LINDEN HALL, LONGHORSLEY

Saturday 11th July, 2009

Arriving at our cottage in the middle of nowhere, deep in the Northumberland countryside, and with friends joining us for the weekend, we needed to find a good restaurant close by.

We came up with Linden Hall, only a couple of miles (as the crow flies!), from our cottage.

This is a hotel owned by the Macdonald group, and boasts a 2 AA rosette restaurant called Dobson's ( methinks he must have been the butler at one time)

We booked a taxi to drive us down the long and winding country lanes (here lies another story for another day), and later the same evening he pulled up outside this impressive looking building in beautiful grounds, perfect for that summer evening (I think we had it a couple of weeks ago if memory serves me correctly) However I digress................

The foyer/entrance hall was somewhat dated and shabby, but we made our way to the restaurant, obviously a little too early as there was no-one around. However, a waiter did arrive and suggested we had a drink in the bar, and he would bring the menus through.

A little disappointment followed when I was told they did not have any Southern Comfort for me, nor any draught beer for one of our friends.

The menu, although limited for choice, had plenty to set my taste buds going.

Three of us chose 'Surf and Turf' for our starters (Scallops, belly pork and black pudding) and my husband chose smoked salmon.

For our main course, two of us chose organic salmon with smoked salmon ravioli, one chose chicken and the fourth chose Dover sole. We also chose a couple of vegetable dishes (extra charge)

We were shown to our table with wonderful views over the gardens. The tables were quite old and worn. Some may feel this blended in with the ambience of the place, I felt that it would have benefited from a freshly laundered table cloth.

We were offered homemade bread from a selection of tomato, rosemary, and another which escapes me at this time. The bread was delicious. I was disappointed we weren't offered any more.

The Surf and Turf starter was amazing. It was one of those dishes that you never wanted to end. The testures and flavours were just delicious. I was reliably informed that the smoked salmon starter was just as good.

When the main courses arrived, my first impression was that they were extremely small portions, but I have to admit that by the time we finished them we were all quite full. I could not fault mine in any way, nor could the others. We were all very impressed.

The dessert menu only had a choice of 4 items, one had run out, and the other was cheese for which an extra £3.00 or so was charged to an already hefty £10 cost per dessert. Way too expensive in my opinion. This left me with a bit of a sour feeling rather than the sweet one that was intended.

We settled for coffee and chocolates in the lounge.

The meal was resonably priced for what we had.

Two courses were £26.00
Three courses were £36 which I re-iterate was a little too high.

I could be a little picky and, for the sort of prices charged, comment on how the wine was never topped up, I had to pour my own, and no-one else was asked if they needed another drink.
There were just one or two little details like this, that for me, let the restaurant down a little bit.


I found the location of the toilets a little bizarre, and even a little creepy. They were located down some stairs, which led to what I can only describe as a cellar type area. There were several doors and no clear signs as to which to go through. Eventually, I selected the correct door and for a split second or two it was pitch black before the lights automatically came on. The toilets, although clean would definitely benefit from some updating to bring them into the 21st century and not the 19th!

However, as a one off we had a wonderful evening and a really good meal. Overall, I don't think that I would rush back.