Lunch at The Skiff Inn – review

We recently enjoyed a family lunch at The Skiff Inn so thought I’d share an honest review.

After a lovely couple of hours at Northumberland College Zoo, our tummies were definitely starting to rumble. So, before heading off for a spot of shopping at the nearby Metro Centre, we decided to stop for a meal with Steve’s parents and Elsie.

We hadn’t planned ahead and, with it being a bank holiday, we weren’t sure whether we’d actually manage to get a table.

Thankfully, we arrived just before a big rush and managed to nab a table for all five of us.

And what a lucky decision that turned out to be!

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Our first lunch visit to The Skiff Inn

I’d never been to The Skiff Inn before, although I’d heard plenty of rave reviews from other people, so I was really looking forward to finally giving it a try.

One of the first things we noticed was the lovely atmosphere. We even got to meet the owner himself, Papa Joe who was really friendly and made a point of going around all the tables to check that everyone was happy.

I always think those little personal touches make such a difference. It didn’t feel like someone simply doing a quick lap of the restaurant.

He genuinely seemed interested in making sure people were enjoying themselves, which was lovely to see.

The menu has a bit of something for everyone, too, and while we were waiting we saw a few meals being brought out to other tables. Everything looked delicious and the portions looked really generous.

Even better, the prices are very reasonable.

Our whole meal, including drinks, came to £89 for the five of us, which I thought was really fair.

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What we ordered

Steve and both of his parents opted for the Hanging Roast Dinner (£15.95).

You can choose from roast chicken or beef, served with roasties, mash, roasted vegetables and a hanging skewer packed with stuffing balls, pigs in blankets and mini Yorkshire puddings.

Steve’s mam went for the beef, while Steve and his dad chose the chicken.

There’s also the option to have your roast served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding for an extra £1.95.

And when I say giant, I mean GIANT!

The lady on the table next to us had chosen this option and her Yorkshire pudding was enormous. Definitely one for anyone who loves a good Sunday roast and wants to make it even more indulgent.

I didn’t order the roast myself, but I did have a little taste of Steve’s chicken and the gravy and, honestly, it was delicious. The chicken was lovely and the gravy was full of flavour.

I decided to go for something a little different and chose the Chimichurri Loaded Steak Fries (£17.95).

This was house-seasoned fries loaded with sliced rump steak, cooked to your liking and topped with homemade chimichurri sauce.

It was absolutely delicious.

The steak was cooked just how I liked it and the chimichurri gave everything a lovely fresh, herby flavour. It was also a really generous portion, so I certainly didn’t leave hungry!

There was plenty of choice for children too, which is always important when we’re eating out as a family.

Elsie went for the Chicken Nuggets (£6.95), served with chips and beans.

It was a nice, straightforward option and, most importantly, one that she was happy to eat!

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Our verdict

All of our meals arrived piping hot and everyone seemed really pleased with their choices.

For me, the combination of good portions, reasonable prices, tasty food and friendly service made The Skiff Inn a real winner.

I was especially impressed considering we’d arrived on a bank holiday without a booking and were still made to feel really welcome.

The owner taking the time to go around the tables and check in with everyone was also such a lovely personal touch.

It was exactly what we needed after working up an appetite at the zoo, and the fact that we were then perfectly placed for a trip to the Metro Centre was an added bonus.

Would we go back? Absolutely.

I’d heard good things about The Skiff Inn before our visit and I can definitely see why. The menu is reasonably priced, there’s plenty of choice, the portions are generous and, most importantly, the food was really good.

Another North East food spot added to our list of places we’d happily return to!

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Where is The Skiff Inn?