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Everything on The Frosterley Table, organised by topic.

County Durham

Best Time to Visit County Durham: Seasonal Guide — Late spring and early autumn usually offer the best balance for visiting County Durham: useful daylight, strong countryside scenery, and fewer peak-summer…
County Durham Market Towns: Choosing Your Base — County Durham's market towns each suit a different trip. Barnard Castle is the all-round Teesdale base, with a castle ruin and the Bowes Museum.
County Durham Without a Car: A Public Transport Plan — You can visit County Durham without a car by basing yourself in Durham City or Bishop Auckland, both with step-free railway stations, and making day trips…
How to Plan a County Durham Day Trip: A Practical Guide — Plan a County Durham day trip around one area, not the whole county: Durham City, Beamish, Teesdale, Weardale, Bishop Auckland and Shildon, or the…
Things to Do in County Durham: 12 Places Worth the Trip — County Durham's best things to do include Durham Cathedral and Castle (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Beamish open-air living museum, the High Force…
Walking in the Durham Dales: How to Choose a Route — Walking in the Durham Dales goes best when you compare routes before choosing one: who published the route and when, the distance, total ascent, ground…

British Pub Etiquette: How to Order, Tip, and Fit Right In — British pub etiquette rests on three customs: order and pay at the bar rather than waiting for table service, don't tip the way you would in a restaurant…
British Pub Quiz Guide: Rules, Teams, and Etiquette — A British pub quiz puts teams at tables for several spoken, written, picture, or music rounds.
Cask Ale vs Keg Beer: What Changes at the Bar? — Cask ale finishes maturing in the pub cellar: it holds live yeast, is vented to atmospheric pressure and is served by hand pump or gravity at cellar…
How to Order Real Ale at a Pub: A First-Timer's Guide — Find the handpumps on the bar and read each pump clip for the beer's style and strength (ABV).
What Is a Pub Handpump? The Beer Engine Explained — A pub handpump is the lever on the bar that works a beer engine, a manual piston pump that lifts cask ale from the cellar through a line and out of the…
How to Read a Pub Beer Menu: Clips, Styles and ABV — To read a British pub beer menu, check six things: how the beer is served (handpump for cask, keg tap or bottle), the style word such as bitter, golden…

British Pub Food Classics: 15 Traditional Dishes Explained — British pub food is hearty, unpretentious cooking built around a core canon of traditional dishes: fish and chips, the Sunday roast, steak and ale pie,…
What Are Mushy Peas? The Pub Side Dish Explained — Mushy peas are dried marrowfat peas, a starchy pea left to mature and dry in the field, soaked overnight with bicarbonate of soda and simmered into a…
What Is a Ploughman's Lunch? A Pub-Plate Guide — A ploughman's lunch is a cold British pub-style meal built around cheese, bread and pickle or pickled accompaniments.
What Is Scampi and Chips? The Pub Classic Explained — Scampi and chips is a British pub plate of breaded or battered tails of Nephrops norvegicus, the shellfish also sold as langoustine, Norway lobster or…
Steak and Ale Pie Explained: Filling, Pastry and Sides — Steak and ale pie combines beef cooked with beer and a savoury sauce with pastry. It may have a complete pastry case or a lid over a filled dish.
Vegetarian Pub Food: What to Order in Britain — Vegetarians can usually find a satisfying British pub meal in vegetable or mushroom pies, vegetarian Sunday roasts, curries, jacket potatoes, cheese-led…
What Is a Sunday Roast? The British Tradition Explained — A Sunday roast is Britain's traditional weekend meal: roasted meat — usually beef, chicken, lamb, or pork — served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding,…