Eating in

But after years of hard graft in other people’s kitchens, she wasn’t to be deterred and recently took over the George and Dragon, in Boldron, near Barnard Castle.

“It’s not easy as we’re not really on the way to anywhere up here, so there’s no passing trade,”

she says. “We hope that word of the quality of food, wine and ales we are serving gets out and that people will book in. Already we are getting a lot of repeat trade as the word spreads.”

Sarah, 36, and chef and business partner Kevin Broome are offering fine dining at the inn, but don’t want to put off the locals, who like to drop in for a pint or two after a quoits match, or who fancy a glass on their way home.

Meals, which are all freshly cooked using local ingredients, are also aimed at everyone, from sausage and mash at £7.95, to cod with a herb crust on cassoulet with roasted pumpkin at £12.95 and sirloin steak at £14.95. “I did a ploughman’s for a 90-year-old villager and he loved it.

Kevin was the chef at a hotel in the Highlands when Sarah returned from nine years nannying in the States in search of a new career, and she worked her way up to become his sous-chef. Now he’s backing Sarah in her new venture.

Sarah is no stranger to the area. She was brought up in Gilling West, near Richmond, and went to school in Wolsingham. And it was in school cookery lessons that her passion for cooking first came through. Since she got into the business, she’s cooked for American families, Scottish tourists and some fairly wild women. “I worked for a time at Eggleston Hall, where Ladette to Lady was filmed,” she says. “Actually, the ladettes weren’t too bad, but the language of the film crew was horrendous.”

Now she’s hoping she’s got the ingredients right to please a new audience. “It’s been a dream of mine to run my own inn,” says Sarah. “We had been looking for a year and a half when we found the George and Dragon and I see no reason why it shouldn’t work out.”

■ George and Dragon Inn, Boldron, Barnard Castle DL12 9RF. Tel: 01833-638- 215. Open all day. Bed and breakfast, £60.

Here is a selection of Sarah’s recipes to try at home...

Hot souffle of Swaledale blue cheese and chives

Serves four

50g plain flour

50g unsalted butter

200ml whole milk

METHOD

Place butter and flour into a saucepan and cook together until it becomes what a roux, then add the milk slowly, mixing all the time until you end up with a thick white sauce.

3 egg yolks (free range is best)

4 egg whites

150g crumbled Swaledale blue cheese

2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Salt and pepper

METHOD

Add the egg yolks and blue cheese to the warm sauce mix, blend in. Whip the whites to firm meringue, then fold in along with the chives and seasoning. Don’t beat or the air will be lost from the whites.

Grease four ramekins with butter, then line with soft breadcrumbs and ground walnuts.

Cook in the in a water bath, uncovered, on gas mark 3, 200f for 25/30 mins, then unmould immediately.

They can be frozen or made in advance.

To serve, place on greaseproof paper with a knob of butter on the top and bake at 200f for ten to 15 minutes.

Serve with your favourite onion relish and spinach salad.

Creamy brioche and butter pudding

Serves four

1 vanilla pod seeded or 2tsp good vanilla extract

1 small, sliced loaf of sweet brioche

Good bitter orange marmalade

8 eggs

Pint of double cream

150g caster sugar

150g golden sultanas

METHOD

Spread the marmalade over the brioche and layer around a small ovenproof dish, sprinkle the sultanas as you go.

Mix together the eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla and blend well, then pour the cream mix over the brioche to soak in, bake at gas mark 6, 400f for 25 to 30 mins This goes well with vanilla bean ice-cream.

Wood smoked haddock and Parmesan risotto

Serves four

250g Arborio rice

200g Scottish smoked haddock

Half pint of whole milk

Diced butter

4 finely-diced spring onions

2 cloves of garlic

50cl white wine

Pint of good fish stock or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf, a sprig of thyme

METHOD

Poach the haddock in the milk with the bay leaf and the thyme. Strain the haddock and reserve the milk. Allow to cool and flake the haddock In a pan put the olive oil, rice, spring onion and garlic. Cook until the rice absorbs all the oil, then add the white wine. Allow this to be absorbed. Slowly add the fish or vegetable stock, mixing in with a wooden spoon. Add half of the haddock milk and all of the haddock and cook on a slow simmer until the risotto is creamy and cooked, but still has texture to it. If the risotto is too thick, add the rest of the milk. Lastly, add ground black pepper, chives, parmesan, and butter.