The Hobson

We had a very pleasant lunch at The Hobson, on the A692 near Burnopfield, Co Durham, on Friday. Two points of particular interest: firstly the staff were very friendly and chatty; secondly the portion sizes were much bigger than we expected. Food was good quality and competitively priced. I'n not a veggie but there was a good selection of veggie meals.

Definitely worth a visit.

Halloumi cheese burger at the Pack Horse

We paid a visit to the Pack Horse in Burnopfield recently for lunch. I recommend trying the halloumi cheese burger!

Arson at Dunston Staiths

Last week there was an arson attack on the Dunston Staiths, Gateshead. The Staiths were built at the end of the Victorian period and were used to load coal onto ships. When the coal industry eventually died out in the North East, the Staiths remained in place. As the largest wooden structure in Europe they are an iconic part of the Tyneside landscape.

Quite what motivates people wantonly to destroy a major piece of our heritage is beyond me. The Staiths have already suffered another arson attack which destroyed a section the structure a decade ago. Fortunately the damage is less this time and is potentially able to be repaired. I walked past the Staiths earlier this week. I am hoping to go back shortly to get a closer look.

Tudor Rose in Dunston

We visited the Tudor Rose in Dunston, Gateshead recently. It was pleasantly quiet but the staff were very friendly. We were after a meal and opted for the veggie burgers from the menu. A good choice.

Marsden

On the August bank holiday we decided to take some time off and paid a visit to Marsden, a bay on the North East England coast between South Shields and Sunderland. The site was famous for its giant arch rock which, sadly, collapsed in 1996. Nevertheless, the beach is well worth visiting.

The nightmare journey home

23rd July 2018

Getting home from London to the North East was a nightmare. The train driver was late. That was nothing compared to the line side fires that left us stuck south of Doncaster for over an hour. We had to get alternative connections to Leeds, then to York and then to Newcastle. Not a good start in my budding relationship with LNER who took over the East Coast rail franchise recently.

Meat on the menu at Domali

22nd July 2018

Domali, on the Crystal Palace Triangle, had previously been known to me as a veggie cafe. On visiting it recently, we discovered meat is now on the menu. Breakfast was a full English with sausage and bacon. Very enjoyable but I'm not aware of why the shift away from vegetarian food.