Watch your dinner grow

Posted by Anna Heywood on July 8, 2008 4:28 PM | Permalink

When Bob Fountain, owner of the Black horse pub in Beamish, asked me to come and check out his vegetable patch, I had no idea he meant all 33 acres of it!

Nestled in the lush Beamish valley, The Black horse pub and bistro offers diners not only views over the stunning landscape, but also the opportunity to watch their dinner being grown in the adjoining fields.

More food meters than food miles, this is possibly the shortest route from soil to plate that I know of being offered in a North East food venue.

Before I go on to discuss the scrumptious food on offer and where it comes from, it is worth taking a moment to talk about the man behind the Black horse.

Owner, Bob Fountain is one of life’s doers; a larger than life character who as my husband put it ‘is living the boy’s own dream’.
For Bob also owns the neighbouring Aston Martin Workshop, a multi-million pound business, restoring some of the world's most luxurious cars.

Bob lives in the middle of his cars and pub, surrounded by his 33 acres of farmland and orchards.
He has worked hard to get where he has, starting off life as a sheep farmer and developing his love of restoring old cars in his garage to the success that the Aston Martin Worksop is today. ‘You could say that this is the ultimate in recycling’ he quips.

He has put this same love and energy in to restoring the Black horse; his beloved local, which he bought when it went up for sale in 2002.

All I had previously seen of the Black horse, originally one of ten cottages built by the infamous Bobby Shafto MP, was the website and a photo of award winning chef Tony O’Neill by a tub of herbs.
Thinking that this would be another nice meal in a pub with a bit of home-grown rosemary thrown in was a serious under-estimation on my part compared with what I actually found when I arrived with family in tow.

We were met by Bob who, along with his dog Jet, showed us around his current 10 acres of on-site vegetable gardens and orchards supplying organic fruit, herbs and vegetables as well as free range poultry and eggs to the Black horse, all of which is visible from the pub garden.

The only two blots on the landscape amongst this idyll is that the rear of the pub looks like a building site but that’s because it is one and the ladies WC is what could best be described as rustic but plans are afoot to remedy that and don’t let it put you off of what is otherwise a good eating experience.

Over a pint of real ale from the Wylam Brewery, Bob showed us the site plans to almost double the size of the Black horse, with plans for a kitchen shop selling Black horse wares, a smokehouse and a micro – brewery of its own. He talked about what he hopes to grow on the remaining 23 acres and about how he is committed to becoming self –sufficient.

This would be an ambitious programme for even the most energetic of men, but you somehow know that if anyone can pull this off then its Bob.

Upon meeting him and hearing about his automotive background, it’s not immediately obvious that he would be a foodie or supporter of local produce so I asked what made him want to get involved in growing his own food for the pub.

‘Farming is where I started and I have always grown my own food’ he told me ‘it’s my passion, I love planting seeds, I love watching them grow I love eating them, it’s a marvellous process to be involved in’.

With the tour over, it was time to eat and we were shown to the pub garden which overlooks the Beamish Valley. The outdoor booths provide privacy and the enormous tables which seat eight make it a great place for a family get together.
There is a small field adjoining the garden where the children can play, safely away from diners but still within the watchful eye of Mummy!

The seasonal menu has plenty to offer and you can expect to pay between £8-15 per head.

My husband chose the Black Horse Famous Haddock & Home Grown Potato Chips & Mushy Peas, which arrived with a steaming great plate of home grown vegetables.

For my son, the Chef made up a children’s sized portion of what my husband was having.

I was greatly appreciative of this as A) I want my children to eat real food and I actively avoid restaurants aimed at families with the name ‘Fun’ in the title and B) not many places will do this for you these days as 'there isn’t a button on the till for it'.

I had the delicious Roast Courgette & Artichoke Tart, Red Onion Jam & Goats Cheese, whilst my ever-fussy 8 year old daughter had a plate of pasta cooked up especially for her.

The service was excellent, with nothing at all being too much trouble and for those of you with fickle children you will know how important this is.

For desserts, the chef very kindly put together a sample of all the puddings.
My husband, who often works away in Glasgow, claimed that the Sticky Toffee Pudding was ‘the best he had tasted outside of Scotland’.
The ice cream made with real fruit and cream made for a superb end to a lovely feast, leaving us feeling full to the brim as we waddled off to car.

If you want to try organic local food at its best in a glorious setting then you could do no better than to take a trip out to the Black horse.
It takes about 15 minutes to reach from Newcastle City centre and there are plenty of parking spaces.
Sunday lunch is extremely popular and you will need to pre-book a table.

Thanks to Bob and Jet for their wonderful hospitality.