Scott Wilson ventures into The Three Tuns at Eggleston and finds a promising start ends up with a bit of a twist in the tale

THE worst part about the Eating Out experience is that, for a long time, it was all going so well. Now I know that instantly removes any dramatic tension that might otherwise have existed, but if you’re looking for dramatic tension in a restaurant review, then you really need to get out more. Or watch Homeland.

I’ve already given the end away, but when an otherwise pleasant evening suddenly goes awry, the twist in the tale tends to overshadow everything that’s gone before it.

That was the case at Eggleston’s Three Tuns, a large, inviting pub in the heart of Teesdale, but it’s probably unfair to focus solely on what went wrong at the expense of the things that went right.

So we’ll leave the end-of-night disappointment for at least a few more paragraphs. Don’t worry though, in the manner of an all-too-predictable thriller, it’s coming.

Billed as a “true village inn”, the Three Tuns seemed the ideal destination on a chilly autumn evening, after an excursion into the Teesdale wilds with my dad.

The open fire in the bar area beckoned us in, and we opted to eat in the next-door restaurant, along with a table of a dozen other diners. I guessed they were a local football team on an early Christmas night out, my dad opted for a Young Farmers’ club, just with the “young” tag taken fairly liberally. Either way, their presence ensured a bit of character.

A perfectly acceptable, if a little predictable, menu was supplemented by a range of specials and the starters represented a successful start to proceedings.

My cod goujons were flavoursome and wellcooked, although they could perhaps have done with something else to complement them rather than just a tartare sauce dip, while my dad’s haggis, bacon and black pudding ensemble was excellent. With plenty of haggis, two crisp lumps of black pudding and the hint of a sweet chilli sauce, it was an ideal winter starter.

The mains were equally well-received, and were a cut above what would normally serve as pub grub priced at around the £10 mark.

I went for pork fillet in a Dijon sauce and was impressed with both the tenderness of the meat and the range of vegetables that accompanied it. My dad’s home-made lamb and mint pie was even better, a proper old-fashioned portion boasting succulent pastry, plenty of meat and a rich, minty gravy.

SO far, so good. Cue the rapidly accelerating music, the little symbol in the corner of the screen suggesting the episode is about to end and the sense that something is about to go wrong.

Main courses over, we waited for someone to come and clean away our plates and take our order for dessert. I’d picked out home-made bakewell tart, while my dad was going to go for chocolate pudding. We waited. Then we waited a bit more. I went to the bar to order another pint of Black Sheep, thinking the barmaid must have noticed our empty plates as she left her group of friends to move behind the bar.

Then we did a bit more waiting. The group of 12 lads had their plates cleared away by the waitress who had delivered our starters and mains, so surely some service was on the way?

No, just more interminable waiting.

By the time we’d been sitting there for halfan- hour, I drained my Black Sheep and we admitted defeat. I paid at the bar and told them somewhat sniffily our plates were ready to be cleaned away.

In hindsight, we could always have demanded some service from the barmaid or plonked our empty plates on the bar to show we’d finished.

But in a pub with three groups of people eating, I don’t think it’s too much to expect a level of attentiveness that makes you feel wanted.

Instead, we left feeling as though we’d intruded on a private gathering, and while there’s a lot to be said for a village pub looking after its locals, ultimately that’s a shame.

The Three Tuns boasts a standard of cooking that sets it apart from most of its local rivals. I just wish I’d been able to sample the pudding to see if that was as appetising too.

Food facts

The Three Tuns, Church Bank, Eggleston, Barnard Castle, DL12 0AH Website: three-tuns-inn.co.uk Telephone: 01833-650289 Restaurant open seven days a week

Quality of food: 4/5

Service: 1/5

Ambience: 2/5

Value for money: 4/5