Seasons, The Station, Richmond

A lovely summer’s day saw us board Hodgson’s bus from Barnard Castle to Richmond for a meander and hopefully a spot of lunch.

Once off the ever manic A66, the journey was a delight; is there anything as beautiful as the English countryside on a sunny day? Most of the passengers were of ‘bus pass brigade’ age, including us. However, while we were out for a jaunt it was obvious that the bus is a lifeline to some of those aboard and one can only speculate on how long the lovely route will survive with only a small amount of ‘paying’ passengers. The camaraderie between the regulars was lovely to watch, so that it was almost a shame when we reached Richmond.

After mooching around the lovely market town, followed by a leisurely coffee in the King’s Head, we headed towards the river where, after a lovely walk, thoughts inevitably turned to lunch. My poor knees complaining at the idea of walking back up the hill, we decided on eating at the Seasons café/bistro at The Station complex before tackling the incline.

The complex, as its name suggests, is in the old station buildings; many original features were kept during the building’s restoration – completed in 2007 - one of which is the old platform from which you descend into the light, airy and roomy bar/dining area which is Seasons.

While The Station buildings are owned by trustees, Seasons is run by Ian and Jane Woodcock, originally from York but now living in Darlington, where they have another Seasons restaurant currently under refurbishment. They also opened a new branch in 2013 adjacent to the vertical Redcar Pier.

We’d previously enjoyed the odd snack or drink in the Richmond restaurant, which is managed by the extremely pleasant Janine Boschke, originally from Osnabruck, before going through to one of the two screens to watch a film, but the cinema rather than the food had always been the raison d’être for our visit.

There are comfy sofas and low tables, as well as more functional dining tables and chairs and as we planned a hearty lunch after our walk we opted for the latter.

We began a lengthy browse of the menu - described as ‘an every changing feast’ - with Peter finally opting for a dish from the specials menu. However, on ordering at the till we were told there were no specials on that day and a waitress was hastily despatched to remove those menus from the tables. Ever changing indeed!

Undaunted, it was back to the drawing board while we sipped our drinks. I had a lovely glass of chilled Pinot Grigio, a tad pricey at £5.55, but Peter wasn’t terribly impressed with his £3.70 bottle of Richmond Station ale and he didn’t finish it.

However, things began to look up when our starters, chosen from the grazing menu, arrived. We’d plumped to share chicken and chorizo skewers and a dish of sweet potato wedges, which were very acceptable, whetting our appetite for our main dishes. The chicken was chunky and tender, the spicy chorizo giving it a powerful kick. With 11 choices on the grazing menu diners have the further option of picking three for £12.95 or four for £15.95.

From the mains Peter chose shredded roast duck with hoisin sauce on a bed of noodles, which was by far the best dish of the meal. The duck was moist and succulent, the sauce piquant, with some edamame beans, together with some cucumber and spring onions, adding texture and a cooling element.

I wasn’t quite so lucky with my gnocchi and wild mushrooms in garlic and white wine cream sauce, with peas, spinach and parmesan. Although the mushrooms were plentiful, the gnocchi was too stodgy and the overall dish very bland, the garlic being indiscernible in the sauce and the parmesan topping undetectable.

Because we’ve eaten at Seasons before, and thoroughly enjoyed a pizza, a 100% beef burger or some shared nachos – as many people around us were doing – it hasn’t put us off going again, but it will probably be part of our usual cinema package rather than for just a meal.

A new specials menu is being drawn up, featuring French dishes such as cassoulet and tarte au citron, in honour of the Tour de France Grand Depart, and will run for a month.

FOOD FACTS

Seasons, The Station, Richmond, DL10 4LD
Tel: 01748 850123
Web: restaurant-seasons.co.uk
Open: Monday to Thursday: 9am until 9pm; Friday and Saturday: 9am until 10pm (food served until 9pm); Sunday: 9am until 7pm
Good disabled access
Vegetarian and gluten-free options

Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 7 Service 6 Surroundings 7 Value for money 6