Full up at the Farm (Shiremoor House Farm (North Shields))

Member Name: Lools_24

Product:	Shiremoor House Farm (North Shields)
Date:	08/11/09 (104 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great food, reasonable prices , huge portions

Disadvantages: Difficult to find a seat especially on a Sunday, huge portions

***Location***

The Shiremoor House Farm is located on Middle Engine Lane in North Shields. This is a 10 minute drive away from Newcastle City Centre. It is also around an 8 minute drive away from the seafront in Tynemouth. It is a 2 minute drive way from the Silverlink Retail Park and a 1 minute drive/ 5 minute walk away from the Stevenson Railway Museum.

The pub has a large car park with free car parking and there is space for around 80 cars in the car park. Although during busy periods (Sundays) the car park does get full and you may have to wait to find a car parking space.

The pub is located on a bus route which has links into Newcastle City Centre and also links to Tynemouth if you want to visit the coast.


***Opening times***

Monday - Friday 11.00am - 11.00pm
Sunday 11.00am - 10.30pm
Food is served - 11.30am- 9pm Monday to Friday and 11.30am- 7pm Sunday
***The Pub***
The pub has a great atmosphere and a lot of that is down to the décor and venue itself. The Shiremoor House Farm is an old farm building which has been turned into a pub restaurant. The pub building itself is huge but has relaxed intimate feel as although the pub is open plan the layout separates it into lots of different smaller rooms. Inside there are three main "areas". A bar area where there are tables where you can sit for drinks which are slightly closer together in the larger restaurant area. In addition to these areas there is also the "granary" area which has a wooden floor and surrounded by glass which is more of a light and airy area than the rest of the pub. Although there are three separate "areas" you are not limited to drinking or eating in a certain area and if you want to eat your meal in the bar area you are able to do so. However after 9pm children are not allowed in what is allocated to be the "bar area".

The pub décor is extremely traditional but very elegant and not your typical pokey traditional pub. The walls are exposed stone, and the floors are also grey brick with exposed beams and a glazed "granary area, which has large windows overlooking exposed gardens. Throughout the pub there are pieces of traditional farming equipment to give that "rustic" look without this looking staged. The tables are new and modern yet in a traditional style, dark wood tables and sturdy comfy leather chairs. The tables and chairs in the pub are different shapes and sizes, some small square tables, some large round tables. In total there are around 100 tables in the pub altogether.
Externally there is a patio area with around 10 tables. These are wooden picnic tables with parasols. There are also a number of patio heaters in this area

***Menu ***

There are no menus on the table but there are a number of menus displayed in large writing on the wall. When the restaurant is busy you do have to get up as there is often someone standing in front of the menu blocking your view. Food is ordered at the bar and paid for at a food till at the bar in advance. Menu wise the food has a great choice of what can only be described as traditional British pub grub. The menu changes regularly probably on a weekly basis as the food includes quite a lot of local produce. What remains consistent is that there is a lot of choice in terms of the number of dishes and also the food served. There are around 7 starters on the menu, 15 main courses and 7 desserts. There is a children's menu which includes around 6 different main course dishes such as chicken nuggets and chips, chilli con carnie, and bangers and mash; many dishes on the kids menu are just smaller portions of what is served on the main menu

The starter menu always includes soup and at least 2 vegetarian options however is subject to the most change and the menu always includes seasonal produce. Although the main menu changes there are a number of dishes which stay on the menu for example chicken jalfrezzi, chilli con carnie, gammon steaks and steak. There are a number of dishes which change slightly to include seasonal produce for example pies, quiches, salads and fish dishes. The desserts are always subject to change but the menu typically includes 3 hot desserts including apple pie and sticky toffee pudding and 4 cold desserts such as cheesecakes and gateau's.

On a Sunday the standard menu is still served however this is in addition to three roast dinner options. This is roast beef, roast lamb or roast chicken.


***Food ***

The quality and taste of the food served at the Shiremoor House Farm is fantastic and after dining there at least 8 times now I have never been left disappointed. Steaks are cooked as you order and the quality of the meat is excellent you certainly get what you pay for in terms of size and taste. A favourite dish of mine is Oven Baked Breast of Chicken with a Sun Dried Tomato, Garlic and Chilli Sauce.

It is worth noting that those with smaller appetites and who do not like to leave a lot of food should probably not order the curry dishes that are on the menu. I ordered chicken jalfrezzi which was deliciously spicy yet tasted of fresh tomatoes and contained a lot of chicken but an absolutely huge portion. In addition to around 3 ladle fulls of curry (containing around 15 pieces of chicken) this was served with rice, chips AND a huge nann bread. I ate loads and probably only managed about one third of the dish. Mr Lools has a huge appetite and when he ordered this dish he only managed just over half. I found this really embarrassing as the waitress assumed because I had left so much there was something wrong with my food therefore I had to explain there was just far too much food.

Sunday Roasts are delicious and are one of the best Sunday Roasts you will get in the North East. I usually opt for Roast Beef and am never disappointed. This roast includes three large slices of roast beef which is lean and excellent quality. Three large crispy roast potatoes which are fluffy on the outside. The gravy covering is gorgeous, thick and beefy however not too thick and not at all lumpy. The most impressive item on the Sunday Roast is the Yorkshire Puddings. On each Sunday Roast there are two large Yorkshire puddings which are huge but extremely light and fluffy. Veg is served in a separate dish and you receive 5 different vegetables including carrots, peas, broccoli, cabbage and turnip. This is cooked perfectly not too soft but also not raw and comes piping hot.


***Price***

Price wise the Shiremoor House Farm is very reasonable. Starters are in the region of £5, main meals range from £6.50 to £9.50 (for an 8oz rump steak) and around £4 for a dessert. Compared to some other pubs in the area food is slightly more expensive probably around £2-3 more per main dish however the quality of the food is far superior and definitely excellent value for money. The portion sizes are huge and much larger than you would get in other pubs, so you definitely get what you pay for.

A Sunday Roast costs £7.65 for an adult meal and £4.75 for a children's meal. For a Sunday Roast this is not the cheapest Sunday pub lunch that you could opt for but it is definitely worth every penny. The portion sizes are huge, the food quality in particular the meat is fantastic and the taste is delicious.


***Service***

Food comes to the table reasonably quickly. You should expect to wait around 15-20 minutes on a weekday, whereas on a weekend when the pub is full you should expect to wait around 20-30 minutes. This is not a particularly long wait for the size of the pub and the excellent quality of the food.

The staff are very helpful and polite. Although the staff do not take drinks or food orders they are very helpful and if you need additional sauce or have any requests they are more than happy to help. For a busy pub there is an adequate number of food staff, who are usually busy yet able to assist with anything that you need without feeling like they are waiting for you to finish.

The food and dining experience is very different Monday- Saturday to what it is on a Sunday. Monday- Saturday although the pub is busy you are guaranteed to get a seat immediately. On a Sunday it is often difficult to get a table. The pub does not take bookings and reserve tables on a Sunday unless you are booking for a group of 10 people plus. Therefore on a Sunday you often find that you have to wander and hover and grab a table as soon as one becomes available, as there are a lot of other people "hovering" with the same idea. Personally I feel that if the pub does not take bookings then it should give people a waiting time when they arrive which will allow for tables to be allocated more fairly rather than hungry diners having to revert to a hover and grab technique!


***Drinks/ Bar***

The Shiremoor House Farm has a large bar area which serves a variety of traditional ales, both on tap and bottled. The bar also serves popular lagers and ciders on tap such as Fosters, Stella, Artois, Woodpecker and Cider. A pint of draught costs around £2.80. I have never ordered beer or lager from the pub however Mr Lools has commented that drinks on tap are perfect. This means the right temperature, do not taste watered down nor flat and contain the right sized head; enough but not too much.

There are also a number of bottled beers, ciders, lagers and alcopops which range in price from £2.50 to £5 per bottle.

The pub also has a reasonable wine list there are around 8 red wines, 8 white wines and 2 rose wines on the menu. These can be purchased by the glass (large or small) or by the bottle. A small glass of house wine costs £3.00, a large glass £3.90 and a bottle for £9.75. The pub also serves three varieties of champagne which ranges from £15 per bottle to £35.

A large soft drink costs in the region of £1 which is good value.

If you are ordering food you have to order your drinks separately at the bar which can be a slight inconvenience if the bar area is busy as you have to stand in two separate queues. You are not able to order drinks from your table.

The pub also serves Costa coffee if you would prefer a hot drink.


***Overall***

A great pub to visit for a relaxed drink, good quality pub grub and the second best place in the North Tyneside area (after The Arch Restaurant) to go for Sunday Lunch. But just be warned it does get busy on a Sunday and you need to be prepared to "hover" to nab a table as it is not possible to reserve a table. The pub has a great atmosphere and really does have a "traditional farm feel". Price wise this is a very reasonable pub and prices for food and drink is not excessive. The menu offers a variety of choice so there really is something for everyone.

It is not often I say this but what spoils the food is not the quality nor the taste it is the portion sizes; they are just too large. Sometimes you can get too much of a good thing! A pub I will be returning to time and time again.

Shiremoor House Farm
Middle Engine Lane,
North Shields, Tyne and Wear,
NE29 8DZ

Tel: 0191 2576302

Email: Shirefarm@sjf.co.uk

Summary: Traditional pub serving great food in large quantities!!