WE thought it was jolly nice of Sir John Hall to turn out to greet us as we drove along the lengthy driveway to Wynyard Hall for dinner last Saturday.

It was, in truth, entirely coincidental that he was taking an early evening stroll with his dogs as we approached. He seemed keenly interested in our arrival, but then he’s entitled to, he owns the place and much of the land around, a shrewd purchase back in 1987, not long after he had completed the project that made his name, the Metro- Centre at Gateshead.

Since then he has spent a reputed £4m plus restoring the hall to the standard of its former glory days as the North- East seat of the Londonderry family. Most recently, Sir John’s daughter Allison has been gradually transforming it into luxury hotel, restaurant and hospitality venue. It’s damned impressive.

It was a return visit for us.

Eighteen months ago we had sampled Sunday lunch and had enjoyed the grandeur of the hall, its surroundings and the Wellington Restaurant.

We’d thought the lunch excellent, the service friendly and good value given the splendour and history of the environment.

It was as if we had visited one of England’s great stately homes and had lunch thrown in. We had vowed to return when they had expanded the restaurant operation to evenings.

Despite having visited relatively recently, the scale of the hall and its setting still prompted a chorus of “wow”

as the gravel scrunched under the car tyres when pulling up outside and as passed through the towering, classically-styled entrance.

We were shown to the library, a spacious lounge with views over the terrace, lake and parkland beyond, to look at the menu over a pre-dinner drink.

What struck us immediately was how the starters seemed pricey and the main courses very reasonable. There was also plenty of evidence of local produce. Yorkshire Fine Fettle cheese from Shepherd’s Purse, near Northallerton, and black pudding from Arthur Haigh at Thirsk featured prominently.

Sylvia was intrigued how the smoked duck breast with the Yorkshire Fine Fettle and pear salad could be worth £11.

Likewise, I looked forward to £8.50’s worth of smoked haddock and spring onion fishcake with its spinach and garlic mussel sauce.

Our main course choices were rib-eye steak with handcut chips, mushroom, tomato and Bearnaise sauce (£17.50), and slow roast garlic belly pork with bubble and squeak, roasted root vegetables and red wine sauce (£15).

The Wellington Restaurant was every bit as grand as we remembered and we were pleased to see a good few folk were dining with us. The gentle hubbub of conversation, supported by Michael Bublé and Will Young in the background, made for an almost intimate atmosphere, which is remarkable given the aircraft hanger-proportions of the room.

The smoked duck breast turned out to be pretty sensational.

Five slices of tender, moist and mildly cured duck nestled in the salad which was a sharpish foil for the richness of the meat.

My fishcake was beautifully light and fluffy, the mussel sauce an interesting textural contrast. Sylvia’s rib-eye was deemed an excellent piece of beef, spot-on medium, nicely charred at its extremities and the chips also passed the crisp-outside, fluffy-inside test. The Bearnaise sauce’s only fault was a slight thinness.

The belly pork was a handsome, sumptuous mix of fat and lean, with the crispiest crackling top its crowning glory. It sat upon a velvety, well-seasoned bubble and squeak.

As is mostly the case these days, I was alone with my dessert, a vanilla and mascapone cheesecake with kumquat sorbet (£6.50). It didn’t quite reach the heights of what had come before, the sorbet being a little too tart for my taste and overwhelming the vanilla flavour in the cheesecake. The cheesecake base could have been firmer too.

Service was formal, as one might expect in such surroundings, friendly, if a little gauche at times. The young man who served us drinks in the library drowned my Campari with soda, but not many folk in these parts drink Campari I guess and the young man was on only his third shift. We all have to learn.

With the addition of a latte coffee, but excluding our predinner drinks and wine, the bill topped £60. Pricey? Yes, but one could pay that to eat a mediocre meal in far less impressive surroundings.

Wynyard Hall is a very special place and being able to eat there is almost a privilege. It certainly felt that way.

• Wellington Restaurant, Wynyard Hall, near Sedgefield, County Durham TS22 5NF. Tel: 01740-644811 Web: wynyardhall.co.uk
Open: noon-2pm, 7-9pm seven days