The village of Faceby is perhaps not one of the best known in that beautiful stretch of countryside below the Cleveland Hills between the Tontine and Stokesley.
Maybe its lower profile is due to its proximity to Swainby with its two pubs, cafe, shops and holiday park, or Carlton, with its famous hill climb proving a draw for cyclists wanting to test their mettle on its brutal gradient.
But there is no reason why Faceby should be overlooked – it is a little gem in its own right. For the adventurous, there's some wonderful walking roundabout, including the quaint lane that drops down from the Cleveland Way to bring you out right in the heart of the village. For those wanting a more relaxing experience, there's The Sutton Arms pub.
It is hard to miss, standing high and proud on a sharp corner in the middle of Faceby. Every time I've been previously, it's been remarkably busy, clearly in opposition to my feelings that Faceby is not as well known as nearby villages.
And so it was when my sister and parents booked in for Sunday lunch recently. After a blustery morning spent in the hills battling the tail-end of Storm Kathleen, I, for one, was ready for some cosy country pub respite.
The bar was busy with other diners paying for their meals as we arrived, and, after a short wait, we were shown to our table. On the outside, The Sutton Arms looks every inch the classic rural inn, but inside, the decor is a mix of the traditional (think hunting scenes and game birds) and the modern.
Our table, tucked in a corner in the dining room, was next to a wall featuring a dozen or so graffiti-style street art paintings. Mindful that I was going to be writing about our lunch, one in particular caught my eye – a feisty-looking rat holding a paint roller beneath the words "there's no such thing as good publicity". I considered myself duly warned.
The Sunday lunch menu is reasonably priced and fairly concise – for adults, one course is £14, two £18 and three £21. For children under 12, it's £7, £10 and £13.
Starters were a choice of homemade soup, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, black pudding with chilli dressing, and prawn cocktail. We all, however went straight for a main – roast topside of beef for my dad and I, roast lamb for my mam, and roast turkey for my sister. Other options were salmon in a creamy prawn sauce, chicken breast or mixed meat for £1 extra.
All arrived swiftly, bathed in a generous gravy portion that immediately satisfied my greedy eye. The Yorkshire puddings were excellent, the vegetables nicely cooked, and roasties that lovely combination of crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Could there have been a little more of all of them? Possibly, but then again, that could have been my greedy eye.
One thing that was definitely not lacking was the portions and quality of the meat. The beef, immense, thickly cut slices, melted in the mouth, as did the lamb. The turkey, which can so often veer towards dryness, was particularly juicy. Some stuffing would have been a welcome addition, but otherwise everyone was more than happy.
Three of us still had room for a pudding, and a chocolate fudge cake and two sticky toffee puddings were duly ordered (the other two choices being Biscoff cheesecake and ice cream and toffee sauce).
My fudge cake did exactly what it said on the tin – indulgent, chocolatey, fudgy. Very satisfying. The sticky toffee puddings also went down a treat. Indeed, my mam, who usually would have something lighter for dessert, said it was her favourite part of the whole meal. High praise indeed.
Service throughout was brisk but efficient – we were in and out in a smidge over an hour. The final bill, with a round of drinks, came to £90. Decent value, we thought.
Plenty more people were still coming in as we left, a sign The Sutton Arms must be getting it right, and that Faceby is no longer in the shadows of its neighbours.
More eating out reviews:
- What we thought of the mighty portions at this North Yorkshire café
- A warm welcome and tasty sandwiches at this Yorkshire pub lunch
- A coffee shop and more - a special lunch at this North Yorkshire café
The Sutton Arms,
Faceby, Stokesley, TS97BW
01642 700382
facebook.com/thesuttonarms
Food served Wednesday to Friday, 6pm to 9pm, Saturdays, 6pm to 9.30pm, Sundays 12pm to 2.30pm
Ratings (out of ten): Food quality 8 Service 8 Surroundings 8 Value 8
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