“Hidden gem” lost all meaning long ago. Some places *literally* in city centres are now ‘discovered’ by some chump on TikTok who uses the phrase as engagement-bait. I absolutely loathe the economy of mistruths and attention-grabbing at any cost that we find ourselves in. A neon sign in a shit bar that serves food, full of people with ring lights on the tables (plz stop), on a main street in the middle of Newcastle is not a hidden gem.
The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman’s Rest — to give its full moniker — is in Slaggyford. If you don’t know where Slaggyford is, that’s the point. This isn’t a place you’ve strolled by at dinner time.
I noticed it via the Good Food Guide, which still remains a better discovery tool for restaurants than anyone on social media will ever be. The internet loves to proclaim the death of long-form content, etc. but serious resources like this, with actual editorial teams and people who know what they’re talking about, are not going anywhere.
Anyway, enough ranting. A new client win in my own content consultancy felt like it deserved something beyond another meal in town. Plus, it’s dog friendly here. And a nice 45-minute drive out of Newcastle. We went via Twice Brewed.👌🏼 On first impressions, I thought The Kirkstyle Inn was ‘just another good quality gastropub/country inn’, but the rooms looked nice, and I wanted a glass of the Blanc de Blanc, so we stayed.
I didn’t realise Grace Dent had reviewed here — the clipping sits proudly at the entrance door, which tells you something about the place. She noted the inn doing a “nifty dance” between gastropub ambitions and the proper pub crowd. That was three years ago, and you can tell where chef Connor Wilson’s head is at now. Rising Star award at the National Restaurant Awards. Top 100 in the Good Food Guide’s Best Pubs. As I write this, just announced as Pub of the Year.
I hummed and hawed and went à la carte in the end, rather than the tasting menu. I’m kicking myself. The ALC dishes feel a bit like excerpts from the tasting menu. Like you just know there should be a wee palate cleanser here, or another little snack dropped in here or there. Next time…
That said, the 3-courser is fleshed out with snacks (optional, £9) and bread — all excellent. Surprisingly strong sourdough, made in-house ✅ and better than a lot of bread I’ve had in many fine dining places.
Give me smoked eel in anything, and this dainty little croustade was a perfect one-and-a-half-biter. Beetroot & cheese tart is often seen, but rarely done as well as this. The ‘lamb kebab’ keeps me awake at night. I want a full-size two-kilo version of it to nibble on over the next week. Like Homer’s Sandwich. Strong start 🤤
Happily, the menu uses lots of game, low food miles, and takes a ‘pro-environment’ approach. The pigeon pie (£16) exemplifies what they’re doing here. Big, bold, very much at home in a dining room that’s been a pub for nearly two hundred years. My only gripe would be that some other lucky bugger got the other half. It tasted like what a Greggs steak bake sees when it looks in the mirror. Bloody loved it.
On the other side of the table, scallop and hollandaise. 😮💨 Very different to the pie, but no less indulgent. I recall the scallop being cooked well, and the enveloping, duvet-like hollandaise even better.
The bar is better stocked than you’ll find in most pubs, with an extensive French-heavy wine list. Best of all, the markups are grounded in Cumbria, with glasses from a FIVER. You won’t find those prices in town, so we made the most of it and just asked for the gaffer to choose some matches. All very serviceable, and easy to get carried away…
Main courses are £30+. Lamb, venison, Hen of the Woods, Sunday roasts. On paper they read fairly plain, but they were anything but. My flaking cod dish was so well considered, as was the blush-pink sirloin. Properly cooked-out sauces, precise protein cooking, ‘more than a garnish’ sides, and just look at the plating of those dishes. It looks like the type of dish you need to go to London for. But here, in this setting, they are perfect.
Shout out to the triple-cooked chips too, as good as you’ll find.
Desserts get a little… blurry… after the salvo of Kirkstyle Pales started to sink in, but both the honey cake and savarin were plate-lickers. Maybe there were petits fours. Maybe there weren’t. Maybe the warmth and cosiness of the place is designed for these moments.
Upstairs, the rooms are proper little retreats. They’re lovely, actually. Much like the food, clearly thought about, quietly understated and very befitting of the surroundings. Bath House skincare, the lightest shortbread biscuit, local and decent(!) coffee. The only thing better than the deathly silence up here — punctuated by seemingly every bird from Noah’s Ark at 3AM — is the view over Knarsdale which is just otherworldly. It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to have this 45 minutes from the antithesis that is the Bigg Market. If you’re interested in the food, do consider staying for the full experience.
Breakfast was delightful, too — precisely what you have in mind when you think country bolthole: a centimetre of bacon chop, quality pork sausage (🐶 Chase approved), a brick of black pudding. Good Benny. Tea & toast. Peace & quiet. You can see the appeal.
You wouldn’t stumble on Slaggyford. You wouldn’t even get a taxi from Newcastle. Most people wouldn’t have seen it on their homogeneous social feeds. But some places you have to put the effort in, and the ones worth the trek often aren’t the ones trending.
Check the guides. Stay informed. Book something new. Come to the Kirkstyle before they ram the prices up. Bring the dog. Get the pigeon pie.
Contact: theksi.co.uk
Address: Slaggyford, Brampton, CA8 7PB
Opening: Kitchen is open Wed–Sun, check with the venue for specifics
Accommodation: B&B ~£140
Cost: tasting menu £65–105, lunch 3c £30, ALC ~£60 for 3c
