A Northumberland Staycation at St Mary’s Inn

A post-Christmas staycation in Northumberland was just what we needed. Here’s why you should consider St Mary’s Inn for a night away.

Located in Stannington, just a few miles from Morpeth, you’ll find St Mary’s Inn. The striking red brick building once used to be part of an old psychiatric hospital, now it is home to a cosy restaurant and bar and 11 unique rooms for staying guests.

The room

We were staying in The Derwent, a classic double room, but unlike some places you may stay and consider a ‘classic double’ to be quite snug, this was very much the opposite. Let’s just talk about that bathroom…

The marble, the walk in shower, huge bath and The White Company toiletries – is it bad if I say my favourite part of the room was the bathroom?! It was so airy and bright too, and having two sinks meant we could both get ready for dinner at the same time.

Dinner

Early January is an odd time for dining out, so we weren’t too surprised to see the restaurant was quiet. That being said, the bar area was busy (with a few dogs around too – which is always nice to see, especially being in Northumberland where it’s great to be outdoors and take your four legged friend with you. Dogs are only allowed in the main bar area, fyi) Though it was quiet, it was nice to have some time together and enjoy our wine and our meal.

Service was great, from being suggested a few wines to try – I hadn’t anticipated there would be such a selection to consider, the staff were friendly and helpful. Our food was delicious and impeccably presented. The butternut squash risotto with figs and walnuts was so flavoursome and rich. For £10 it’s a really generous portion too and nice to see something a little more creative as a vegetarian option.

I opted for the roast chicken with gnocchi, mushrooms and onions which was a great dish. At £12 it really wasn’t badly priced either for what you get.

Both of us probably would have picked something from the grill if we hadn’t stopped off in Tynemouth on our way up to St Mary’s and already had chips. So next time… we’ll be trying the steak!

For dessert I sampled the cheese board – despite eating my weight in cheese over Christmas I couldn’t say no! It was nice to see local suppliers being championed on their menu and my selection of Northumbrian cheeses were from the Morpeth Cheese Shop. Somewhere I may well have to make a visit to, y’know.. in a few weeks time when I need a cheese fix. It’s not just for Christmas…

One of them that you’ll probably spot straight away is the charcoal cheddar. It did look a little intimidating but was actually one of my favourites on the board. Don’t be fooled by the charcoal and think it’ll be quite dry, it’s really creamy and was a treat with the fig and liquorice chutney on a cracker. Mmm.

Retiring to our room, we cosied up in bed, watched some telly and settled down for the night.

The next morning we returned to the restaurant for breakfast, which we’d picked out the night before. I was surprised to see avocado on toast with poached eggs as one of their breakfast options, and of course my boyfriend (being the avo fan he is) decided to give it a go. I picked the full english with scrambled eggs. My usual breakfast choice when we’re away and despite no hash browns, I would rate it pretty highly. Good coffee and juice are two breakfast essentials when I’m staying somewhere and I’m pleased to confirm that St Mary’s Inn are very attentive to both. In fact, even in our room we had a generous supply of Rington’s tea and coffee…and coffee bags if anyone’s ever tried them?!

A night at St Mary’s Inn costs around £119 including breakfast (in a standard double room like ours) It’s a great base if you want to explore Northumberland, or want a little staycation that’s going to be comfy, cosy and quiet.

We were invited to St Mary's Inn for dinner, bed and breakfast in exchange for review.