ALTHOUGH the Three Horseshoes pub in Barnard Castle was closed for nearly three years, its prominent position opposite the post office ensured its future remained a constant topic of conversation.

Well, the waiting is over and new owners, builder Stephen Green and his wife Linda, who also own the post office building, have turned the rundown 17th Century pub into a welcoming bar, restaurant and hotel. Stephen did the conversion work, while Linda was responsible for the interior decor, and between them they’ve done an excellent job.

The front bar offers plenty of seating for those wanting a quiet pint or snack. It retains a cosy pub feel with its flagged floor and dark wooden tables, while sliding doors lead to a light and airy contemporary restaurant area.

We were greeted by barman Stephen Bird, a former tenant of the pub, who as an electrician also helped his boss with the conversion.

Given a choice of table, our drinks swiftly followed. Mr Bird is obviously a man of many talents, as Peter declared his pint of Hob Goblin among the best kept he’d ever tasted. My glass of Pinot Grigio blush was very acceptable and, call me oldfashioned, but what a joy it was to see a barman smartly dressed in a collar and tie, even for the lunchtime trade. The friendly and knowledgeable waitresses – Verity Naseby, Libby Harding and Rachel Harris – are also worthy of mention.

There was a mix of diners, including a couple with a very well behaved little boy, offered a colouring book and crayons to amuse him – a thoughtful touch by the management.

We sipped our drinks and took our time in choosing starters, changing our minds several times before I settled on the deep fried Brie with a port and redcurrant sauce and Peter opted for North Sea fishcakes with crispy noodles and a sweet chilli sauce.

I was still vacillating when the dishes arrived, but was pleased I’d stuck with the Brie as I was served two generous finger wedges rather than one giant doorstop, giving more surface crunch to combat the gooey cheese. Both our sauces were served in separate pots, and both complemented the food, although Peter ate one fishcake with and one without to savour the various flavours.

Chef Ben Parnaby came to the Three Horseshoes from The Bowes Museum, where he won the Teesdale Chef of the Year Award for his creative menu. He brought some of those dishes along with him, including a wild mushroom risotto, which was my choice of mains.

The wonderfully sticky rice, served with truffle oil, parmesan shavings and a few peppery mixed leaves, was delicious.

Peter plumped for Teesdale lamb curry with green chilli, rice and yoghurt and wasn’t disappointed. Packed with moist cubes of local lamb from McFarlane’s butchers two doors down, it warmed the cockles, but not blisteringly so, and the rice was spot on. He felt a mini naan bread would have made a great dish greater and was pleased to note that on the new menu posted on the website this has now been added, so full marks for acting on customer feedback.

So far so good, as we settled down to peruse the pudding menu. After a decent interval in which, as neither of us was driving, Peter sampled a half of EPA and I another Pinot Grigio, we opted for the iced raspberry parfait with fresh raspberries and ginger snaps.

The parfait was to die for, richly textured with a sharp kick, but just as we were thinking we might be about to award our first 10 of the year, the flabby ginger snaps failed to snap. Sadly they were the only fly in the ointment of what was an otherwise faultless meal.

Value is top notch too, a two-course lunch costing £11.95, three-course £13.95, with an array of sandwiches, soups and cakes also available. Our bill, including drinks and a £3 cafetiere of coffee was a very reasonable £41.10.

In the interests of being nosy I asked for a peep at the bedrooms – 11 in total, with seven occupied on a quiet weekday – and was suitably impressed at their comfort and spaciousness.

The Three Horseshoes is certainly looking lucky again.

Barnard Castle
Telephone: 01833 631777
Website: www.three-horseshoes.co.uk
Open daily for meals and drinks and accommodation.
Suitable for the disabled.