BRANDLING ARMS

BEST WESTERN ROKER HOTEL

• Tapas • Real Ale • Chicken

THE BRANDLING VILLA

Front Street, Longbenton NE7 7XE t: 0191 2661512 Roker Terrace, Sunderland, SR6 9ND t: 0191 5671786 e: info@rokerhotel.co.uk

BIERREX

82 Pilgrim Street, NE1 6SG

BRIDGE HOTEL

Castle Square, Newcastle, NE1 1RQ t: 0191 232 6400 e: info@sjf.co.uk

BRIDGE TAVERN

7 Akenside Hill Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3UF t: 0191 232 1122 • Selection of real ales • Food served daily • Roof terrace

BRIDLE PATH

101 Front Street, Whickham, NE16 4JJ t: 0191 4217676

CHESTERS

Chester Road, Sunderland, SR4 7DR t: 0191 5659952

COPPERFIELDS

Grand Hotel, Grand Parade Tyne And Wear, NE30 4ER t: 0191 293 6666

CUMBERLAND ARMS

12 Front Street, Tynemouth, NE30 4DZ t: 0191 2571820 www.cumberlandarms.co.uk

DELAVAL ARMS

Old Hartley, NE26 4RL t: 0191 237 0489

CROWN POSADA

31 Side, Newcastle, NE1 3JE t: 0191 2321269

FIRE STATION

York Road, Whitley Bay, NE26 1AB t: 0191 293 9030

FITZGERALDS

60 Grey Street, Newcastle, NE1 6AF t: 0191 2301350

FITZGERALDS

10-12 Green Terrace, Sunderland, SR1 3PZ t: 0191 5670852

FITZGERALDS

20 Shakespeare Street, Newcastle, NE1 6AQ t: 0191 2323606

MAGNESIA BANK

1 Camden Street, North Shields, NE30 1NH t: 0191 257 4831

MARQUIS OF GRANBY

St Lawrence Road, Byker, Newcastle, NE6 1AP t: 0191 265 5764

GOSFORTH HOTEL

High Street, Gosforth, NE3 1HQ t: 0191 2856617

HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO Allan House, City Road Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 2BE

HUGOS

ASHBROOKE SPORTS CLUB

ISIS

BACCHUS

IVY HOUSE

26 Silksworth Row, Sunderland, SR1 3QJ t: 0191 5147684 Worcester Terrace, Sunderland SR2 7AW

• Large selection of real ales • Regular food & drink festivals • Food served

THE BROAD CHARE

NEWCASTLE ARMS

THE CAUSEY ARCH INN

57 St Andrews Street, Newcastle, NE1 5SE t: 0191 260 2490

ODDFELLOWS

7 Albion Road, North Shields, NE30 2RJ t: 0191 4358450

Beamish Burn Road, Marley Hill, Newcastle, NE16 5EG t: 01207 233925

THE CENTRAL

Half Moon Lane, Gateshead, NE8 2AN t: 0191 4782543 e: central@theheadofsteam.co.uk

THE GREY HORSE

THE PACKHORSE

THE HARBOUR VIEW

THE PAVILION

THE HASTINGS

THE POTTERS WHEEL

Old Penshaw Village, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 7ER t: 0191 512 6080 Benedict Street, Roker, Sunderland, SR6 0NU t: 0191 5671402 Wheatridge Row, Seaton Delaval, NE25 0QH t: 0191 237 6868

THE HEAD OF STEAM

2 Neville Street, Newcastle NE1 5EN t: 0191 230 4236

THE HEAD OF STEAM

3 The Arcade, Front Street, Tynemouth, NE30 4BS t: 0191 272 8105

THE HOTSPUR

103 Percy Street, Newcastle, NE1 7RY t: 0191 2324352

THE JOB BULMAN

St Nicholas Avenue, Gosforth, NE3 1AA t: 0191 2236320

PUB & KITCHEN

THE CENTURION

THE JOLLY STEWARD

RED LION

• Real ales • Food available • Live sports shown

THE KEELMAN

13/14 Albion Road, North Shields NE30 2RJ t: 0191 2573199 Redcar Terrace, West Boldon, NE36 0PZ t: 0191 536 4197

ROCKLIFFE ARMS

Algernon Place, Whitley Bay, NE26 2DT t: 0191 2531299

ROSIES BAR

Neville Street, Newcastle, NE1 5DG, t: 0191 261 6611

THE CHILLINGHAM

Chillingham Road, Newcastle, NE1 1RQ t: 0191 265 3992

THE CLUNY

2 Stowell Street, NE1 4XQ t: 0191 2328477

36 Lime Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle, NE1 2PQ t: 0191 230 4474

SHIREMOOR HOUSE FARM

THE COPT HILL

Middle Engine Lane, North Shields, NE29 8DZ t: 0191 2576302

Seaham Road, Houghton le Spring, DH35 8LU t: 0191 5844485

SUN INN

North Street, Cleadon, SR6 7PL t: 0191 519 0547

Market Lane, Swalwell, Gateshead, NE16 3AL t: 0191 442 9393

TILLEYS BAR

105 Westgate Road, Newcastle, NE1 4AG t: 0191 232 0692

TOBY BARNES

TRAVELLERS REST

FREE TRADE INN

Haddricks Mill Road, South Gosforth, NE3 1QL t: 0191 2840490

25 Broad Chare, Trinity Gardens, Quayside, Newcastle, NE1 3DQ t: 0191 211 2144

FOX & HOUNDS

Coalburns, Greenside, NE40 4JN t: 0191 4132549

176 High Street, Gosforth, NE3 1HD t: 0191 28540

Streetgate, Sunniside, Newcastle, Tyne & Wear NE16 5ES t: 0191 257 4831

2 South Parade, Whitley Bay, NE26 2RG t: 0191 2511255

Ferry Street, South Shields, NE33 1JR

42-48 High Bridge, Newcastle, NE1 6BX t: 0191 2611008

LADY GREY’S

Durham Road, Sunderland SR2 7RB, t: 0191 5285644 www.tobycarvery.co.uk

29 Front Street, Tynemouth, NE30 4DZ t: 0191 2578956

Ashbrooke Road, Sunderland, SR2 7HH, t: 0191 528 4536

Stella Road, Ryton NE21 4LU t: 0191 413 2921

North Road, Wide Open NE13 6LN t: 0191 2366300

TWIN FARMS

22 Main Road, Kenton Bk Ft, NE13 8AB t: 0191 2861263

TYNE BAR

Maling Street, Newcastle NE6 1LP

TYNEMOUTH LODGE

Tynemouth Road, North Shields, NE30 4AA t: 0191 257 7565

THE BEEHIVE

Hartley Lane, Earsdon, NE25 05Z t: 0191 2529352

THE BODEGA

Grange Road, Newburn, Newcastle , NE15 8NL t: 0191 267 1689

THE KEEL ROW

The Gate, Newcastle, NE1 5RF t: 01912299430

THE KINGS ARMS

Beech Street, Deptford, SR4 6BU t: 0191 567 9804

THE KINGS ARMS

West Terrace, Seaton Sluice, NE26 4RD t: 0191 2370275

Hotspur North, Backworth, NE27 0BJ t: 0191 2680711 Sunniside, Newcastle, NE16 5EE t: 0191 488 8068

THE PRIORY

Front Street, Tynemouth NE30 4DX. t. 0191 257 8302

THE QUEEN VICTORIA

206 High Street, Gosforth, NE3 1HD. t: 0191 2858060

THE RAVENSWORTH ARMS

Lamesley, Gateshead, NE11 0ER. t: 0191 487 6023

THE RISING SUN

Bank Top, Crawcrook, NE40 4EE. t: 0191 4133316

THE ROBIN HOOD

Primrose Hill, Jarrow, NE32 5UB. t: 0191 428 5454

THE ROSE & CROWN

North Street, Winlaton NE21 6BT. t: 0191 4145887

THE SCHOONER

South Shore Road, Gateshead, NE8 3AF t: 0191 477 7404 • Handmade food • Toe-tapping tunes • Hip-ster free zone

THE SIR WILLIAM DE WESSYNGTON

THE COTTAGE TAVERN

North Parade, Whitley Bay t: 0191 251 3877

2-3 Victoria Road, Concord, Washington, NE37 2JY t: 0191 418 0100

THE LOW LIGHTS TAVERN

Brewhouse Bank, North Shields, NE30 1LL t: 0191 2576038

THE STAITH HOUSE

THE COUNTY

THE MALTINGS

THE STEAMBOAT

THE MID BOLDON CLUB

THE TANNERS

High Street, Gosforth, NE3 1HB t: 0191 285 6919

THE COURTYARD

Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, Washington, NE38 8AB t: 0191 219 3463

THE CUMBERLAND ARMS James Place Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle, NE6 1LD t: 0191 265 6151

DAT BAR

THE KING GEORGE

9 Claypath Lane, South Shields, NE33 4PG t: 0191 4277147 60 Front Street. East Boldon, NE36 0SH

THE MILE CASTLE

52 Westgate Rd, NE1 5XU t: 0191 2111160

57 Low Lights, North Shields, NE30 1JA t: 0191 2708441 27 Mill Dam, South Shields NE33 1EQ t: 0191 454 0134

1 Byker Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 2NS

THE THREE TUNS

Sheriffs Highway, Gateshead, NE9 5SD t: 0191 4870666

11 Market St, Newcastle, NE1 6JN t: 0191 244 2513

THE MILL HOUSE

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON

THE MILLSTONE HOTEL

THE DUN COW

THE NEW BRIDGE

• Selection of real ales • Food served daily • Cinema room available

THE FIVE SWANS

THE NORTHUMBRIAN PIPER

THE TURKS HEAD

THE OLD GEORGE

THE VICTORY

THE OLDE SHIPS INN

YE OLD CROSS INN

High Bridge, Newcastle NE1 1EN t: 0191 261 8852

9 High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3HA t: 0191 5672262 St Marys Place, Newcastle, NE1 7PG t: 0191 2111140

THE GREEN

125 Westgate Road, Newcastle, NE1 4AG t: 0191 221 1552

White Mare Pool, Wardley, Gateshead, NE10 8YB t: 0191 4950171

THE BRIAR DENE

THE GREY HORSE

71 The Links, Whitley Bay, NE26 1UE t: 0191 2520926

Fulwell Ave, South Shields, NE34 7DF t: 0191 427 2951

Crookgate, Burnopfield, NE16 6NS t: 01207 270283

Front Street, East Boldon, NE36 0SJ t: 0191 519 1796

Blackfell, Birtley, DH3 1RE t: 0191 415 1313 Hadricks Mill Road, South Gosforth, NE3 1QL t: 0191 285 3429

2 -4 Argyle Street, Newcastle, NE1 6PF t: 0191 2321020 Fawdon House, Red House Farm Estate, Gosforth, NE3 2AH t: 0191 2856793 Old George Yd, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1EE t: 0191 260 3035 Durham Road, East Rainton, DH5 9QT t: 0191 5840944

THE TOWN WALL

Pink Lane, Newcastle, NE1 5HX www.thetownwall.com

41 Front Street, Tynemouth, NE30 4DZ t: 0191 2576547 Killingworth Road, South Gosforth, NE3 1SY t: 0191 285 1254 Ryton Village, NE40 3QP t: 0191 4134689

www.cheersnortheast.co.uk / CHEERS / 41


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42 / CHEERS / www.cheersnortheast.co.uk



New look, new feel, new Blue Bell Come and visit the newly re-furbished Blue Bell in Corbridge. Enjoy something from our new menu or order from our full barista coffee service. Live sport shown daily on our big screen. Free wifi Beer Garden - Families, cyclists and well behaved dogs welcome Pig roasts and Live Music all Summer

tel: 01434 431143 tbbcorbridge thebluebellcorbridge The Blue Bell • Hill Street • Corbridge • NE45 5AA


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