Sunday Lunch At The Milbourne Arms, Holywell Village, Whitley Bay
Published On Thursday 5 Sep 2024 by Sticky Beak
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It’s the time of year that Northumberland beckons, so His Maj, Mummy Bird and I had rented a bungalow in Beadnell for the week. Whilst we might be on our jollies, we were most certainly still in the market for a Sunday Roast – just not the ‘cooking it ourselves’ bit! The Man Bird did a bit of researching, looking for somewhere that his mother, Geordie Bird could either drive to and meet us there or we could pick her up on the way through. Needless to say, he had to find somewhere that did small portions; else GB would be moaning that she couldn’t eat a full portion, and god forbid should she take a doggy bag home!
The Milbourne Arms at Holywell fitted the bill nicely, and it’s a venue that we have visited before in 2019; it has changed hands since then, though, so we were eager to see if it was still as good. Some things don’t change, i.e. the ‘creative’ car parking: you could easily have got twice the number of vehicles in if folks had a) parked normal distances from each other, or b) parked straight. Plonkers! His Nibs dropped the three of us at the front door, then went to park the jalopy just up the road a bit.
Inside, the venue has had a bit of a facelift since we previously visited; it’s a lot brighter thanks to the neutral colour scheme of faded blues and greys and the splash of pastel green on the bar. The huge blackboard has been replaced with a stylish sepia print and there are several prints of local scenes framed on the wall. Clearly, The Milbourne Arms team serve a good roast, as there were plenty of people in already and the rest of the tables had reserved placards on them. I would advise to book ahead if you’re planning a visit here, to avoid disappointment.
A friendly lass came over to take our drinks orders: pint of Moretti for The Man (£5.55), large glasses of wine for me and Mummy (Pinot and Shiraz, both £5.75), and a Britvic-style OJ for GB – no ice - £1.60. In the time it took for our drinks to be brought over, we’d decided what we were having: 2 meat trios (£17.95), a normal Beef Brisket (£14.95) and a ‘modest’ Beef Brisket (£10.95). The Trio of meats was a slice of all the Sunday meats: Beef Brisket, Porchetta and Roast Chicken Breast. Roast Leg of Lamb braised in Red Wine, Thyme and Rosemary was also on the menu, just FYI.
All the roasts come with homemade Yorkies, Mash, Sweet Potato Mash, Sausage Meat Stuffing, roast Parsnip and Carrots, Seasonal Veggies, Cauliflower Cheese and extra pan Gravy. Our plates were fully laden, and we all eagerly tucked in.
Both Mummy Bird and GB said that their Beef Brisket was superb, and His Nibs were equally smitten with its tenderness and taste. I was a bit disappointed with my Porchetta, finding it rather fatty – the evidence of which was in one of the emptied vegetable bowls at the end of the meal. The Man fared better with his Porchetta, though, so maybe I just lucked out and got the end piece? However, I should say that the Pork itself was lovely and creamy in the mouth, and beautifully moist. Chef had cooked the Chicken perfectly, preserving its juiciness and delicate flavour; all in all, we were a pretty happy flock with our meats.
You can probably count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I’ve heard GB enthused about a meal, so I was [happily] gob-smacked when she complimented the choice of vegetables at The Milbourne Arms: Sugarsnap Peas, Fine Green Beans, and florets of Broccoli, saying that it made a pleasant change from plain old, Carrot-n-Pea mix. They were all cooked marvellously, too, so she was even happier. Mummy Bird and I really loved the Cauliflower Cheese’s sauce; it was nice and unctuous with a clear tang of Cheddar in it. Both the regular Mash and the Sweet Potato variety were smooth as glass and nicely seasoned, and the slab of sausage meat stuffing was delicious and we all steadily made our way through the treats on our plates.
Other than my discarded fat, GB’s Yorkie Pud and Parsnip, there was very little else left on any of the plates, so our tummies were nicely full. His Nibs and Mummy still had a look at the dessert menu though! The service had been great up until this point - check-backs and sauces had been done/provided – but it came undone slightly at this point as, though they had given us the dessert menu, no-one actually came back to take an order. Fifteen minutes later, the urge for something sweet had passed, so The Man went to pay the bill and we left.
My opinion is that it could be a bit slicker in the areas I highlighted; however, we would still return, so Hot Wings given to The Milbourne Arms at Holywell.
To book a table ring 0191 2980568 or visit the Facebook page The Milbourne Arms, Holywell and hit the ‘reserve a table’ button. The Milbourne Arms is open 7-days-a-week: Sun-Thurs Noon-11pm, Friday Noon-Midnight, and Saturday 9am-Midnight.
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