MEETING diverse culinary tastes in one fell swoop is paying off at Shafto's - the pub/restaurant tucked close to the Whitworth Hall Park country hotel.

Nestling in the grounds of a 73-acre deer park close to Spennymoor, Shafto's has just reinvented itself.

After much soul-searching, the management decided on a Seven Nations - One Restaurant theme for a major revamp and a shift from an emphasis on diners with children.

And according to manager Jonathan Bowmer, the move has sparked a huge upturn in business.

Customers with differing tastes in international cuisine can easily dine together in smart new surroundings and with waiter service.

You can choose from classic Indian, Chinese, Greek, Italian, French, English and American dishes - all at reasonable prices.

I was able to sample many of the items featured in the new menu. And I can say that those I did try were delicious.

On offer were dishes such as vegetable curry, lamb balti, lasagne, moussaka, swordfish steak, sweet and sour pork, burgers, beef and Guinness casserole and grilled salmon fillet.

A good selection of crisp vegetables was available and customers can have one free trip to the salad bar.

Even though we were trying a wide variety of recipes, the particular flavour of each national dish came through.

I particularly enjoyed the lamb balti, pasta and the casserole.

I am not a great lover of fish, but the people who tasted the swordfish in potato and garlic sauce said it was delicious.

The new menu also features sandwiches, side orders and puddings such as tiramisu, spotted dick, pecan pie and crepes Sinai.

A separate children's menu is available and a playbarn means grown-ups can have a bit of time out while the youngsters have fun.

Families will also benefit from a well-priced selection. Children's choices are around £3 and include favourites like pizza, sausage and chips and spaghetti.

Ordinary starters range from £2.50 for a salad to £4.95 for firecracker shrimps.

Mains cost between £6.25 and £7.50, although you will pay more for steaks - up to £14 for a fillet. Puds cost £3.25 each.

As well as the revised menu, there is also a new range of wines - all £10 a bottle - and again reflecting a global aspect.

Mr Bowmer said: "We have redefined our style of service to be more customer oriented.

"We spent hours pondering the question of theme and came up with the Seven Nations idea. It means a group of people with very different tastes can come to one place and get the kind of food they want."

He said the business had also moved away from having UK chefs.

"We have a team of all Kenyan chefs at the moment," said Mr Bowmer. "They have worked all over the place and we put all this together and developed the Seven Nations concept.

Previously, the emphasis was more on children. Shafto's still caters for younger guests but now there is no intrusion on adults as parts of the restaurant are sectioned off.

This could be especially useful as Whitworth Hall Hotel guests can opt to eat at Shafto's. "We wanted to give guests such as businesspeople the chance to eat in informal surroundings after a day's work," said Mr Bowmer.

The beauty of the park, complete with lake, woodland and walled gardens makes the complex a visitor attraction in itself - a day out destination with a good eaterie on site.

There is historical interest too. Whitworth Hall was once the home of a certain Robert Shafto, hero of the ditty Bonny Bobby Shafto.

He held the estate for 55 years in the 18th century and his portrait has pride of place in the hotel lounge.