Best Places For Sunday Lunch in the North East

Vallum Farm, East Wallhouses

Taste the produce of land once occupied by Roman auxiliaries but is now occupied by a farm, restaurant, smokery, tea room and shop. Lots of places like to assert their passion for local produce but you’ll be hard pushed to find anywhere more committed to growing and sourcing ingredients locally than Vallum. As a result their Sunday lunches are fantastic – Wallington Estate topside of beef, served with Yorkshire pudding, buttered greens, carrots, bashed swede and duck fat roasties.

The Dun Cow Inn, Sedgefield

Tony Blair once brought George Bush to the Dun Cow for lunch while visiting his Sedgefield constituency. Mr Bush had the fish and chips. He missed a trick; their Sunday lunches are pretty special. Expect to find Yorkshire puddings and all the trimmings served with either topside or sirloin of beef, chicken and stuffing, leg of lamb or pork and stuffing.

The Forth, Newcastle

The Sunday roasts at The Forth have established a loyal fan club in Newcastle. The superior line-up of British meat includes succulent beef and farm-assured chicken, alongside homemade Yorkshire puddings, seasonal veg and lashings of rich gravy. Throw in the Sunday papers and some chilled-out tunes, and you have a very fitting end to the week.

The Staith House, North Shields

Based in what was the Dolphin pub (The Staith House was the 208-year-old building's original name before it was rechristened in 1853), this gastropub on North Shields Fish Quay has been hoovering up awards like nobody's business of late. Naturally there are many fish dishes to choose from but proprietor John Calton (a finalist on MasterChef) has put a lot of time and effort into his Sunday lunch offering, serving delicious roast sirloin of beef, with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish.

The Rose and Crown at Romaldkirk, Barnard Castle

Here the hearty menu is influenced by the seasons with the kitchen taking advantage of the inn’s rural location to bring the best local ingredients to your plate. They serve Sunday lunches in the bar, surrounded by antique chairs, rural nick-nacks and an open fire, or you can enjoy the traditional Sunday fare in the slightly more formal oak-panelled restaurant which has all the charm and character you would hope to find in a quintessential Dales inn.

The Bay Horse, Hurworth

Dimpled pint glasses, side dishes in copper pans, hand-pulled ales and a roaring fire. There’s an emphasis on the finer details of an old English pub at The Bay Horse and, as you might expect, the Sunday lunch menu is exceptional. It changes regularly to make the most of seasonal produce, but you can expect to see tasty variations on beef, pork loin or lamb shoulder, all served with duck fat roast potatoes, braised red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, carrot and swede mash.

The Gibraltar Rock, Tynemouth

The humble carvery can get a bad rap but the Gibraltar Rock’s carving deck is a cut above the rest. Along with a choice of three roast meats you can enjoy fluffy Yorkshires, crisp sage and onion stuffing and as many vegetables as you can manage. They take Yorkshire pudding seriously here, going as far as offering a sweet Yorkshire Pudding menu for dessert. Why not? It’s the same ingredients as a pancake.

The Broad Chare, Newcastle

A new kind of ‘old’ pub, The Broad Chare concentrates on doing the simple things really well. As such there’s little fuss, instead you’ll find well-kept beer, honest, hearty food and a friendly atmosphere. The measure of a good pub is often its Sunday roast, and The Broad Chare certainly doesn’t disappoint with moist, tender cuts of beef, pork and lamb served alongside crisp potatoes and fresh seasonable veg.

The Jolly Fisherman, Craster

Don't be fooled by the name. The Jolly Fisherman is a seriously good fish restaurant but it also serves great Sunday lunches until 7pm – featuring abnormally large Yorkshire puddings. Stone flagged floors, low beamed ceilings and cosy seating make it a really charming place to spend a lazy afternoon overlooking the sea.

We asked our Twitter followers for their Sunday Lunch recommendations. Join the coversation @Living_North
“A great place is @Chadwicks_Inn Maltby. Fab food, great staff.” Lesley Shaw
“I’ve have had delicious Sunday lunches @vallumfarm and @IrvinsBrasserie recently.” Katherine Neal