The Rose & Crown

Hotel review

Surrounded by the wild moorland and sheep-dotted fields of the North Pennines, the Rose & Crown is perfectly placed. The countryside cries out to be explored, not just because of its glorious beauty and tranquillity but also as the perfect way to walk off some of the pub’s fine food. The cooking here is what draws back many guests time and time again; a confident British menu that shows off the ingredients without fuss but definitely with interest: perhaps sea trout with roasted baby gem and crushed peas, or ox cheek with black pudding bon-bons. There’s good local sourcing, too, with Teesdale lamb rarely off the menu. The handsome, Georgian coaching-inn, which sits in the centre of Romaldkirk - a village of smart country houses, pretty cottages, neat village greens and a Saxon church - has a casual style that is both smart but relaxed. It still feels like a village pub with tartan carpets, wood panelling, and walls with hunting prints and country scenes. There’s a cheery bar with copper pans and open fire, a quieter sitting-room with raftered ceiling and squashy leather armchairs, and a more formal, oak-panelled dining room. Bedrooms - some in the main building, some in the courtyard behind - are unfussy and ‘modern-country’ with thick wool curtains, heathery colours, and pale-washed or plain wood furnishings. Some have beams or window-seats, others have small patios. And they’re dog-friendly, too. A perfect retreat whether you want to doze with the papers or blow away the cobwebs and finish the evening putting the world to rights over a single malt in the cosy, fire-lit bar.

Helen Pickles