Dining at the Market Cross Guest House

Breakfast

Here at Market Cross we pride ourselves on the quality of our food. Sourced from the finest local ingredients, our breakfast has gained us an AA award for quality. You can look at our local suppliers and producers below, then you can judge the quality during your stay.

We have an extensive breakfast menu which is made up of the dishes you would expect to see and a few you may not. Our menu also changes seasonally to reflect available fruit and other produce. All of them are beautifully cooked to your specifications to ensure a great dining experience.

Vegetarian and Vegan options are always available with our VG/VE menu and we can cater for other dining requirements such as gluten free and celiac. Just let us know what you need and we will always do everything we can to help. And we DON’T charge any extra for providing what you need.

At Market Cross we do ask our guests to order their breakfast the night before. This is to ensure your breakfast is perfectly cooked for your arrival in our dining room. Most Bed and Breakfasts in this area follow this practise.

Breakfast Menu

Fruit juices, cereals(w,g), homemade granola/muesli(g,w,n) and seasonal fresh fruits and yoghurt.
Fresh tea and coffee will be served at your table with a choice of white or brown toast(g,w).
All of our bread, jams and marmalades are homemade.

Porridge

All the above will be ordered the night before to ensure each table has it’s own provision as there will be no buffet style option

Freshly cooked

Northumbrian Breakfast

Sausage, Bacon(1 or 2 rashers), Black pudding, Grilled tomatoes, Mushrooms and a choice of Eggs (poached, fried or scrambled) (g, w)

(Vegetarian and Vegan options available)

Local Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs

Served with sourdough toast (g, w)

Homemade Baked Beans

Made with pancetta lardons served on a slice of toast with black pudding and a poached egg (g,w)

(Vegetarian and Vegan option available)

Local Kippers

Lightly steamed with grilled tomatoes and a poached egg

Fruit Smoothy with Fruit Toast

A lighter, healthy option for those not wanting a full breakfast (g,w)

(Vegan option available)

Blueberry Pancakes

American style puffed pancakes (g,w)

g-contains gluten, w-contains wheat, n-contains nuts

Most of our breakfast choices contain combinations of wheat, gluten, egg, fish or other products which may contain other allergens.

Vegetarian/Vegan breakfast Menu

Fruit juices, cereals(w,g), homemade granola/muesli(g,w,n) and seasonal fresh fruits and yoghurt.
Fresh tea and coffee will be served at your table with a choice of white, brown or multi seeded toast(g,w).
All of our bread, jams and marmalades are homemade.

Porridge

All the above will be ordered the night before to ensure each table has it’s own provision as there will be no buffet style option

Freshly cooked

Vegetarian/ Vegan Northumbrian Breakfast (VG, VE)

Vegan Sausage, Grilled tomatoes, Mushrooms and a choice of Eggs (poached, fried or scrambled) (g, w)

Mushroom and/or Cheese Frittata (VG, VE)

Baked eggs with mushrooms and cheese

Hash Browns with Roasted Tomatoes and Halloumi (VG,VE)

Homemade hash browns with roasted tomatoes and pan fried Halloumi

Scotch Pancakes with Summer Fruit and Maple Syrup (VE)

Banana Pancakes with Summer Fruit and Maple Syrup (VG, VE)

Homemade Baked Beans (VG, VE)

Served on a slice of toast and a poached egg on top (g,w)

(Vegan option available)

Fruit Smoothy with Fruit Toast (VG, VG)

A lighter, healthy option for those not wanting a full breakfast (g,w)

(Vegan option available)

g-contains gluten, w-contains wheat, n-contains nuts

Most of our breakfast choices contain combinations of wheat, gluten, egg, fish or other products which may contain other allergens.

Food Allergen Information

Our Recommendations For Dining Out

During the “summer” season (April to October) we strongly recommend that you book in advance to dine at the best restaurants and eateries in our area. In some cases this will mean at least a number of weeks ahead to avoid disappointment.

White Swan, Warenford

(4.4 miles approx) Highly recommended. Comprehensive menu using local produce. Lovely pub with a stylish restaurant, booking required during summer months. 01668 213453

Potted Lobster, Bamburgh

(approx 5 miles) Highly recommended. Primarily a fish restaurant but plenty of other dishes to choose from. Very high quality food. Booking required during summer months. 01668 214088

Lord Crew Hotel, Bamburgh

(6 miles approx) Highly recommended. The Wynding Inn is part of the Lord Crew Hotel with a stylish bar and restaurant with modern menu. Booking for restaurant required no booking in the bar 01668 214243

Black Swan Inn, Seahouses

(8 miles approx) Very good food using locally sourced produce. Well worth the trip to Seahouses. You will need to book during the summer season. 01665 720227

Pack Horse Inn, Ellingham

(approx 8 miles) A friendly country pub using locally sourced produce. Recommend booking in the summer as is very busy. 01665 589292

Jolly Fisherman, Craster

(approx 16 miles) No trip to Craster is complete without lunch at The Jolly Fisherman. A varied menu is available, seafood is their speciality, and the crab sandwiches are known throughout Northumberland. Very busy during the summer and booking recommended. 01665 576461

Atelier, Berwick-Upon-Tweed

(13 miles approx) On Bridge St in Berwick you will find this small bar/deli which prides itself on serving excellent sharing platters. Perfect for a relaxed dining experience in cosy surroundings with a local or quality imported beer or wine. Atelier is not a large establishment so you are strongly recommended to book in advance. 01289 298180

Joiners Arms, Low Newton

(16 miles approx) Recommended for lunch if you are visiting Low Newton by the Sea or Craster. Recommend booking in the summer as is very busy. 01665 576112

The Percy Arms. Chatton

(approx 5 miles) Renovated in the last couple of years the Percy offers very good food in comfortable setting 01668 215244

The Barn at Beal, Beal

(approx 6 miles) On the way to Lindesfarne Island is the Barn at Beal which is a restaurant, coffee shop and bar. With a stunning view of Lindesfarne Island this is an excellent place to stop for lunch on any given weekday. They also serve evening meals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and is excellent value for money. 01289 540044

Sunnyhills, Belford

(walkable) Sunnyhills is a cafe and farm shop during the day and now serves evening meals Friday and Saturday during the summer season. Good menu choices with something for everyone and an excellent selection of wines and craft beers. Booking recommended during summer months 01668 219662

Lewis’s, Seahouses

(approx 8 miles) A small family run business this sells excellent quality fish and chips in to both eat in and take away. Booking is recommended in the summer for the restaurant. 01665 720475

Spice House, Seahouses

(8 miles approx) Excellent Indian restaurant with quality food, friendly service and very good value. 01665 720345

Elan, Seahouses

(approx 8 miles) Hand crafted pizzas in a small restaurant makes this an excellent place to have a quiet dinner without the need to dress up. 01665 721311

Insieme, Seahouses

With a full range of both Italian and British dishes Insieme has something for everyone. Very good quality food in a lovely restaurant. Can be very busy during the summer months so booking recommended. 01665 720440

Recipes

A lot of our guests ask us for the various recipes Amanda uses to cook the amazing homemade meals we are now known for. So we thought we would start putting them on our website. Not all at once, but one every few months so that Amanda is not giving away all her secrets too quickly.

If you are looking to come and stay with us you can see what we offer for our dining options. And not just what, but how it’s made. After your visit you may also want to try them for yourselves.

These recipes are all used here at Market Cross. They are what make our breakfasts and dinner different to many other bed and breakfasts. We make as much of our food as we can rather than just buy it in a supermarket.

Remember, homemade is always best.

We also have a few short videos of Amanda showing you how to make some of the favourites as requested by guests. They can be found with the links below.

Slow braised Beef Cheeks

Perfect Poached Eggs

Seville Marmalade

Yoghurt making in the Ninja

Cherry Flapjacks

You will need:

Pre heat the oven to 170 and line the tin with baking parchment.
Melt the sugar, butter and syrup until very gently bubbling.
Then remove from the heat and add the oats and cherries.
Mix well and add to the tin and press in.
Bake for 15 minutes and the flapjack should have a little bit of wobble when you remove from the oven.
Allow to cool fully before removing from the tin and then cut to required size.

Then put the kettle on and enjoy a piece. For quality control purposes obviously.

Enjoy!

Muesli

You will need:

Porridge Oats 200g

Flaked Almonds 100g

Walnuts 100g

Sunflower Seeds 100g

Pumpkin Seeds 100g

Sultanas 200g

Mix together Oats, Nuts and Seeds

Spread on to a flat tray

Bake in the oven at 160c for 20 minutes

When cool add the Sultanas

The nuts and sultanas can be changed to any of your personal choice.

Granola

You will need:

Rolled Oats 200g

Coconut Oil 50g

Honey 200g

Pumpkin Seeds 100g

Sunflower Seeds 100g

Dried Cranberries 100g

Flaked Almonds 100g

Pecan Nuts 100g

Microwave the honey and coconut oil for 2 minutes

Add the oats, nuts and seeds and mix well

Place on a baking tray with either parchment or a silicone mat

Bake for 15 minutes at 180C

After 15 minutes agitate the mixture and rebake for 10 to 15 minutes according to your colour preference of your granola

Remove from oven and agitate again

Leave to cool and then add the cranberries

Break up and put in an airtight tin or Kilner jar

Remember that the ingredients can be changed to suit your own needs or tastes.

As always, Enjoy!

Homemade Baked Beans

You will need:

Packet of diced pancetta

Tin of chopped tomatoes

A tin of Harico Beans

1 Tablespoon of Black Treacle

Seasoning

Method

Fry the pancetta in the oil of your choice until just crispy, then add the tinned tomatoes and season.

Simmer for ten minutes and add the drained Harico Beans.

Then simmer for a further 10 minutes then stir in the Black Treacle.

Keep simmering for further ten minutes then taste to check seasoning and adjust if required.

And that’s it. So simple but so very tasty. Give it a try and we can almost guarantee you will not want to buy a tin of Heinz again. We like to serve ours on toast, topped with a slice of black pudding with a soft poached egg (done the proper way in a pan of water) on top.

Delicious!

No Knead Bread

You will need:

600g Strong Flour

7g Yeast

1-2 Teaspoons salt

460ml Water

The night before you want to bake the bread:

Put the flour, dried yeast and salt in a large mixing bowl and gradually stir in all the water.
Use a rubber spoon or spatula to bring the mixture together into a rough, wet dough.
Cover with cling film and leave overnight or 12-14 hours.

On the day of baking:

Scrape the dough out of its bowl onto a well-floured worktop. Flatten out then fold the dough into thirds a few times before moulding it into your desired shape of loaf. Leave to rest for a few minutes, covered, while you prepare a proving basket/banneton or bowl (see next step)
Prepare a basket or banneton by dusting well with flour. If using a bowl, line with a clean tea-towel and dust that well with flour.
Place the dough in the prepared banneton or bowl and cover. Leave to prove for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 250C or its highest setting, with a heavy, lidded pot inside to heat up also.
After 30 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 220C, remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid and carefully flip the dough from the proving vessel into the pot.
Slash the top of the dough, replace the lid and put the pot back in the oven. Leave to bake for 30 minutes without removing the lid.
After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 200C. Remove the pot from the oven, take the bread out of it and put the bread back in, directly onto the oven shelf. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the bread is cooked through. If necessary, reduce the oven temperature to stop the crust overbrowning before the loaf is finished baking.
When the loaf sounds hollow if tapped underneath, it should be cooked. Place on a wire rack to cool.

No Knead Bread