Early doors good value at village pub

LONG-time followers of this column might recall that this reviewer has fond memories of the Lord Nelson at Gainford, when as a newly wed in the early 70s she and husband Peter often stopped off for a shandy and sandwich at the pub on warm summer days, following a spin on our motorbike.

The bike is long gone, but the memories remain, and we will always have a soft spot for this particular eatery.

On our last visit about four years ago it was run by Martin and Tracy Elliott, who also owned Cooper’s coffee house in Darlington, when we reported that we’d had the best lasagne we’d ever tasted in an English restaurant.

With that act to live up to it was with trepidation that we pitched up on a wet Tuesday to sample the teatime menu offered by current owners Dave and Julie Hardy. Resident since last October, we’d spotted their advertising hoardings offering good food from Tuesdays to Saturdays but had been put off by the fact that they were only served between 5 and 6.30pm.

However, having worked 13 hours the previous day, and neither of us in the mood to cook, we dispelled preconceived ideas, took the plunge and are we glad we did.

We were immediately welcomed by front of house man, 20 year old Adam Welsh, the son of Dave’s former work colleague. Doubling up as waiter, what he lacked in finesse he more than made up for in charm, and is a real character.

The pub is a free house, and after serving Peter with a pint of Thwaites Bomber and offering me a choice of red wine, albeit in small bottles, Adam indicated that we go through to the dining room, which has 22 covers, where Julie would take our order. It’s a pleasant room, with well spaced tables and a fragrant wood burning stove. The bar sports a comfy sofa and flat screen TV.

The blackboard menu is limited, but is changed weekly, retaining several staples such as fish and chips, which are also available to take away, steak and kidney pie and chicken curry.

Dave, a joiner by trade, does the cooking, influenced by his German mother and English father, whom he helped run a B&B in Darlington.

Born in the town, his brothers were born in Gainford, so his family is known to many locals.

Most of the mains are £7.50, with the exception of quiche, omelettes and tagliatelle at £5.50, which come in vegetarian options.

We first thought £7.50 a bit steep, but the blackboard descriptions don’t do the food justice. It did take about 30 minutes for the food to arrive, but it’s all cooked to order and worth the wait. Peter’s choice of chilli beef and chips was a plateful of good quality cubed beef, coated with a delicious chilli sauce packing a fair kick. Excellent home made chips, too numerous to count but enough for wifey to pinch, kept the smile on his face.

I went for the Keeper’s Pie, a tasty offering of game in a rich gravy. Expecting a pastry topping, I wasn’t disappointed by the nicely browned sliced potato alternative.

Cabbage, carrots and new potatoes in their skins provided a pleasant accompaniment.

I was too full for pudding, but Peter chose a pecan and banana roulade while I savoured another glass of wine. Other regular offerings include home made apple pie, creme brulee and vanilla cheesecake. We finished with good coffee and agreed the bill of £30.75 good value. NB: the venue takes only cash at the moment although they’re looking into accepting credit and debit cards.

On querying the early dining hours Dave told us that for party bookings of more than four people he will stay open later in the evening and they can choose their own menu.

“It’s a case of suck it and see to find out what works for us and our customers,” he added.

Although the menu is nowhere near as adventurous as the last time we were there, it nevertheless hit the spot and seems to have a good following among locals of all ages. While it wouldn’t be at the top of our list for a special celebration it’s certainly gone onto our list of decent value pub grub.