THE Oak Inn is one of those places I have always wanted to try. That may be an odd statement to many so I'd better explain.

Not long after I joined the Gazette I was tasked to do an advertising feature for this establishment. I remember thinking then that it was one of the few places in north Northumberland to which I hadn't been and I vowed to take a look.

But in the ensuing years the opportunity had never arisen to pop in until a week past Sunday.
On this occasion I was returning to Alnwick in the early afternoon and, location-wise, it was a perfect stop-off.

And everything else was pretty good too.

Readers may remember that last weekend's weather was a stinker. As we drove north, we could barely see a few yards in front of us, the rain was almost horizontal and it was freezing to boot.

Any refuge would have been welcomed and The Oak Inn fitted the bill.
The bar was everything you'd want on a day like that – warm and cosy.
We'd booked a table but at that time of the day we needn't have bothered. We had missed the lunch-time rush and there were only a handful of diners dotted about. It's worth noting that the pub serves food until 4pm on a Sunday, later in the summer.

We had been given a table in the conservatory and it was lovely. The bright room was kitted out with Christmas decorations, complete with mini poinsettias, a personal favourite. There was even a robin outside as we waited for the food to arrive – it must have been put there especially!

There were two Sunday lunch menus to choose from – traditional and alternative. Two courses of the traditional menu was £8.95 with three courses £11.95. Alternative – two £10.25, three £13.25. The dishes were all individually priced for those not wishing to do the combination.

The starters were the same for both – home-made soup of the day, prawn cocktail with Marie Rose sauce, deep-fried potato skins with dip, seafood platter with sweet chilli and mayo dip and farmhouse pate. They were priced £3.25 to £4.95.

I had spied the list of sweets on offer on the way in so I passed but my boyfriend, who was feeling more peckish, went for the potato skins. He got a lot of them and they were very nice. They came with a dressed salad of lettuce, cucumber and pepper.

I was spoilt for choice with the traditional main courses. The roast lunches – beef, lamb, turkey and pork – were all £6.95 each and were served with roast and boiled potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
I opted for beef after wishing I'd had it instead of pork at a family lunch out the previous week and wasn't disappointed. It was delicious and there was plenty of gravy. The potatoes and vegetables – carrots, swede and brussel sprouts which came separately – were well cooked which is good in my book.

My boyfriend went for the turkey and said it was lovely, not dry as is often the criticism of this seasonal bird. He was pleased to get a Yorkshire as well.

We were offered sauces. I declined as I'm not fond of horseradish sauce but my boyfriend requested cranberry sauce which he said complemented the meat very well.

The alternative main courses were deep-fried scampi served with chips and salad (£8.95), freshly-caught cod, deep-fried in their own recipe beer batter, served with chips and peas (£7.95), beef and ale pie, served with mashed potato and peas (£7.95) and mushroom and rocket risotto (£7.95).

The meal was lovely and filling but we both decided to have a dessert.
The menu suited us down to the ground but wouldn't be much use for someone who doesn't like chocolate or prefers more traditional pudding – there wasn't a crumble in sight.

There was tiramisu, chocolate fudge cake, double chocolate gateaux, chocolate lumpy bumpy, white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake and marbled chocolate raspberry pyramid, each priced at £3.95.

Although they all sounded nice I couldn't see beyond the chocolate fudge cake which came warm with chocolate sauce. It was gorgeous and perfect for a winter's day.

My boyfriend went for the chocolate lumpy bumpy after having sampled it at another establishment. He said it was nice but admitted that I had picked the better option.

For those with smaller appetites, half portions of roast lunches are available for £4.95.

There is also a separate children's menu of fish cake, chips and peas, beefburger served in a bun with chips, crunchy chicken mini fillets, chips and peas, all priced £2.75. A small portion of ice cream is £1.95.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal – it was hot, wholesome and reasonably priced. I would recommend The Oak Inn as a great stop-off this Christmas and New Year
.
With a coke and a J20, the final bill came to £24.60 which is excellent value.

STAR RATINGS (out of five)
Quality of food 4
Choice 4
Vegetarian choice 3
Value for money 4.5
Atmosphere 4
Service 4
Children catered for 4
Disabled access 4
(Access throughout and to toilet)
Disabled toilet No
Overall experience 4
Verdict: Tasty and wholesome - perfect for a drab winter's afternoon.

Contact details: The Oak Inn, Causey Park Bridge, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 3EL. Tel: 01670 787388