We have blogged about how fabulous Beamish is a couple of times now as there really is no where else like it in the UK and if you are visiting the area it is somewhere you need to see. With a new £10.5 Million grant from the National Lottery to create a 1950s village this is really going to bring a whole new lease of life to the venue too!
If you are visiting from out of the area you will be needing somewhere to stay of course and locally are a few beautiful hotels and motels. We were kindly invited to try the Beamish Park Hotel Bistro to give our opinion on what it was like for visitors and those wishing to hire the venue for weddings, renewals, christenings etc.
After being shown around the hotel by the lovely Sandra we were pleasantly surprised! From outside Beamish Park Hotel look relatively small, situated on Marley Hill you only really get to see the main entrance and conference room, what you don’t get to see are the very spacious hotel rooms and dining area! Housing 42 bedrooms ranging from executive to premier deluxe there really is something for everyone, the finishing touches are beautiful and I always feel that the little things speak volumes so knowing that there are gowns on the back of the bathroom doors and slippers in the bathroom drawers mean that you have little touches of home.
We were shown to the bistro which is beautifully set out with old LP covers framed and mounted on the walls as decor. Everywhere was clean and immaculate and we were promptly brought bread, fresh water and asked our drink choices. It was really quiet and there were only 4 other diners who were obviously business people staying over for work purposes, we did comment on the fact that it looks as though the Bistro gets over looked by others who, as we did, though that it was a business venue more than an actual restaurant which is a shame as the food was beautiful!
We chose our food from the menu which is changed seasonally to provide the freshest ingredients that are in season and having spoken to the Bistro manager we were told that they do try to use locally sourced ingredients as often as possible. The chef has a cookbook that is available to buy from the main reception and having made a vow to go back to try more foods I think this book will definitely be on my Christmas wishlist!
My starter was Tempura King Prawns with Pickled Asian Salad and Sweet Chilli Jam, Stuart opted for the – what I should have informed the kitchen of was my aversion to coriander *shudder* and without realising it I managed to ingest a mouthful with the first bite of the asian salad! Thankfully the wine washed it down and the prawns more than made up for it – huge and so fresh that they could have almost swam from my plate!
Mains were promptly brought out and having opted for Scallops my first thought was seafood overload but I needn’t have worried. My dish of Seared King Scallops, Mini Chorizo Sausage, Rocket Salad, New Potatoes & Crème Fraiche was divine, the delicate flavour of the scallops was complimented beautifully by the rocket salad and chorizo (however there was a slight taste of coriander again!)
Stuart said his steak was cooked to perfection and that the chips were home baked which was an added bonus as more often than not fries are served. The apple puree was a delightful twist on the usual peppercorn or tomato sauce served with steak so again bonus points!
Dessert was Lemon 3 ways for Stuart and I went for the Rhubarb panacotta – we did joke that maybe there would be coriander on mine and had to giggle when there was actually a little sprig on one of Stuarts trio! Not sure if they had an abundance they needed to use or whether we were just ‘lucky’ lol
My dessert was deliciously sharp, the rhubarb combined with the creamy panacotta and homemade granola were the perfect end to a great meal!
We finished up with a latte each and sat in peace and quiet enjoying the venue and the fact we had a night out without the children. I would recommend Beamish Park Hotel as both a venue for events but also for a quiet night out if you wanted beautiful food in a delightful environment – we will both definitely be back!
XOXO
Debbie
We were given a complimentary meal for the purposes of this review, all opinions are our own.
