Black and white brilliance

JOHN Moorley, who knows his pubs and may also know his onions, has written enthusiastically about several. Principally and professionally he's a beer man: the Chequers at Dalton on Tees, he says unequivocally, is a "centre of excellence."

We've written about the Chequers before, observed in black and white that its past had been - well - chequered.

Barry Dowson, there just over two years, has not only preached the consistent gospel of doing simple things well but appears to be sending missionaries in all directions.

Dalton is five miles south of Darlington. Fifteen miles west, his elder daughter Claire runs the admirable Bridgewater Arms at Winston with partner Jonathan Edwards; further south, younger daughter Keri is about to reopen the Duke of Wellington at Welbury, near Northallerton, with Caroline English and to the north, Barry and his partner Samantha King plan on October 1 to reopen the former Bishops House restaurant in Darlington, which was recently impaled on its crosier.

The reincarnation will be called Sam's, a couple of doors along Coniscliffe Road from the celebrated Number 22 ale house and itself strong on cask beers. Bistro and courtyard will follow apace.

Barry, himself a CAMRA member, has talked it over with Ralph Wilkinson, who owns Number 22. "It would be stupid to try to compete with him, because Ralph's is a superb place," he says.

"We'll also be doing the things which Ralph doesn't do, likes wines and spirits."

Sheila Morton, his sister, does all the companies' administration and also, it might be said, has fingers elsewhere.

It's she who is identified in the come-on-in preamble to the Chequers menu as the Old Pie Woman, a reference if not to her years, then to her skills as a pastry cook.

We arrived without booking, the Wednesday evening pub fairly busy but the car park overflowing. It's a familiar phenomenon - do they all go walkabout, or something, or do these places double as second hand car lots as well?

The welcome is warm but on the sensible side of effusive, the staff young and confident, the housekeeping meticulous. A young lady at the bar said she also worked on The Northern Echo.

"I've hardly ever seen you there," she added.

Real ales embraced John Smith's, Marston's Pedigree and Daleside, winner of two silver medals at the recent Great British Beer Festival. Even the Boss, a bit abstemious these days, appreciated that one.

The menu is fairly short, main courses divided into "homely" - steak and ale pie, lasagne or scampi perhaps - specials and steaks. Those who wrinkle noses at "foreign" food will find little to fuel their xenophobia here.

The broccoli and Stilton soup was a touch too rich but hot, thick and substantial, the pie would have done the Old Woman proud - they are short crusties and proud of it, none of this wrong in the head flaky stuff. Good veg, splendid chips.

The Boss saw off the tiger prawns so swiftly she might have had one by the tail and thought the salmon creme fraiche which followed it to have been expertly executed.

Bread and butter pudding would be 15 minutes, they said, and worth the wait. No matter that the table was what the Scots term a bit shoogly - not the sort for those who believe that a gentleman rests on his elbows - the bill for two barely reached £25 without drinks and was full value for it.

A centre of excellence? Simply excellent, anyway.

* The Chequers, Dalton on Tees, Darlington (01325) 721213. Lunch Monday to Friday and dinner from 5.30pm, including early bird specials. Food all day Saturday and Sunday. No problems for the disabled.

JOHN Moorley works for Daleside, it should be said, though most of his other recommendations don't even keep Daleside beer.

For their exemplary cellar skills, John's full supporting cask includes the Joiners Arms at Hunwick, run since Decimalisation Day by Ian Richardson but now taken over by his son; the Plantation at Howden-le-Wear and the George and Dragon at Heighington - "the couple are really trying there. I spotted a few pleasant touches which made all the difference."

THE Bay Horse in Heighington, midway between Darlington and Bishop Auckland, plans its first beer festival - from early evening doors on Friday, October 3 and throughout that weekend.

Nineteen of the 20 real ales will have an animal theme. The other's Wobbly Bob, a strong ale from the Phoenix Brewery in Greater Manchester - "that's in honour of one of the regulars," says Catherine Hayman.

More of that, and of the uncertain Wobbly Bob, a little later.

TWO days after the ground breaking ceremony for the National Railway Museum spur in Shildon, we lunched alone at the Timothy Hackworth - named after the man who started everything rolling.

There's also a Timothy Hackworth Primary School, fondly remembered. An industrial estate, old folks' home, several streets and a park - once merely known as the Rec - are also named in the great engineer's honour.

The pub offered scampi for £2.95, pork dinner - that is to say lunch, but we won't go into all that - for £3. It was probably appropriate, anyhow, that the waitress/barmaid made a right pig's ear of the first pint of hand-pulled Strongarm.

The meal was hugely generous, a nice piece of pork accompanied by everything which might reasonably have been squeezed onto a plate and by apple sauce and extra gravy which couldn't make the cut.

The second pint was perfect, the barmaid - it transpired - having learned the column's identity in the interim. We complimented her accordingly.

"That," she said, "was fear."

STILL with museum pieces, we wrote enthusiastically on July 8 about an old fashioned pie and a pint in the Sun Inn at Beamish - rebuilt from the pub of that name in Bishop Auckland - but were aghast that the museum guide book had been printed in 1998 and cost £3 in new money.

"Whilst the museum has moved on, the guide lives resolutely in the past," we wrote - adding, without fear of retribution, that it was a "swizz".

Last week - bit late for the summer season, but never mind - a handsome new guide was finally launched. In an attempt to keep the column updated, they've kindly sent a copy. The rest, go and see, is history.

....and finally, the ever-topical bairns wondered if we knew where you'd find spaghetti wearing a pretty worried look just now.

At the Minestrone of Defence.

Published: 16/09/2003