The RatInn

Karen Errington and Phil Mason have run The Rat Inn as an independent freehouse since taking over in 2007. The building began life in the 18th century as a drovers' inn in the hamlet of Anick, a few miles outside Hexham with views across the Tyne valley towards Corbridge. The kitchen builds its menu around locally sourced meat and produce, with a full Sunday lunch service and a seasonal card that changes through the year. The pub has held a place in the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list for more than a decade running, drawing diners out from Hexham and Newcastle alike. Original stone walls and low beamed ceilings remain from the building's coaching-inn days, and the bar still functions as a village local alongside its dining room.