New restaurant and B&B poised to open in Northumberland after £400,000 investment

A family-run business has invested over £400,000 to establish a modern style café-restaurant and accompanying state-of-the-art Bed & Breakfast accommodation in the Northumberland National Park.
Michael and Danielle Hudson.Michael and Danielle Hudson.
Michael and Danielle Hudson.

Fountain Cottage, Bellingham, is due to open for lunch on Sunday, January 5 following an extensive 12-month renovation.

The 44-cover café-restaurant will be open seven-days per week offering breakfast; lunch, afternoon-tea and early evening meals with an emphasis on local food provenance as a menu feature.

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Fountain Cottage is fully-licensed and also offers alfresco-style dining with outdoor seating for 36 customers.

The business is set to employ ten people over both enterprises.

The state-of-the-art bed and breakfast accommodation offer six luxury bedrooms with smart TVs and ensuite bathrooms. Three of the bedrooms have hot-tub suites featuring inbuilt TVs.

Fountain Cottage has disabled-friendly access and a specially designed disabled-friendly bathroom and shower facility is available.

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Managing director Danielle Hudson said: “Tourism is Northumberland’s second biggest industry and Fountain Cottage is ideally located to provide breakfast; lunch, early evening meals and accommodation for visitors to the Northumberland National Park. The café-restaurant is also dog-friendly.

“Northumberland is famed for its dark-skies and Kielder Observatory is another major tourist attraction on our door-step and we’re located next to Bellingham Golf Course. We want people to visit Northumberland and enjoy first-class accommodation as well as, tasting some of the region’s finest locally-sourced food produce.”

Danielle and Michael, her co-director husband and Fountain Cottage chef, are passionate about the environment and reducing “food-miles” is another priority for the entrepreneurial couple.

“We live and work in a beautiful area and want to help maintain the environment,” says Danielle.

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“Whenever possible we source local fresh produce such as meat from Butterworth’s Butchers in Bellingham; Craster kippers, Hodgson’s Fish, Northumberland Sausage Company and Morwick Ice-cream.

“Craft and fine ales from local breweries include Ancrum-based Plough-to-Pint and First & Last Brewery at Elsdon.

“We want our guests and visitors to experience Northumbrian hospitality and local produce at its finest.”

The stone-built property dates back to 1839 and has had many uses during the past 180 years including being a former Work House.

Visit www.foundtaincottage.com or Fountain Cottage Facebook page.

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