We went to St Mary’s Inn for Sunday lunch, but it wasn’t just the Yorkshire puddings that surprised us

Gifted review: Our meal at St Mary’s Inn was gifted in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and this article reflects our experience at the time of our visit.

There are few things I enjoy more than a proper Sunday lunch, especially when somebody else is doing the cooking and washing up. After a week of work, school runs, gym sessions and trying to keep the house in some sort of order, the prospect of sitting down to a roast dinner without having to peel a single potato is definitely appealing.

So, when we were invited to St Mary’s Inn in Stannington, Northumberland, I was more than happy to accept. A family afternoon out, a decent meal and no mountain of dishes piling up in the kitchen sounded like a good way to spend a Sunday. What I hadn’t expected was quite so much history alongside the gravy.

St Mary’s Inn sits within the former St Mary’s Hospital estate, surrounded by modern housing. It’s not the setting you’d immediately associate with a country-style pub, but the building has an interesting past. Once the admin block of St Mary’s Hospital, it has since been converted into a pub and restaurant, with plenty of reminders of its former life still on display.

St Mary’s Inn has a past worth exploring, as well as Yorkshire puddings worth staying for.

Inside, St Mary’s Inn has the sort of comfortable, slightly old-fashioned character I like in a pub. White brick walls, framed black-and-white photographs and old hospital plans offer glimpses of the building’s past. I found myself studying the pictures and wondering about the people who once worked there, probably never imagining that one day the place would be full of families discussing roast potatoes and pudding.

I like buildings that haven’t had every trace of their history polished away. It’s definitely interesting sitting in a former hospital admin block, surrounded by photographs of its previous life, while deciding whether to order prawn cocktail. It’s an unusual combination, but it does work.

The atmosphere was relaxed, which makes a difference when you’re eating out with a child. I enjoy a smart restaurant as much as anyone, but not when I spend the whole meal worrying about somebody dropping a fork or speaking a bit too loudly. Here, we could settle in, look at the menu and just enjoy ourselves without feeling that any of us needed to be on our best behaviour.

We began with prawn cocktail, garlic sourdough and goats’ cheese on toast. All familiar dishes, and none the worse for it. I don’t want a chef to reinvent the prawn cocktail when I’m out for Sunday lunch. Sometimes it’s nice to order something you recognise and know what you’re getting.

The garlic sourdough was comforting, the goats’ cheese added a richer option and the prawn cocktail was a welcome reminder of why some starters never really go out of fashion. Everything was straightforward and enjoyable, without unnecessary decoration or explanation from the waiting staff.

I’ve eaten in restaurants where the description of a dish takes longer to read than the food takes to eat. We enjoyed our starters, had a chat and looked forward to the mains, which was exactly how I wanted the afternoon to unfold.

Now, I take my Yorkshire puddings seriously. Perhaps it’s a Northern thing, but a Sunday roast without a decent Yorkshire pudding feels incomplete. You can have beautifully cooked meat and an impressive selection of vegetables, but if the Yorkshire pudding is disappointing, I’ll remember it.

Our table sampled roast beef, roast chicken and a nut roast, so we had a reasonable look at the Sunday menu. The beef was tender, the chicken was a satisfying alternative and the nut roast offered something substantial for anyone avoiding meat. It was good to see a vegetarian option that felt like a proper Sunday lunch rather than an afterthought.

The meals came with vegetables, gravy and golden Yorkshire puddings. Portions were generous, the vegetables were well cooked and there was enough on the plate to satisfy a healthy appetite. Nobody was left staring at a tiny arrangement of food and wondering whether we’d need to stop for a sandwich on the way home.

Cyrus was equally pleased with his meal, which arrived looking just as thoughtfully prepared as ours. Children’s food can sometimes be rather uninspiring, but he had no complaints. In fact, he announced that his lunch was better than mine. Quite a confident assessment from somebody who hadn’t contributed towards the bill, although I admired his enthusiasm.

Anyone who has taken a young child to a restaurant knows that the experience can go either way. You can arrive with the best intentions, only to spend the next hour retrieving dropped cutlery and wondering why you didn’t stay at home.

Thankfully, our visit to St Mary’s Inn was much more relaxed. Cyrus loved his food, we enjoyed ours and nobody seemed bothered by the fact that we had a child with us. It sounds like such a small thing, but when you’re a parent, being able to finish a meal without feeling rushed or uncomfortable is worth appreciating.

For me, a family-friendly restaurant doesn’t necessarily need a play area or a huge children’s menu. It needs decent food, sensible portions and an atmosphere where families feel welcome. St Mary’s Inn managed that during our visit, and it made the afternoon for all of us.

By the time we’d finished our main courses, I was comfortably full. Sensibly, I should probably have stopped there and just ordered a coffee. Unfortunately my eyes were bigger than my belly so sticky toffee pudding was chosen.

I have a real weakness for a good sticky toffee pudding, especially when it’s dark, rich and properly treacly. This one made me enjoy every spoonful, even when I’d already eaten a substantial Sunday roast.

I spend plenty of time at the gym, but I refuse to turn every meal into a calculation of what I’ve eaten and how much exercise I’ll need afterwards. Sometimes I just want a pudding because I fancy one, and that’s a good enough reason. Besides, the gym would still be there on Monday, whereas the sticky toffee pudding was sitting right in front of me. It would have been a shame not to indulge!

We finished dessert feeling full but happy. It was a lovely way to round off the meal, and I wasn’t complaining about having made room for it.

It’s easy to overlook places like this when they’re surrounded by newer developments. Yet there’s something rather nice about finding a pub with an interesting past and discovering that it also serves a decent Sunday lunch.

The location also makes it possible to turn lunch into a family day out. Whitehouse Farm is nearby, so you could combine a visit to see the animals with a meal at St Mary’s Inn. Personally, I’d be inclined to visit the farm first and save lunch for afterwards. Once I’ve eaten a roast dinner and sticky toffee pudding, my enthusiasm for chasing anyone around, human or otherwise, tends to disappear.

Yes, I would. St Mary’s Inn gave us a thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon, with good food, friendly service and an interesting setting. I liked the fact that the building had a story to tell, and I appreciated being able to enjoy a family meal without feeling hurried.

It wasn’t an elaborate dining experience. Sometimes all I want is a decent roast, a comfortable place to sit and the opportunity to catch up with my family over lunch. Throw in a sticky toffee pudding and somebody else doing the washing-up, and I’m easily persuaded.

Would I make room for dessert again? Almost certainly. I’d probably tell myself beforehand that I was only having a main course, but I’ve made that promise before and we all know how it ends.

Is it the roast potatoes, a proper Yorkshire pudding, generous gravy or just knowing that somebody else will be washing the dishes?

Editor’s note: This review reflects our experience at the time of our visit. Menus, prices and opening hours may have changed, so check directly with St Mary’s Inn before travelling.

Occasional stories, experiments, discoveries and questions from Saffron & Cyrus.