January 1970 Archive

New furnishings for The Pheasant Inn

We’re really pleased to say the refurbishment of our bar and lounge is almost complete, with our new carpets and furniture in place.

We like to ‘Buy British’ wherever possible and our stunning tartan carpet came from Calderdale Carpets in Dewsbury, who manufactured a bespoke carpet just for us. Although we liked the standard range we saw when we visited the factory we wanted something unique, and their design team did a great job working alongside us and patiently tweaking the colour ranges until we got it exactly right. 

For our oak furniture we went to Taylors Classics in Stafford. As well as manufacturing new furniture Taylors renovate reclaimed pieces, tying together the old and the new, and creating just the traditional country pub look we want for the Pheasant. 

There was so much choice it took a while to settle on exactly the right collection, but we are really pleased with it and I was really impressed when it was delivered covered in protective blankets and gently unloaded by a team of men who are obviously very proud of the range. 

All that remains is to paint the walls but that will have to wait until the end of the busy summer season and we have chance to draw breath!

If you are passing by do drop in for a drink or a meal, and let us know what you think.

The Pheasant Inn Kielder wins TripAdvisor Hall of Fame status

We can’t tell you how proud and excited we are to be joining the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame for 2015.

The internationally-recognised Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

Establishments can’t apply to join the Hall of Fame or pay to be included in it, to win the status a business has to earn a Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years.  

Every one of the lovely reviews our customers have put on TripAdvisor counted towards our winning this award and on behalf of the Kershaw family and our great team of staff past and present I’d like to thank everyone who took the time and trouble to comment on our service.

Running a busy Northumberland pub and bed and breakfast establishment is not a job for the faint-hearted, it takes 100% commitment and hard work to make sure everything we do is as good as it can possibly be. Which is why it’s great to see our hard work translated into good reviews on everything from our accommodation and service through to our hospitality and home cooked food.

We are totally thrilled to be joining a select list of highly respected North East pubs, restaurants and B&Bs to receive this award for outstanding service and quality. It’s been the usual busy season so far, with some very complimentary reviews left on TripAdvisor and other sites, and we aim to keep up the good work for the rest of this year and beyond.

Thanks again to everyone who made this award possible.

Another win for the Pheasant Inn, Kielder

Last week we received some great news to round off the end of a really busy summer season. Not only have we been awarded the AA 4 Star Gold Award, we have also achieved the AA Breakfast Award for our tasty Northumberland breakfasts, and retained our Dinner Award into the bargain.

It’s always slightly nerve-wracking when the AA inspector comes to visit The Pheasant at Kielder. While we know we will be inspected, we have no idea when it will take place and the inspectors are people who leave no pillow unturned and no sausage unsampled. You can’t ask for these awards, pay for them or even beg for them, you can only achieve them through consistently maintaining high standards.

We are assessed on criteria such as cleanliness, hospitality, bedrooms, bathrooms and food in a set of detailed standards agreed by the AA and the UK tourist authorities of VisitBritain, VisitScotland and VisitWales.

To say we were delighted with the outcome of the inspection, and to read the kind comments in the report would be an understatement, we were over the moon! It was clear that all the investment we have made recently, particularly to the bar and restaurant areas, has been well worth it and made a very positive impact.

I know we’ve said this before but we never tire of repeating it because it’s true - winning quality awards like these are a real credit to all our staff who work so hard to make sure our customers receive a friendly welcome and have a great experience with us.

‘The hospitality of this small but hands on team remains a real strength which is pleasing to see and really does make a difference to the overall guest experience,’ said the inspector.    

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves, now please do excuse us while we open a bottle of something fizzy to celebrate!