The Front in Northumberland

I'm on record as having said on many occasions that if they awarded PhDs for scone-tasting, I should have a dozen. I've eaten scones in venues from the Orkney Islands to Australia and written about them in more publications than I could possibly remember. So, you can take my word for it that the freshly-baked, home-made scones (with butter and strawberry jam) at No.6 are quite possibly the best I've tasted in recent years. Cafe No 6 is a quaint place with a very atmospheric first-floor eating area, a delightful owner and staff who look like they are actually enjoying the job they do. My wife and I were just as impressed with the special 'doggy menu' on offer. We shall be back!

I’m so sad to see this lovely place closed. It had great staff and atmosphere and a fantastically good smoked haddock chowder. I wish its people all the best and I thank them for all the great visits we’ve had here. I really hope that there might be a replacement cafe of such quality. We’ll watch with interest.

Es un buen centro de jardinería, aunque mi padre dijo que estaba impresionado. El personal era muy amable y servicial, sin embargo cometí el error de tomar mi perro. El sitio web dice "dog friendly", pero si vas a llevar tu caca, ten en cuenta que NO PUEDES llevarlo al café (como puedes en la mayoría de los centros de jardinería). Conseguimos café para llevar, aunque, ningún lugar para sentarse y tomarlo, así que no pida comida. El café con leche era bueno, pero muy caro, así como la comida para aves. No me apresuraría a regresar, pero mi papá probablemente regresaría así que supongo que todo es relativo.

We stopped by chance at The Percy Arms for a drink and ended up eating an amazing meal-Wednesday afternoon and very quiet but the food was delicious and the service excellent. The soup was very tasty and the steak cooked to perfection - we will return!

Having been for a lovely meal a year ago we promised ourselves Christmas lunch this year. It was not cheap - £240 for 2 but we expected a nice experience so didn't mind. On arrival I was offered a drink and a waitress on her way back to the kitchen offered a left over canape. They said they were bringing more out but these never appeared - my husband didn't get one at all. There was nowhere to sit in the hall and as I struggle to stand for any length I had to ask about being seated. There was nowhere to hang coats except on the back of the dining chair canteen style. Please note we had been to The Grand Tynemouth the previous day and coats had been taken and hung on a rail. The room was undecorated for Christmas and cramped. We were sat at a very feeble table that seemed to have been assembled that morning-very rickety. After about 10 minutes a bread roll was brought. Great we thought food is coming. 20 minutes later the starter arrived. Considering we had pre'ordered early in December it should have been more organised. The starter we chose -pate- came with a very strange slice of bread? That I can only liken to jamaica ginger cake - not at all compatible. Then followed a long wait for the plates to be collected. No sign of a drinks waiter we had been there almost an hour. We eventually caught a chap who had delivered drinks to a nearby table and he did serve us. Dinner finally arrived - and I can tell you it wasn't just us. We were all looking around wondering what was happening. Nearly 45 minutes later. The dinner itself was not pleasant and definitely not worth the £240 cost. The roasts were not crisp. The turkey appeared to be pressed meat. The stuffing seemed to be commercial rubbery type. To say we were disappointed does not overstate it. I wasn't prepared to wait another 30 minutes or more for a sliver of Christmas pudding. So we left. Eshott what were you doing??? The whole thing was a shambles and definitely not what we expected or anticipated. You didn't appear to have enough staff. You crammed too many people in and your chef must have had a day off. Ruined what we had been looking forward to.