When The Man Bird and I visit Northumberland it’s always a full on, non-stop tour; this time was no different, and our original plan to have a full day in Bamburgh soon became a ‘just passing through’ affair! I have said before that Bamburgh is one of my favourite beaches in the world (definitely my favourite British one) and I could feel myself relaxing with every step on its soft, pale gold sand, the tension literally flowing out from my toes.
To say the kids had gone back to school and it was a mid week day, the village was lively and we only just managed to snag a parking space on the centre bit around the green. Whilst I bumbled about just taking in the Ozonic tang carried on the brisk sea breeze, His Nibs actually did some work for the blog and wandered off to get some fresh shots with his camera. I like a man when they’re being useful *wink*!
We used a different route to usual and came back through the dunes at the Pavilion; there was no-one using the court to play tennis and no game of cricket on the green, but plenty of folks were walking around the perimeter of this beautifully kept area. It took us a while to cross the road and make our way over to The Copper Kettle for elevenses, but we managed to grab a seat inside, just ahead of the early lunch crew.
It wasn’t our first visit to this quirky tea house; we’ve been several times before, without and without the pooch. The menu changes seasonally and all the food is home-prepared and cooked and, believe me, you can certainly taste the difference! If it wasn’t for the fact that we’d made dinner reservations for that evening, I would’ve indulged in one of their scrumptious Cream Teas; as it was , I ‘made do’ with one of their fruit scones, whilst His Nibs had a piece of Malteser Tray Bake. To go with our sweet treats we had Tea; Assam for yours truly and Earl Grey for The Man – each type came in a white pot that held two cups’ worth of brew.
The service at The Copper Kettle is always friendly, even when the ladies and gents are working flat-out, which I guess is why this venue is widely regarded as one of the best in the country. The Man Bird and I have always had great experiences here and we return each year to grab a bite to eat and some refreshment.
My fruit scone was delicious; it had the perfect texture: not too dense, but not so open that it was all air and no substance – it was satisfying with each bite. I was more than happy with the amount of juicy fruit within the pale scone mix and savoured the sweetness of the sultanas and raisins as they hit my palate. No restraint was shown as I larruped the whole tub of Clotted Cream and pot of jam onto the scone halves – no whatsits were given either regarding the calorie content; I was on holiday, so all calories were null-and-void anyway!
His Nibs was pretty impressed with the Malteser morsel he was chomping his way through, saying (well, mumbling, as his mouth was constantly engaged!) how chocolatey and indulgent it was. Chocoholics would be most satisfied with this, no doubt at all.
We would’ve stayed longer had our schedule permitted, but we had to jump back in the jalopy and make our way onwards. The brevity of this visit doesn’t mean that the team at The Copper Kettle in Bamburgh don’t get their Hot Wings though; I’m still happy to give them this accolade. See you next year guys – hopefully for a bit longer and some lunch!
