ONE has to feel sorry for the couple who run The County in Aycliffe Village. For Stuart Dale and Colette Farrell run a famous pub.

The fame dates from an occasion in January 2000 when a national figure was photographed there entertaining a foreign head of state. And ever since, whenever anything is written about the place, there is the obligatory reference to the meeting between ... well that would be telling and perpetuating the tedious old tale.

We’ve decided not to mention it because there’s lots of other things to say about The County in 2014 – a full 14 years later – which are rather more relevant to readers’ evaluations of whether it is worth paying a visit.

Firstly, it is the current dining pub of the year in the Northumbria section of the Good Pub Guide 2014, which covers County Durham, Northumberland and Tyneside – an accolade of substance.

Secondly, it is smartly done out. It looked good when Andrew Brown established its reputation for food back in the 1990s but it is has undergone a further makeover following its purchase by local businessman John Wade and the overall result is very pleasing and relaxing.

There’s a mix of contemporary and traditional touches, a mix-and-match approach to the soft furnishings and fabrics which saves it from the universal gastro-pub look.

We were shown to a table in a wood-floored sagey-green dining area which although lovely didn’t look as cosy as some of the other redwalled nooks and crannies on the other side of the bar.

Thirdly. The County is still a proper pub where the beer is taken as seriously as the food. We have been chastised of late for not detailing the beers on offer at the pubs we visit. While your reviewer is tempted to remind readers that the clue to this column’s principal subject matter is in the title, we accept that an account of a pub meal is deficient without reference to the ale. So we can tell you that the County serves Black Sheep (doesn’t every pub serve Black Sheep these days?), it’s own County ale brewed by an outfit in Ferryhill and there were other hand pumps on the bar so there were probably some guest ales too. But we didn’t notice which ones, sorry.

The evening menu was rather more diverting, featuring seven starters and eight mains plus some fishy specials. There were pub classics plus some mildly adventurous combinations such as tagliatelle with artichokes, capers and anchovies, and sea trout on crushed peas with samphire and asparagus veloute. We also noted the use of locallysourced stuff including two cheeses from the Morden dairy just down the road.

The wine list was also a good mix of old and new with plenty of by-the-glass options. Sylvia had her customary Prosecco (a smooth, apple-tinged fizz) but I enjoyed a large glass of a surprisingly full-bodied Pinot Grigio (£5.40 for 250ml).

Sylvia’s starter was five king prawns cooked in garlic butter (£9.95 and, rather strangely, £21.95 for ten).

The prawns were stupendously fat and juicy – fit for a king if not a president – but slightly let down, Sylvia thought, by the decidedly muted garlic flavour.

My asparagus spears (£7.95) still had some bite in them and came with nicely salty Serrano ham, a top notch hollandaise sauce and an ever-so-slightly over-done poached egg.

The main courses also had a touch of the curate’s egg about them. To be fair, Sylvia’s decision to ask for her medium fillet steak to come without the peppercorn sauce was a poor call.

The leanness of the cut means a tendency to dryness which needs to be counterbalanced by a sauce.

Although this was a firstclass piece of meat and well cooked, she was struggling with it towards the end. In retrospective we should have requested an alternative sauce.

My seafood grill (£17.50) from the specials board was a piscatorial tour-de-force featuring smoked haddock, sea bass, salmon, queen scallops and a king prawn, all simply and perfectly cooked with an excellent chardonnay cream sauce served separately. My only quibble was the presentation which was underwhelming.

The addition of one half cherry tomato and a sprig of parsley seemed to be an admission on chef’s part that the plate needed something to lift its appearance but he couldn’t think of anything. If you want a seafood platter with wow factor, try the Durham Ox’s at Crayke.

The vegetables and new potatoes served with both dishes were first class.

We finished with sharing two cheeses (£3 a pop) – a smoky Irish Porter cheddar and the standout Morden Blue – subtle and supercreamy.

It was a good if not perfect meal in very pleasant surroundings.

Service was good if initially a little brusque. At £76 for five plates of food we thought the County could stretch to proper butter as opposed to those dreadful individually-wrapped catering pats, and perhaps some better quality paper napkins.

Quibbles definitely but easily fixable.

OK, we’ve teased enough: the famous 2000 top-level meeting in the County was between one T Blair and J Chirac. The pub made national headlines when the then prime minister entertained the French president Jacques Chirac. Mr Chirac was said to be mightily impressed by Andrew Brown’s modern British menu and cooking – something of a diplomatic first in Anglo- French relations.

The County

The Green, Aycliffe Village, County Durham, DL5 6LX
Tel: 01325-312273
Web: thecountyaycliffevillage.com
Open: Monday-Saturday, 11.30am03pm and 5pm-midnight. Sunday, 11.30am-11pm.
Food served: Monday-Saturday, noon-2pm and 5.30pm-9pm. Sunday, noon-9pm.
Disabled access
Some vegetarian options

Ratings (out of ten):

Food quality: 8
Service: 7
Surroundings: 9
Value: 7