Clocktower Cafe - Morpeth

This charming tearoom is located within Bamburgh Castle and it is truly excellent. read more This charming tearoom is located within Bamburgh Castle and it is truly excellent.

long time. The ploughman's platter was also outstanding with a variety of cheeses and meats that were perfectly paired with pickles and chutney. The atmosphere... read more long time. The ploughman's platter was also outstanding with a variety of cheeses and meats that were perfectly paired with pickles and chutney. The atmosphere was cozy and the service was friendly. We will definitely be returning to try more items on the menu. Highly recommended!

My wife and I visit Wallington Hall several times a year and while we enjoy the house and gardens, we are often disappointed by our experience at the café. As v... read more My wife and I visit Wallington Hall several times a year and while we enjoy the house and gardens, we are often disappointed by our experience at the café. As vegetarians, we find our options limited and during our last visit, we had baked potatoes with cheese, accompanied by a small portion of salad and coleslaw. This dish is a recent addition to the menu and unfortunately, the potatoes seemed to be pre-baked and then reheated, resulting in a rubbery texture, strange taste, and a watery consistency instead of the desired fluffy texture. The cheese had little to no flavor, almost like a synthetic cheese. When I inquired about the cheese, I was told it was ripe cheddar, but it did not taste like any cheddar I have had before. While I am not a fan of salads, my wife found the dressing too oily and the coleslaw too vinegary. It is often mentioned that National Trust food is expensive, but there is no excuse for serving poor quality meals like this.

My wife and I visit Wallingon Hall several times a year and whilst we thoroughly enjoy the house and gardens, we often regret our visit to the café.Being vegeta... read more My wife and I visit Wallingon Hall several times a year and whilst we thoroughly enjoy the house and gardens, we often regret our visit to the café.Being vegetarians we are somewhat limited in choice and on our last visit we had baked potatoes with cheese accompanied by a small portion of salad and coleslaw. This is a fairly recent introduction to a revised menu.The potatoes appeared to be pre-baked then microwaved resulting in a rubbery skin, strange taste and a watery rather than floury (as it should be) flesh.The cheese had very little if any flavour, more like cheese analogue. I asked a very helpful assistant if she would ask the kitchen staff what cheese it was and, surprisingly, was informed that it was mature cheddar. I know that all the the café’s ingredients are sourced within Northumberland as locally as possible, but I don’t know of any cheese producer who delivers such a bland mature cheddar!I’m not much of a salad fan, especially when dressed, so gave mine to my wife. Her verdict was that the salad dressing was too oily and the coleslaw too vinegary.It is often stated that National Trust eateries are expensive but there’s no excuse for them producing poor quality meals.