The North East Blogger

 My choice for Mother’s Day was The Old Vestry , located on Fawcett Street in Sunderland. I’ve had food from the main menu before and even afternoon tea but I’d never tried their Sunday Lunch menu… until now! I chose the Sunday roast with gammon. The meat, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding came out on the main plate and a bowl of seasonal vegetables came out separate so you can help yourself. I put the whole lot on my plate as I love veg and it was all lovely and fresh. I’m not a big lover of mashed potato but this one was seasoned so well that I ate the lot. It was very tasty. Not a frozen roast potato or Yorkshire pudding in sight, all cooked from scratch.  I love it when you get stuffing on your plate even if it’s not with chicken. Lovely meaty gravy with not a lump to be found. The gammon was more of a steak than sliced from a joint but very tasty all the same. 10/10 as far as Sunday roasts go for me! My husband had the Hunters Chicken with homestyle chips and peas. I was very jealous

Today myself, my Sister and our Mam went for afternoon tea at The Clifton Cafe  in South Shields to celebrate Mother’s Day. The award winning cafe is a bed and breakfast housing 18 rooms and is in the perfect location on Ocean Road, 300m from the Coast and 500m from the town centre. The place is absolutely beautiful inside and out. They have a separate room to the cafe for afternoon tea. They also have a room that can be hired for parties or gatherings, also providing a buffet. The afternoon tea is very popular and the place was packed when we got there. Obviously even more so with it being Mother’s Day weekend. The food was absolutely beautiful. It was served all together on the same stand and there was one of each item for everyone. We were offered tea or coffee which was unlimited refills. The coffee was lovely. We had 4 different types of sandwiches, tuna mayo & cucumber, egg mayo & cress, ham & peas pudding and chicken & bacon. The bread was half brown and half whi

My favourite meal is a Sunday roast and there are a few factors that make up a good one for me, which are turnip, meaty gravy and homemade Yorkshire puddings. This roast at Tino’s Italian Restaurant  in Jarrow ticked all the boxes for me. I wouldn’t even know this restaurant existed if it wasn’t on one of my husband’s bus routes, but now I’m glad I do. The Go North East  number 5 bus towards South Shields stops right outside. You can also get the Tyne & Wear Metro  to Fellgate and walk for approximately 9 minutes. It’s located on the end of a little cul-de-sac of shops in Jarrow, just off the A19 exit for Boldon. There is a small car park outside the shops but if that’s full then there’s plenty of residential streets nearby you can park on.  The Sunday roast is either £8.95 for one course or £10.95 for two courses (starter and main). The kids menu is £5.95 for 2 courses (main and ice cream). The kid’s menu states that it is designed for up to 10 years old but the portion sizes are

Last night the boys slept at their grandparents so that meant only one thing - date night 😍 Anybody with kids who are fussy eaters will know that this is the time that you go out and explore new restaurants and nice food 😋  My husband wanted to try My Delhi Sunderland  as he drives past it on his bus when he’s at work and it smells amazing 👃  We decided to get the bus there as we get free travel and wanted a little drink 🍺 There are lots of public transport options with this restaurant being located in the city centre 🚌  Our bus stopped diagonally opposite the restaurant and as soon as we stepped off the bus the smells just hit us in the face 👃 The place was busy and we hadn’t made a reservation (would definitely recommend booking) but they managed to fit us in 📖  The decor is clean and modern with the feeling like you are in India 🇮🇳 They play Indian music, even in the toilet 🚻  My husband chose a pint of Birra Moretti and I went for the Peacock Indian fruit cider, which was

 Today I went out for food with my Mam at The Old Vestry  🍽️  They are taking part in Sunderland Restaurant Week so they are offering 2 meals for £15. I have attached a photo of the menu which includes 9 main meals to choose from 👩‍🍳 I had scampi, chips & mushy peas. My Mam had Yorkshire pudding wrap with pork, stuffing, chips & gravy. In my opinion they do the best home style chips I’ve ever eaten 😋  The food is delicious, the portion sizes are very generous, the staff are very friendly and the garden room is lovely, clean and airey 🌸  This venue is located on Fawcett Street in Sunderland which is a major bus route in Sunderland City Centre so lots of public transport options. The nearest parking is on Frederick Street (charges apply) 🚘 🚌  If you haven’t tried this restaurant yet then what are you waiting for? 😉 

Tonight we went out for food with my sister and nephew at Brewers Fayre - The Wessington  in Sunderland🍴  I ordered 2 adult meals (my 12 year old eats like a man), 1 kids meal, 3 adult desserts and 1 bottomless soft drink. We shared the soft drink as I never drink more than 1 glass so this way I get my money’s worth 🥤 I have a Brewers Fayre bonus card therefore I receive special discounts by email and also collect points every time I eat here 📧  I had an email offering me 40% off mains until 12th March. I also had 800 points in my bonus club account so I swapped 500 points (the equivalent of £5.00) for a “2 free desserts” voucher. Bearing in mind 1 dessert was £5.29 on its own then this is a really good saving 😮  I was able to use both vouchers at the same time with one being a promotion and one being a points based offer so my total bill came to £26.68 🤩 The food was delicious and the service was good considering they were really busy 👏  This restaurant is attached to a Premier

Today we went to Inflatanation Newcastle  for the first time. This venue is a big tent located in the car park of the Royal Quays .  It is easy to access via car, just a short distance from the A19, and has a free car park. You can also get here using public transport. Either by Tyne & Wear Metro  to Percy Main and a 14 minute walk or the Stagecoach  number 10 bus towards North Shields and a 4 minute walk. The cost for age 4-15 and adults is £9.99 for a 1 hour bounce and £5.00 for an extra hour. Under 4s cost £5.99 for a 1 hour bounce and £3.00 for an extra hour. There is a dedicated area for under 4s. They offer an Inflata Tots session on a Sunday 9am-10am (term time only) and also a Disability Friendly session on a Saturday 9am-10am (term time only). Carers can access the park for free when accompanying a disabled guest. They also cater for birthday parties and adult only sessions. You can sign up to their V.I.B ( Very Important Bouncer) newsletter to be the first to hear about a

Today we paid a very chilly visit to Seaham Park which is located beside Seaham Town Council  🥶  This is personally one of my favourite parks in the North East for the vast amount of play equipment for all ages. They have a huge piece of equipment housing 3 slides which you access using the staircase in the middle.  They also have an outdoor gym, skate park, ability swing and cafe. The Palm Courtyard & Cafe  situated on site provides food, hot & cold drinks, ice lollies and even treats for your dog. They have a toilet inside but you must be a paying customer to use their facilities. They do a very nice hot chocolate 😋  The park is easily accessible by car and is only a short distance from the A19. There are plenty of parking spaces including ones facing the park so parents of older children can keep warm in the car while their children play 🤣 Alternatively you can use public transport. There are 2 bus stops right outside of the park which are frequently used by various Go No