Liz Hands opts for a soothing Sunday lunch at the Bay Horse in Hurworth
Having had a few too many glasses of Prosecco the night before, there’s nothing like Sunday lunch to make you feel human again.
And when the Sunday lunch in question is at Hurworth’s Bay Horse, hangovers are soon forgotten in favour of flavoursome food and soothing surroundings.
Chef proprietor Marcus Bennett is well known to you if you enjoyed Baltic’s excellent Rooftop Restaurant during his tenure, or the renowned Cleveland Tontine when he was there a few years. He has since swapped the gleaming and contemporary Baltic for a return to the rustic and cosy by snapping up the Bay Horse in Hurworth, just outside Darlington and down the road from my house, which is convenient when there are sore heads to be soothed.
The décor is welcoming, country and kitsch, with open fire, tartan carpets, stone flags and wallpaper depicting fox hunting scenes. No wonder Prince Harry feels at home when he drops by for lunch on his frequent visits north.
While the fourth in line to the throne is said to favour steak, we can also recommend the Sunday lunch, which at £19.45 for two courses or £23.95 for three is great value.
Warm walnut and date bread arrives first, supposedly to go with the carrot soup, only it’s so good, it disappears before the soup arrives. More is supplied and it serves us well, both for the soup and the fishcake topped with a soft boiled egg and served with beurre blanc. It’s a good start.
Spotting huge Yorkshire puddings arriving at the table next to us with the roast beef, I almost regret the decision to opt for the pork loin – until it arrives.
I like a meal with lots of accompaniments, and the pork comes with black pudding, onion stuffing, potato crush, apple sauce and vegetables in individual copper pots, of which the standout is the mashed turnip and red cabbage. Other Sunday lunch options include pan-fried salmon with buttered spinach, and roast chicken breast with wild mushrooms and Madeira cream.
The veggie menu is particularly good, its shallot tart pretty as a picture and served with heritage carrots, a fricassee of broad beans, broad bean mash and a chive mayonnaise.
This is fine dining without the usual small fine dining portions, but we can’t say no to the dark chocolate mousse with Chantilly cream and blackberries, or the sticky toffee pudding.
Espressos and pistachio truffles round off proceedings at the Bay Horse, which has just been awarded its fourth Michelin Bib Gourmand.
It’s in good company for its bib along with three others in the region; David Kennedy’s River Café in North Shields and Terry Laybourne’s Broad Chare in Newcastle and Bistro 21 in Durham – and The Bay Horse is the sort of pub anyone would want in their village. Luckily for us, it’s in ours. We’re just not sure we should be telling everyone how good it is… we want our usual table next Sunday, after all.
The Bay Horse, The Green, Hurworth DL2 2AA, tel 01325 720 663, www.thebayhorsehurworth.com
