Having heard so many great things about the Rat Inn in Anick, just a few miles past Hexham, it had been on our list to visit for Sunday roast for a long time. Found in a country setting, this original 18th-century pub has quite the reputation for its grub.
It's a pub with character, a warm welcoming feeling with a beer garden overlooking the valley which makes you long for those long summer days, especially given the bitter winter temperatures of late.
Booking is advised - there were only a few slots left to take when we went to secure our seats five days prior. Given its reputation - in the Michelin Guide and consistently listed in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list, we were very excited to visit.
READ MORE: Northumberland 'hidden gem' serves up perhaps the best-ever beef Sunday roast
Having got there, we were politely welcomed by the staff and seated at our table in the backroom. It really is a lovely pub full of character. The staff were very accommodating with one of our party, given their serious food allergies. Nothing was too much to ask of the staff to ensure the food wouldn't have a negative impact.
There were five options for starter - from local pheasant terrine (£7.95), to Spanish black pudding with bacon and soft egg salad and dijon mustard cream (£8.95). You can see where the reputation for fine food comes from. Admittedly though, nothing took our fancy - we wanted our Sunday roasts and didn't hang about.
We opted for a roast sirloin of beef - served medium rare (£19.50) and roast chicken & bacon (£15.95). The other options were the leg of lamb, served pink (£17.50), the slow roast belly pork (£17), grilled North Sea cod with winter ratatouille (£25) and risotto with wild mushrooms and spinach (£17.50).
Let's start with the beef, which is locally sourced. It was very melt in the mouth, and was a lovely cut. Served pink, I was served two generous slices and was impressed with its taste. The homemade Yorkshire pudding and roasts were also spot on. In recent weeks, finding a decent roast potato has been difficult but not here at the Rat, four crispy yet fluffy roasts, served with a boiled potato and a big helping of cabbage and carrot swede.
The chicken - which came out as leg and a bit of breast had crispy skin, but in truth was a bit bland. The bacon served with it did give it a little extra, but there was nothing really memorable about it. And this really is the conclusion of the review - given the reputation, and it's clearly deserved given its repeated listing in some of the country's top eatery lists, we were expecting more.
The presentation didn't blow us away. It looks like something you could present in your own kitchen - which isn't necessarily a bad thing but nor is it something I'd expect from a gastropub that has been named in the top 20 for eight years on the bounce.
As you read this, I can hear people already questioning my view in the light of those critics with a wealth of experience behind them, but then everyone's opinion counts. And it's perhaps that very fact - having built it up so much - that we were maybe victims of our own expectations.
I will say again, that beef was tasty but as impressive as I found the slices and my approval of the roasts - it just lacked the wow factor. The agreement between us was that if the beef dinner had come in at somewhere around the £14-£15 mark, then our disappointment would not perhaps be as high. But for £19.50, we were left wanting more.
We opted against pudding - but had we stayed, I would have gone for the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream (£7.50) while the pear and frangipane tart with chantilly cream (£7.50) was also tempting.
In summary, we expected more but left feeling content rather than amazed. Underwhelmed at what I would say was an average Sunday dinner especially given the amazing reputation of the kitchen.
The Rat Inn, Anick, Hexham NE46 4LN
Website: https://www.theratinn.com/
Telephone: 01434 602814
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