The seasons set the menu here.

The valley wakes slowly. Light returns to the menu before it returns to the evenings. New lamb from the hills above the Tyne arrives first; young, fresh, and treated simply. Wild garlic appears on the riverbanks, briefly and intensely. The first asparagus is on the menu for as long as it lasts, which is never long enough.

New season lamb

Rump or shoulder depending on the week; Northumbrian, grass-fed, and on the plate before it has far to travel. Dressed simply; the meat is the point.

Wild garlic velouté

From the banks of the Tyne, harvested while the season holds. On the menu for three weeks, perhaps four. Ask if it is on.

English asparagus

Sourced locally and simply cooked. The season is short and we do not extend it artificially. On the menu when it is right; off when it isn't.

Spring pea & mint risotto

Made with the first sweet peas of the season. Light, clean, well-suited to an April evening when the valley is still deciding what it wants to be.

Northumbrian cheese board

A selection at their spring best. Changes with what our cheesemonger has that week. With oatcakes, chutney, and fruit. Always on the menu year-round.

The valley at its most generous. Soft fruits, heritage tomatoes, freshly landed fish from the Northumberland coast, and long slow roasts that start in the morning. The terrace opens when the weather cooperates; which it does more often than reputation suggests, and the menu reflects the season honestly. Lighter, yes. But never thin.

Dressed Northumbrian crab

Landed from the coast and on the menu the same day when the season allows. Dressed in the kitchen and served simply; brown and white, with good bread.

Heritage tomato salad

Grown locally in mixed varieties. Dressed with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh herbs. As simple as it should be.

Slow-roast rare-breed pork

Local Northumbrian rare-breed, cooked for the better part of a day. With whatever tis best that week; courgette, runner beans, new potatoes.

Pan-roast sea bass

From the Northumberland coast when the day-boat catch is good. Crisp skin, simple accompaniment, the sea in every mouthful.

Summer berry pavlova

Fruit from nearby soft fruit farms; strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants as the season progresses. Meringue made in-house. Worth leaving room for.

Game season is what autumn is for, and the Northumberland moors produce some of the finest game in England. The menu makes the most of it. Root vegetables come into their own. The fire is lit again. The kitchen starts building depth into its dishes, the sauces grow longer, and the wine list shifts to match. This is the season that earns The Duke its Rosette.

Roast grouse

From the moors above the valley. On the menu from the Glorious Twelfth; strong, gamey, and not to be approached tentatively. Served with bread sauce, game chips, and a proper reduction.

Venison loin

Northumbrian roe or fallow depending on the season. Served rare or medium-rare, with a sauce made from the trimmings. Treated simply because it deserves to be.

Pot-roast partridge

With autumn root vegetables and a stock made from the previous bird. Nothing wasted. Exactly the right dish for an October evening by the fire.

Celeriac & hazelnut soup

When the roots are at their best; earthy, comforting, and deepened with toasted Northumbrian hazelnuts. A bowl that earns its place on any autumn menu.

Pear & almond tart

Made in-house with autumnal pears and a proper frangipane. The kind of pudding that makes you order it before you have finished the main course.

Winter at The Duke is what this kitchen does best. Slow braises that need most of a day. Long stocks reduced to intensity. Good pastry made properly in a cold kitchen. The kind of cooking that makes a January evening in the Tyne Valley feel exactly right. January is the quietest month here; and quietly the best time to visit, when the valley is still and the table is always ready.

Braised ox cheek

Slow-cooked for the better part of a day, until the collagen surrenders and the meat gives way at a look. With mashed potato, roast root vegetables, and a sauce made from the braise itself.

Roast Northumbrian monkfish

From the coast; white, firm, and suited to the more robust flavours of winter. With a shellfish bisque, perhaps, or a herb and caper butter.

Pheasant breast & leg

The breast roasted, the leg braised, both served together so neither part of the bird is wasted. A dish that reflects the season and the landscape it came from.

Sticky toffee pudding

Made in-house since the refurbishment. With clotted cream. Not on the menu in summer, which is probably why people remember it so vividly.

Winter cheese board

The fuller, older Northumbrian cheeses; the ones that need the cold months to come into themselves. With oatcakes, quince paste, and something worth drinking alongside.