BACK to school, or to the schoolroom anyway, we dined at the Bridgewater Arms in Winston - recently kitted out to reflect its formative years.

Though they still have lessons to learn, chiefly in addressing the puddings (D-minus, unfortunately) and the vegetables (not much better), it is a case for enthusiasm's carrot, not stricture's stick.

Winston's off the A67 between Darlington and Barnard Castle, the externally attractive Bridgewater - the village's only pub - the former Church of England school.

New licensees Wendy Fenwick and Phil Mott have refurbished it with old ties. That it works is, as a first form mathematician might say, because they know where to draw the line.

Though areas are identified as "bike shed", "headmaster's room", "bad boys' room" and so forth, the theme team have remembered their place.

The bad boys, incidentally, must have been particularly wicked, compelled over their pool game last Thursday to watch the soulless goalless between FC Porthole, or some such, and Liverpool.

There are fetching curtains with a Latin motto, a piano with the music for The Beatitudes by Cesar Franck - blessed if anyone knew who he was - and, turned again above the bar, the cast list for Dick Whittington, the 1957 school pantomime. Adults 2/6d, children 1/3d.

Much of the main room is also a dining area, lustrously coal-fired at one end, single hand pump selling McEwans 80 Shilling - a surprising choice - recess at the other end identified as the "Library".

Books abound, even something called the Bad Food Guide, and on the walls, press cuttings of Winston's finest hours, including the extraordinary incident in 1988 when former Red Arrows pilot Ray Hanna, 60, flew a Spitfire at 250mph beneath the river bridge as part of a film stunt. The victory roll seemed abundantly deserved; the photograph bears reproduction.

Three of us dined, one of just two occupied tables, cheerfully attended by a young lady wearing another old school tie. The tapes ranged from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik to altogether grosser compositions. (Since today's is an educational column, German speakers may appreciate the Teutonic play on words.)

The best, it transpired, was first - the garlic mushrooms, the mushroom soup (no guesses) and the attractively presented mussels all rated good to very good

Similarly a first rate piece of cod (old jokes may be inserted here), the mushrooms and leeks with a perhaps understated Stilton sauce and "Chicken Swiss" - the menu has European and Asian sections - with a ham and cheese topping and appropriately sticky sauce. Honest, robust, good pub food.

But what of the school vegetable garden? Though the chips were perfectly OK, the other vegetables - peas, carrots, bits of salad kicking about somewhere - were insipid nowt nor summats, afterthoughts of the sort that an O level student might turn out if left with five questions and three minutes in which to answer them.

Puddings are of the "Loveable lemon lush" variety, the mandarin cheesecake a soggy and almost tasteless confection that cost £3.50 and appeared to have died of shame at the overpricing..

Ice cream, it was reported, was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry or a bit of all three. We asked for vanilla and chocolate, a long and short division for which the kitchen was completely unprepared. All three came in a bowl, anyway, and with little sugar sticks protruding. Much of it remained where it lay.

Three courses and two coffees cost £44. It is not at all a bad start, but the Bridgewater can move up a class yet.

WELCOME back to Tom Cockeram, an Echo reader again after more than 60 years. His family "flitted" (says Tom) from Doncaster to Coverdale in 1930, moved down to Middleham and in 1938 returned to dear old Donny.

Now he's in Barwick-in-Elmet near Leeds, has given up on the Yorkshire Post - "you're much more cheerful than their chap" - and resumed old habits.

With his letter, Tom encloses a compilation tape of mainly Italian music, intended for Gianni Addis in Great Ayton.

Gianni, lovely feller, runs Tosca's (Eating Owt, March 6), but plays local commercial radio because he considers Italian songs boring. "He won't after he's heard this lot," says Tom.

We're sending it on. "The idea is that you get a thumping discount next time you go to the restaurant," says Tom. It's lovely to have him back.

JACK Dent from Northallerton e-mailed a Tally-ho for the Fox and Hounds at Bullamoor, near Northallerton. "The food is excellent, take it from a man who has dined at the Connaught Rooms and at Joe's Caff. The cost is reasonable, take it from a man who couldn't afford to pay at the Connaught Rooms and has been ripped off at Joe's Caff."

Bullamoor's on a hill above Northallerton, a pub and little else, though the town edges ever closer. The Fox, for all that, remains pleasantly rural.

We took an early Sunday lunch, the leek and potato soup (£2.30) a flying start, clearly and vividly home made and with little taties swimming anxiously about.

The pork (£6.50) was fine, too, except that a) there was no crackling b) the gravy came ready poured, a most regrettable practice c) the mustard came in sachets and d) there are those of us who prefer our pork to look as if it's gone two falls, two submissions or a knock-out rather than been sliced under general anaesthetic. The Yorkshire pudding was terrific.

Puddings are generally little over £2, cup of coffee and a single mint overpriced at £2.10. Though Jack had recommended the knickerbocker glory ("particularly excellent") we had the ample roly-poly, more jam than Man United, as a football fan might say.

The Boss, also in attendance, began with a vegetable sate, followed with courgette bake and finished with a melon transferred for £2.30 from the starters list. "Everything freshly made and appealing," she concluded.

Other Sabbath main courses included Mexican beef sizzler, chicken pasta Rosetti (with a black pepper cream sauce) and salmon steak. Though everyone seemed to rush at once - to hunt, as it were, in packs - the mainly female staff remained pleasant and attentive.

The Fox is open for food seven days, all day. Not an endangered species at all.

DARLINGTON CAMRA's "Spring Thing" festival at the Arts Centre this week includes 45 ales like Bedlam (from Picks in Accrington), Cornish Knocker from Skinners in Truro, Humpty Dumpty from Norfolk and a St Patrick's trio from the tiny Dwan Brewery in the Republic of Ireland.

The knees-up, part of the Spring Thing folk festival, is open Thursday evening (7-11pm), Friday lunchtime and evening, all day Saturday and from 12-4pm on Sunday.

Also at the Arts Centre this Saturday, 10am-5pm, Darlington's Oxfam campaigns group will be giving away free samples of Fairtrade chocolate, coffee and tea aimed at highlighting the need for a better deal for third world producers.

"We want to give people a chance to discover that Fairtrade Mark products not only make a difference to some of the world's poorest farmers, but taste great too," says event organiser Gill Gajdatsy.

EDWARD Boynton, almost 30 years at the ever-excellent Nags Head in Pickhill, near Thirsk, wonders if he's the only pub to have foot dips at both entrances to his pub. "It's not compulsory but we're a farming area and it's a gesture to my friends," he says.

...and finally, the bairns wondered if we knew the name of the EEC's biggest food mountain.

The trifle tower

Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2001