Award-winning Northumberland hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, near Wark, has completed a £400,000 refurbishment of its restaurant, including a brand-new extension.

The new extension has added more lounge-style seating and dining space, increasing the restaurant capacity by 40 covers and creating an area perfectly designed for private dining and small parties.

Designed by Nanu Soda, the refurbishment has also transformed the existing restaurant and bar, giving it a stylish, cosy and contemporary new look while remaining in-keeping with the history and heritage of the former 18th century farmhouse building.

Battlesteads Restaurant is open to both hotel residents and non-resident guests, serving seasonal menus which feature only the very best local Northumbrian and home-grown produce.

From light lunches to Battlesteads’ famed eight-course tasting menu, head chef Eddie Shilton sources prime local ingredients for maximum freshness and flavour, with seasonal vegetables, salads and herbs grown in Battlesteads’ own two-acre gardens and polytunnels.

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel said: "We are delighted with the new restaurant extension, which allows us not only to welcome even more diners to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also creates a space for private dining. The extension can be sectioned off from the main restaurant, so it’s a great size with a fantastic atmosphere for small family parties or get-togethers."

We are now celebrating after winning a record three Gold awards at the 2016 North East Tourism Awards.

We achieved the Gold Awards for Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Pub and the Taste Award, as well as winning a Bronze in the Hotel of the Year category and a Highly Commended Award for Dog Friendly Business. 

This is the first time in the history of the awards that a business has won three Gold Awards in the same year. 

Katie Meyrick-Scott, general manager of Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant, said: “We are absolutely over the moon to have won not just one but three North East Tourism Gold Awards. To also receive Bronze and Highly Commended awards in two further categories is a huge achievement for us and is fantastic recognition for the hard work of all the team. We’re now looking forward to representing the North East at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in 2017”.

Organised and delivered by the NewcastleGateshead Initiative in partnership with the Northern Tourism Alliance, the North East England Tourism Awards showcase the high quality tourism businesses and experiences on offer to visitors to the region. The winner of each category is automatically entered into the annual VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, which will take place in April 2017.

Sarah Stewart, Chief Executive at destination management and marketing organisation NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said “A huge congratulations to Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant for winning three golds at this year’s North East England Tourism Awards. As always the businesses shortlisted were of an extremely high standard so to not only win one gold award but three is a great achievement. The North East of England has a fantastic tourism offer, and Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant are one of many businesses playing a key role in welcoming visitors to the region.”

More information about the awards can be found at www.NorthEastTourismAwards.com. 

Seasoned beer drinkers at Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark will have their taste buds tested this week when a cask conditioned lager sneaks alongside the bar’s real ales on hand pump as part of Cask Ale Week (28 Sept to 7 Oct). What’s more, a unique ‘Mussels in Magus’ dish is currently making a guest appearance on the menu!

Once the favourite tipple of the Great British pub-goer, national lager sales have been slowing down in comparison to cask ale which is now seeing growth for the first time in 20 years with more younger, female drinkers joining the real ale brigade. In a bid to convert even the most loyal lager fan, Battlesteads has turned to Hexham-based Allendale Brewery to serve Adder Lager - one of the North East’s few true cask conditioned lagers. Slowly fermented in a traditional lager style at zero degrees for eight weeks with not a carbonated keg in sight, even the most ardent ale-lover cannot dispute its cask credentials!

Cask Ale Week is led by Cask Marque and this year has a ‘try before you buy’ theme. Battlesteads will be serving four real ales and a lager in a bid to encourage new cask ale fans and show that there is a beer for everyone.

Battlesteads’ owner Richard Slade joked: “Cask ale is now regarded as our national drink and here at Battlesteads we are proud to support local breweries during Cask Ale Week. We’re even catering for our lager drinkers this time – by attempting to wean them onto a cask conditioned lager!” 

If, after all the sampling and sipping, customers still aren’t swayed by the nation’s favourite drink, then they can join in the fun by selecting a limited-edition ale-inspired dish from Battlesteads’ home-cooked menu. In honour of Cask Ale Week, chef Eddie Shilton has created Mussels in Magus – a twist on Moules Mariniere, where the mussels are cooked in Battlesteads’ most popular real ale Durham Magus.

In addition to Magus and Adder Lager, Battlesteads will be serving: Lovely Nelly and Jack the Devil from Cullercoats Brewery, Tyneside; and a German-style beer from Geltsdale Brewery, Cumbria.