The Ginger Dog — Restaurant in England

I had been invited to this lovely establishment to share in the celebration of young David Foster , ( Y7 ) pupil at St Leonard's Durham .... his first holy communion had just taken place in St Joseph's RC Church directly across the road from this fine café / eatery about which I'm about to write this review !

This venue had been chosen by all of his family as the best possible place for the most tremendous post - service buffet one could have imagined. I have never seen a better , more imaginative spread of appetising food anywhere to entice the taste buds of the general public than was seen on Safurday afternoon , 10/6/2023.

I have witnessed many fine buffets by the way in my 61 years but this took the biscuit !!

Quiches , meat pies / squares , tasty sandwiches with varied fillings . These were examples of the savoury food on offer but very thoughtfully the staff began the procedure by serving food specifically directed at the children present ( not too many apart from centre - of - attention , David )

The follow - up sweet choices were equally impressive . Cream cakes and pavlova took centre stage !. All of these edible treats were washed down with either tea , coffee or a choice of diluted cordial. I was most impressed as an invited guest. David is a young member of the Foster household and I happen to be a Coxon , a close friend of the family. I know my recently deceased mother of 2 years would have been delighted to have been a part of Saturday but she departed this earth at an opportune time in terms of her advanced age and disability. To conclude , she would have been very proud that her best friend , Joanne ( David's mother ) had been instrumental in organising such a fitting celebration day for her son.

Considerable praise to all staff members of The Ginger Dog for creating a superb setting for us all to thoroughly enjoy our Saturday...

Went as part of a large group. Pre-ordered the meals so they knew what we were having but still took over an hour for any food to appear. The food that did turn up was quite nice. However the amount of missing items was a lot. Like no garlic bread with the lasagnas that were ordered. Missing chips and other things. We had almost finished our meals before any peppercorn sauce or any sauce came out. It was either eat without it or eat it cold. And at almost a fiver a sauce that's not very good. I asked for peppercorn sauce and was sent Diane sauce instead. Which I don't like so couldn't eat it. I asked the waitress to swap it. She took it away and brought the same one back saying it was peppercorn. All she had done was ground some pepper on the top. None of the other peppercorn sauces had mushrooms in them. Clearly not peppercorn. It may not seem a big thing but it's the essence of the meal. Steaks not the same without it. Other than all the things wrong the food was quite nice. My steak was cooked perfectly. Can't fault them on that. But the service and waiting time let...

First time visiting with family and wasn't disappointed. I had heard some good reports about the The Ginger Dog and all were true. I went for Sunday lunch and it was The best! The roast pork was thickly sliced and yorkshire puddings were enormous and definitely home made. Vegetables were lovely and not overcooked. Deserts looked delicious and presented well. Staff were friendly and attentive and nothing was too much trouble. Prices were reasonable. We didn't have to wait too long for our table to be cleaned and ready and then we could be seated. I would recommend a visit, but booking is a must as it can be busy. I will definitely be visiting again. Visited last night for Dolly Parton tribute act. Food was in the cost £20, which was a Tennessee burger in a brioche bun, chips, salad and was absolutely amazing. Tribute act was good, she got everyone involved. She was on for about 50 mins then break and came back on for last set. Drinks were a little slow in arriving but it was very busy which was understandable. Ginger dog is well...