The Fir Tree Country - County Durham

Although we know the owners personally we have not previously been for a meal, we finally managed to get there yesterday evening, and what an absolutely gem it is. We turned up without a booking, but the very friendly and helpful staff managed to squeeze us in for which we will be forever grateful. After grabbing drinks at the well appointed and spotless bar we were shown to our table, perusing the menu was a pleasant surprise to find that there was a really good choice that would suit any diner. The long haired Colonel went for potato skins and dip with side salad as a starter, my choice was the creamy garlic mushrooms with sour dough toast, both starters were excellent and enough of them. For a main course the Colonel went for the Chilli Con Carni, with nachos and 2 dips, I went for the steak pie with seasonal veg and mash (chips are also an option) We were totally amazed at the size of portions, and the Colonel loved her mains and can be very fussy with food, mine was fantastic with a good size pie full of chunks of proper steak veg was cooked perfectly and the pan made gravy that came in a separate jug was out of this world and to die for. As with the starters everything was piping hot. As I mentioned at the start of my review this place is an absolute gem, and will definitely be our go to place to eat out, all staff friendly and helpful, atmosphere wonderful, food a real pleasing experience at a very reasonable price, we eat out quite often and this knocks the usual pub chain restaurants into a cocked hat while maintaining a comparable cost. If you haven't been you really must try it. The one bad review I came across must have been posted by a competitor who's only recourse was to try to malign this wonderful restaurant.

We stayed here for 3 nights, visiting family and friends in the area. We used to live in Crook so we were very familiar with it. The room was clean and comfortable but we did have an issue. This was promptly resolved without issue, which is testament to the good customer service. The breakfast is exceptional and the lady managing the breakfast room is a gem. We ate dinner on one night and it was great. All the staff, bar one, were lovely.

The car park appeared to be full but cars were parking with two wheels on the pavement We parked on the pavement. We tried to get a booking around 12.30 but the restaurant was fully booked. We were offered a place around 2.45pm which we accepted. On arrival we were checked to see if we had made a booking then directed to a table near the bar. We ordered drinks and paid for full carveries. We were then directed to a large room where the carvery was attached and we were told to stand in front of the carvery. We had a long wait before the chef appeared at the carvery. It became apparent that visitors in the large room were vwaiting for the carvery to open. We were given a plate on which our choice of sliced meat was placed, There was no child/pensioners Sunday lunch. We then took samples from a wide choice of vegetables etc. Sliced salad in vingar was in a dish with a teaspoon on our table. The meal was first class

Absolutely lovely food, pleasant staff and a good choice on the menu. This is the second time we have visited and both times we couldn’t fault it. I can’t think of anything to improve on, the prices are reasonable too and the surroundings are nice. Definitely one to try.

We stayed here for 2 nights as we had to attend a funeral. We stayed Thursday and Friday night. The drive up the road to the hotel is beautiful, scenic and tranquil and as we found the hotel so was its location. The restaurant and bar were bright and welcoming as were the staff that greeted us and served us for the next 2 days. We only ate one evening meal in the restaurant, the steak pie and chicken parmo but wow! They were amazing and deceptively large portions, we also had starters which were of a high standard. Breakfast both days was also good quality and plentiful, included in the room rate which made for exceptional value. The room was very clean and had everything we needed, we weren’t cold however it had a good radiator in the bathroom and the room itself and as much hot water as you needed. A small smart tv was in the room to watch so if you have Netflix, Prime etc you can watch on your accounts. This is definitely on our “stay again” list, thank you to the team for making our stay great.