Early Evening Menu At Jesmond Dene House

One place that I am constantly hearing great things about in Newcastle is Jesmond Dene house, from afternoon teas to evening meals everyone is always full of praise. It has long been on my list of places that I have wanted to visit, however having two small children means that I rarely get out to try any of the places that I want to.

So when I was recently invited along to Jesmond Dene House to try out their new early evening menu I made sure that grandma was on babysitting duty and myself and the other half booked in for dinner at 5pm, meaning we could go out for a few hours yet still be home in time to tuck our little ones up in bed and kiss them goodnight.

Image courtesy of Jesmond Dene House

Located just a few minutes outside of Newcastle city centre you will find beautiful Jesmond Dene house, situated in well maintained glorious gardens the grand building is timelessly elegant and very inviting. Upon arrival, we were quickly shown to our table in the restaurant by the polite staff and instantly made to feel at home whilst we pursued the menus and enjoyed our drinks - Prosecco for me and wine for him.

The recently launched early evening menu is available Monday to Saturday between 5pm and 7pm making it perfect for an after-work meal or like us a rare date night, as let's face us many parents with young children are asleep by 9pm these days. There was a choice of five options for starter, mains and desserts covering a great selection of dishes.

For starters, I opted for the Chicken Liver Parfait served with orange marmalade and toasted brioche. The flavours worked so well together, it was rich and smooth and an extremely generous portion size.

The other half opted for the Smoked Haddock with parsley risotto and crispy kale. This dish was packed full of flavour and the haddock was cooked to perfection and was a dish that he really enjoyed.

For mains, I ordered the Roast Chicken, Pancetta, Peas, Baby gem and Heritage potatoes dish. This meal was light and flavoursome and perfect for spring.

The other half opted for the braised Ox cheek, Heritage vegetables, creamed potatoes and Grand-mere. For the first time ever I had serious food envy as his dish looked and tasted amazing, I had a taste of his Ox Cheek and it was so tender and melted in my mouth. The creamy mash and heritage vegetables tasted delicious with the rich sauce that accompanied the dish.

I am not really a dessert person and normally skip it when we are out but I decided to order the Praline sponge, white chocolate and Dulcey Cream with Chocolate ice-cream. I am so glad that I did as this was without a doubt the nicest dessert I have ever had. It came beautifully presented with edible flowers and was so pretty I just had to Instagram it! It tasted like Kinder chocolate and was mouthwatering and delicious.

The other half ordered the equally pretty Honey Parfait with Lemon Thyme Cremeux and Lemon Curd Ice Cream. I am not a fan of honey but again this dish was delicious and the ice cream was so creamy and moreish.

We really enjoyed the meal every dish was delicious, beautifully presented and enjoyable. The service was faultless and every member of staff we encountered was polite and friendly and the whole vibe of the hotel was relaxing yet elegant. We left at around 6.30 just as the restaurant was starting to get busier and headed home just in time to put our little ones to bed and relax in front of a film.

The early evening menu at Jesmond Dene house is priced at £24.50 for three courses which I think is fantastic value! We had the perfect 'date night' we were able to enjoy a lovely meal in beautiful surrounding with attentive staff that was extremely affordable and enjoyable. I highly recommend a visit to Jesmond Dene house to try out the early evening menu to anyone and we will certainly be returning in the future.

Disclosure I was provided with a complimentary meal as a guest of Jesmond Dene House, however all opinions are my own.