That first night, exhausted by 40+ hours of travel, I crawled under the duvet, relishing the cool silence after years of sleeping in sticky heat or with the constant rattle of the air conditioner. Rather than go straight to sleep, which would have been difficult as I had my three Fijian cats lying on top of me, freaked out after being let out of their travel crates, I got my phone out and checked the “near me now” option on the TripAdvisor app. Imagine my shock to see a 4.5 star restaurant 822 meters from my house that I’d never heard of. I live in a village, not a heaving metropolis.
 |
| Contemplating the walk to the Wood Oven |
A few months later and the Wood Oven, run by long-term Wylamites Chris & Cathy Dixon, is one of my favourite places to eat out. What a great surprise to find a local that makes pizza just the way I like it – with a thin and crispy crust made all the more delicious with a side of wine or IPA from their reasonably-priced drinks list. The only downside is that they do get very busy so you have to book. Having said that I’ve had a few lingering meals there and have never felt any pressure to vacate the table. And at 822 meters from my bed, it’s a ten minute walk along the river to get home.
Since I returned to the UK, I’ve eaten out a lot. From the look on my friends’ faces when I describe my recent North East culinary adventures, it’s clear that I’ve probably squeezed a year of dining out into a couple of months. I’ve had so many amazing experiences. This is not the North East of the 1980s and 1990s when eating out was mostly unsophisticated, expensive and an utter disappointment.
 |
| Tom & Shaun explain their vegetable magic |
The most striking example of how far the North East has come culinarily was the Trail Shift dinner at The Cookhouse in Ouseburn in March. Showcasing the vegetables grown at Vallum Farm by Ken Holland, Tom Anglesea and Shaun Hurrell created a spectacular vegetarian menu. And no, spectacular and vegetarian are not mutually exclusive words. The main course of roast pumpkin, with fried onions, tamarind chutney, a peanut sauce, piles of fresh herbs with a soft roti/naan-type flat bread to wrap it all up in was, quite possibly, the most delicious thing that I’ve ever eaten in a Newcastle restaurant (except perhaps the lobster and truffle risotto that I had at 21 Queen Street, but that was in 1994).
And while my wallet, waistband and liver cannot maintain this frantic pace, we’ve booked the Trail Shift pop-up at Vallum on June 19th. Looking at the menu I’m struck by a couple of things. First, the only reason that burnt vegetables appearing on the menu isn't totally alarming is that I've seen what these guys can do to a parsnip. The next thing is – did everyone discover Aperol at the same time, or am I just late to that party? In the same week that someone generously made me my first Aperol spritzer from a bottle that they carried in their luggage from Berlin to Fiji, I see that the dinner at Vallum is going to include a watermelon and Aperol ice pop. And finally, is it sad that that is the thing that I’m looking forward to the most?
I’m loving being home, especially this new and improved version. Now, if I can just keep my drawers from filling up with odd fuses, broken bike locks, mysterious cables and foreign change, I’ll know that this is indeed a parallel universe where I also have a new and improved husband. Fingers crossed.
