DELIGHTED and surprised must surely be the initial reaction of any first-time visitor to the Fox and Hounds – it certainly was for my dining partner Rachel and for me.

Newfield is a perfectly pleasant village on a hillside near Bishop Auckland, overlooking the River Wear, but, and I mean no disrespect, it is not the sort of place one might expect to find a high-end restaurant.

It is a little off the beaten track, but anyone who makes the effort to visit is in for a treat of the highest order.

The Fox and Hounds was built in the 1850s as a watering hole for the village’s miners.

For the past 20 years it has been run by Will and Ray, and yet it must be one of County Durham’s best-kept secrets.

From the outside it looks like any other village pub, albeit a well kept one.

But inside, the walls are gleaming white, giving them a timeless quality, although the heritage is present in the form of antique furniture and a towering cabinet containing Toby mugs and delicate, aged crockery.

Rachel and I were the only two diners, giving us the pick of the dozen or so tables.

Having settled ourselves with a decent view across the village, fields and river, it was time to peruse the menu.

Printed on two sides of A4 paper, it was not laden with dishes, but this in no way made it easier to choose an option.

The problem was simple, everything just sounded so delicious that as soon as a decision was made, it would be quickly sacrificed for something else that had caught the eye.

After much deliberation, squabbling and promises to let each other try whatever the other had ordered, Rachel went for the crab cake (£5.50) while I went for a trout salad (£5.50). And what a grave disservice I am doing to these incredible dishes as words really aren’t enough. Rachel’s starter was a tremendous affair. It was crab mixed with peanut, lemongrass and coriander into a large, warm creamy creation atop a bed of fresh and crisp salad. From what I could tell of the minute mouthful afforded to me, it tasted superb. It was warm and nutty and the teasing taster merely left me wanting more.

My rainbow trout with salmon, prawns, melon and grapefruit was sweet and tangy, a refreshing zesty tastefest with the soft chunks of fish fleshy and flavoursome. The fish theme continued with Rachel’s main, a smooth pink slab of salmon in a white wine and Cotherstone cheese sauce (£12.50).

Again it was incredible, the salmon so soft that just staring at it could almost cause it to fall apart.

I went for the venison, cooked medium, swimming in a thick, rich port and redcurrant sauce (£16). The meat was perfect, tender and requiring minimal effort, but the sauce stole the show.

It stained the accompanying vegetables and creamy cheesy potato slices a deep purple and oozed delightfully out of the thick chunks of meat. The venison was a bit dear (apologies for the pun), but it was worth every penny.

So that just left us with dessert, Rachel choosing a coffee (£1.95) as she was simply “too full to manage anything else”.

After my request to have a piece of each of the seven or so sweets brought to me on one big plate was politely but firmly declined, I went for the cinder toffee parfait.

And with Rachel’s appetite making a miraculous recovery that would make even a fatally injured footballer blush, we tucked in with gusto.

Homemade, like all else at the Fox and Hounds, it was an enormous cold and creamy slab riddled with crunchy toffee pieces bathing on a sea of sticky sweet sauce. It was initially sweet but left a slightly bitter, dry after taste which made you instantly want to take another bite. The parfait was the perfect end to a thoroughly enjoyable and eye-opening meal.

It felt slightly surreal as we emerged back into the night air, suddenly thrust from fine dining into an old mining village, much of which was demolished in the 1960s.

And as we drove out of Newfield, past the sleeping houses and closed recycling centre, we asked “did that really just happen”, not quite believing we had eaten like that in such a remote place.

FOOD FACTS

Fox and Hounds
Stonebank Terrace, Newfield, Bishop Auckland, DL14 8DF.
Website: foxandhoundsnewfield.co.uk
Tel: 01388-662787

Food quality: 5/5 
Service: 4/5 
Ambience: 4/5 
Value for money: 4/5