Weekend Specials starting 23rd February 2012

Starter
Deep Fried Sesame King Prawns drizzled with Sticky Lemon & Chilli sauce resting on a Pak Choi Salad dressed with Sesame Oil	£6.45
Main Courses
Grilled Leg of Local Lamb Steak resting on Parsley Mash with Minted Green Beans, Carrots & Courgettes and a rich Red Wine Sauce	£13.95
The lamb for this dish was raised by the Wilson family on their farm in the Northumberland National Park near Alnwick. Their award winning herd of organic Blackface sheep are fed on a diet of grasses, clover, heather and wild herbs resulting in a unique taste to the lamb.
Barbary Duck Breast (cooked pink) served over Sweet Red Cabbage & Butternut Squash with Roast Château Potatoes and a Port Wine & Black Cherry sauce	£14.95
Grilled Fillet of Salmon with a Herb Crust accompanied by Lemon & Chive Butter, crushed New Potatoes with Spring Onion and Broccoli & Cauliflower Florets	£10.45

It’s Wolf’s turn!

Wolf from Allendale is back on the bar tonight.

Allendale Wolf is a beautiful red coloured, full bodied beer taking its name from the famous wolf of Allendale. With bitterness coming from Challenger hops and a fruity blackcurrant aroma coming from Williamette hops. At 5.5% abv. this really is beer with bite!

Review of Wolf by Robert Millichamp:

Deep amber red with a nose of tart raspberries over fruity hops leading to a full bodied palate dominated by berry fruits balancing a firm hop bitterness and slight oaky complexity. This leads to a soft finish signatured with an orange fruit tang in the residual sweetness.
Overall I have found it big and juicy, like the Curlew’s Return except sharper and with more bite, whereas the Curlew’s has more of a rounded character. Wolf throws more to the palate, defiantly bolder with an obvious interplay between a high alpha hop bite and the slightly tart berry fruit malt tang that’s reinforced by a good ester content.

Allendale’s APA on the bar :D

APA from allendale is the current guest ale – guest ale posts have been a bit lacking recently as we’ve been away – but back to normal now!

APA, (Allendale Pale Ale), is Allendale’s latest brew. At 5.5% it’s a true full bodied IPA, light in colour, absolutely crammed with hop flavour, refreshing bitterness and chock full of floral and citrus aromas.

Looking for a new 2nd Chef

After 4 1/2 years our second chef is moving on, so we’re loooking for someone new. All details of the vacancy and ways to apply can be found by clicking here and searching using the postcode ‘NE62 5TG’ and the word ‘chef’.

Back from Gozo……..

Well we got back from Gozo late last night, and have been straight back to work today with over 160 people in for Sunday lunch -  talk about back into the swing of it straight away!

All went well while we were away, with my parents back in charge, assisted by the staff and my sister Katrina. It’s great to get away as when you live above the business it really is 24/7 – and without the family support we’d really struggle.

Next trip is just after Easter when we’re going to France to do some work on my parent’s property over there – another great break even if it is a bit of a ‘working holiday’!

Valentine Season’s Specials

With Valentine’s being between 2 weekends this year, we decided to run the following specials from tonight until the 18th February. Hope you get a chance to come in and enjoy them!

Starters
Cherry Tomato, Red Onion, Garlic & Mozzarella Bruschetta presented on dressed Rocket with Basil Oil & Balsamic Reduction	£5.45
Crispy Beef ~ Shredded crispy strips of Beef Fillet served with Croutons and Green Salad topped with Sweet Chilli Sauce	£5.95
Main Courses
Slow Cooked Shank of Ingram Valley Lamb set on Garlic Mash with Rosemary scented Carrots, Parsnips & Sugar Snap Peas and a Mint & Port Wine Jus	£13.95
Roast Local Pork Belly from Crane Row Farm, Bishop Auckland, stuffed with Haggis, Black Pudding and Apple, carved over Sautéed Root Vegetables served with Fondant Potato and a rich Red Wine Gravy	£11.45
Poached Smoked Haddock resting on wilted Spinach, Mangetout & New Potatoes, topped with a Poached Egg and accompanied by a creamy Parsley Sauce	£10.95
Oven Baked Chicken Breast filled with Bacon, Mushrooms & Basil, carved over char-grilled Sweet Potato and served with roast Butternut Squash, Leeks, Celery, Button Onions and a Sage & White Wine Sauce	£10.95
Desserts
Warm Belgian Waffle served with Doddington Dairy’s luxury farm-made Rosewater Ice Cream, sprinkled with rich Chocolate Truffle pieces and topped with Chocolate Sauce	£4.50
Strawberry Cheesecake served with whipped Dairy Cream	£3.95

Bubbles
Chaumet Demi Sec Perry ~ Sparkling, Light and Medium Sweet £8.95 per Bottle (75cl) (Additional Champagne and Sparkling Wine available on Wine List)

Wolf Back Again :D

Allendale Wolf is a beautiful red coloured, full bodied beer taking its name from the famous wolf of Allendale. With bitterness coming from Challenger hops and a fruity blackcurrant aroma coming from Williamette hops. At 5.5% abv. this really is beer with bite!

Review of Wolf by Robert Millichamp:

Deep amber red with a nose of tart raspberries over fruity hops leading to a full bodied palate dominated by berry fruits balancing a firm hop bitterness and slight oaky complexity. This leads to a soft finish signatured with an orange fruit tang in the residual sweetness.
Overall I have found it big and juicy, like the Curlew’s Return except sharper and with more bite, whereas the Curlew’s has more of a rounded character. Wolf throws more to the palate, defiantly bolder with an obvious interplay between a high alpha hop bite and the slightly tart berry fruit malt tang that’s reinforced by a good ester content.

Some Stunning Wildlife Photography

Follow this link to the Northern Experience Wildlife Tours Blog and see the fantastic images of owls taken in the last few days by Martin & Sarah.

The Race is On……….

………to be the first of our customers to fill their Loyalty Card!

Since starting the scheme in January, there has arisen a rather unexpected rivalry between some of our regulars, each of whom is attempting to become the first to receive their £30 Gift Voucher as a reward for completing their card. We have several guests with only 2 or 3 spaces left – and at this rate they could earn 3 or even 4 vouchers before the end date of the end of June!

If you’ve not yet started a card, there is still plenty of time to get one, and earn a stamp each time your bill comes to over £30. All Terms & Conditions are shown below.

Golden Plover on the Bar

New guest ale today is Allendale’s Golden Plover (4%) today which is always appreciated as a top quality ale at the lighter end of the spectrum.

A top quality blonde beer made using only Marris Otter pale malt to give a light and refreshing clean taste. Moderately hopped with Challenger and delicate New Zealand Hallertau hops. This is the perfect easy drinking beer for hot summer days!

Review by Robert Millichamp

Pale golden with aromatic grassy floral hop resins to the nose intermingling fresh piny notes with hints of sweet kiwi fruit and elderflower. This leads to a palate opening with a clean crisp fruity hop bite over firm malts that interlace delicate summer fruit like esters into the dry finish that lingers with more elderflower and dry piny hop resins. Overall a very clean, firm golden ale with a delicately dry but floral finish.