St Mary's Inn, Morpeth

Just under a fortnight ago I was invited up to the beautiful countryside of Northumberland to check out St Mary's Inn situated on the outskirts of Morpeth. The county has recently been under the spotlight due to the Robson Green ITV series 'Tales of Northumberland' and I was eager to see for myself the areas Robson Green had been talking about. After driving on dozens of tiny country roads and getting lost amongst farmyards, we eventually found the remote Inn nestled in a little estate, the only built up area for miles.

St Mary's Inn, which was once a hospital building in the 1900s, is a small B&B consisting of only 11 rooms, a restaurant and a bar. Hotel guests are mainly walkers, families and those touring different parts of Northumbria as Morpeth is quite a central point to many great Northumbrian attractions.

It has been years since I stayed at an inn or B&B so when I arrived I forgot that places like these very rarely have a dedicated reception area. Instead St Mary's Inn's reception is a bar, but a welcoming bar it is. The bar was adorned with locally brewed ales and homemade cakes and the room was very cosy with a log fire beaming in the corner of the corner. As we checked in we instantly got the feeling that
St Mary's Inn was a home away from home and that it is a B&B where you can let your hair down and be yourself, where heels are more optional than obligatory and a place where dogs are just as welcome as their owners.

We arrived at the hotel quite early so we drove back out to Morpeth village and then came back a few hours later for a spot of lunch. Shortly after our meal, we were then taken upstairs to check in our room 'the Whittle Dene' suite. The Whittle Dene suit is absolutely stunning and if you're a lover of antiques and traditional countryside interiors like myself, this would be your heaven. The bed was covered in a pretty embroidered throw and in the corner of the room was an antique dresser with a rocking chair placed beside it.

The bathroom was rather opposite to the bedroom - it was modern with a grey scale colour theme and featured wooden boxes filled with Arran Aromatics toiletries and flannels and a large shower head over the bath tub.

Once we made ourselves at home in our room and got dressed, we ventured downstairs for our evening meal. The restaurant was really homely and comfortable and at the time we sat down it was just starting to get busy with many local customers. It was a friendly environment - everyone seemed happy enjoying their food, there was a lot of chat and quite a few families eating together having a catch up. Despite the restaurant gradually getting busy, the service ran smoothly and the waiting staff were very prompt at taking our orders.

While browsing the menu at St Mary's Inn I noticed that there was a lack of vegetarian food on the menu and it was quite disappointing to see a restaurant which is has recently been featured in The Times '25 Best New Restaurants' with only one vegetarian dish available. I was a little bit apprehensive waiting for my meal as I'm not usually a fan of curries, but when it arrived I was really impressed with both the flavour and presentation and quickly forgave them. It was a hearty, bold dish that really filled me up and wasn't too overpowering. I was worried that I would find the lentils to be quite bland, but this dish was far from dull.

For dessert I opted for the rhubarb cheesecake. Cheesecake is my favourite dessert and when I need a pick me up or a treat, it's one thing I often crave. The rhubarb was sweet and not too tart and the flavour combination worked really well, without being too heavy or rich. It was the perfect end to the meal and I went back the room feeling incredibly satisfied.

After an incredible nights sleep we walked back down to the restaurant area, this time for breakfast. Breakfast consisted of a continental breakfast with yoghurts, croissants and cereals as well as a hot menu ranging from a full english breakfast to avocado and egg on toast. I chose my favourite avocado and poached egg on sour rye toast and it did not disappoint. The eggs were perfectly runny and there was just the right amount of avocado on the toast, it was a great dish to fill me up for my three hour car journey back home.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay at St Mary's Inn and it was lovely to stay in somewhere so rural and a little bit off the beaten track. Our room was really cosy, the staff were really friendly and the meals despite there not been many vegetarian options were really tasty and enjoyable. I would happily stay there again and recommend it anyone looking to visit the Northumbrian countryside.

Have you visited St Mary's Inn before?

*My stay was complimentary in exchange for a review