No 16 Restaurant, Warkworth House Hotel, Northumberland

Aug 28 2009 by Geoff Laws, The Journal

A SUMMER holiday in Northumberland is a bit of a gamble, but the returns can be amazing, with gloriously sunny days in some of the most beautiful countryside and beaches known to mankind.

It’s a good idea though to hedge your bets and bring wellies and rainwear, just in case those clouds gather, but a good meal at the end of the day can revive even the soggiest spirits.

The evening we went to Warkworth followed a perfect summer’s day. The setting sun blushed fluffy clouds hanging over the sea as we passed through Amble, on up the hill to the castle and down again to the market square.

We settled into the comfy seats in the bar at the hotel and enjoyed the lively banter of barman Jason as we meandered through the menu. He regaled us with humorous tales of his past holidays and views about those brave enough to favour stay-at-home holidays. His vivacious, friendly personality was sunshine personified.

With such a glowing beginning, we had high hopes of dinner and our starters didn’t disappoint. My very sassy smoked chicken, walnut, celery and apple salad with mustard dressing kicked things off in style.

This variation on the traditional Waldorf salad worked well. A teepee of smoked chicken breast arched over a mass of chunky apple and walnuts mixed into crunchy salad leaves, all covered with mustardy mayonnaise. The generous serving would have satisfied the hungriest hiker.

My companion’s Craster kipper paté was another winner. The smoky fish was presented in a large crosscut cylinder of herby paté redolent of the Craster smokery.

We’d been there earlier that week and bought this local delicacy with the intention of doing something similar and this was just the encouragement the “chef” needed.

Laced with red onions and parsley, the buttery mix was complemented with gooseberry compote, crunchy ciabatta and salad leaves dressed with lemon vinaigrette. A very successful combination.