Eats and Treats
The village of Branxton has no shops of its own but is just three miles from Cornhill-on-Tweed which has an excellent village shop/cafe selling a selection of fresh local produce and home baking.
A wider range of shops, pubs and cafes can be found five miles away in the quaint market town of Coldstream which has a good mix of small, independent outlets running the length of the High Street including a family butchers, a greengrocer’s, bakery and small Co-op supermarket. For treats such as art, ceramics, jewellery and greetings cards made by local artists make sure to visit the White Fox Gallery.
The Bluebell Inn at Crookham, a 20 minute stroll from the cottage along a quiet country lane, has been refurbished recently and offers tasty pub food. A little further away in Cornhill the highly regarded Collingwood Arms is particularly good for Sunday lunch or a special meal out. Both pubs are dog-friendly at tables in the bar areas but it’s best to book for these. A few miles away the Red Lion Inn at Milfield serves excellent home-cooked food along with well-kept beer and the Allanton Inn, between Duns and Berwick, also serves very good, locally-sourced food with an emphasis on fresh fish/seafood. Neither the Red Lion nor the Allanton Inn is dog-friendly in the bar area so if you have your canine companion with you they are best visited during warm weather when it’s possible to sit outside and take in views of the surrounding countryside.
The Old Dairy at Ford combines coffee shop and champagne bar with an intriguing mix of antique, vintage and salvage finds. Although not dog-friendly inside when it’s a fine day you can sit with your dog outside and enjoy fabulous views of the Cheviot hills.
The cottage is almost equidistant from Berwick-upon-Tweed (13 miles) and Kelso (14 miles) and both have much to offer in terms of fascinating history, quality independent shops, restaurants and supermarkets.
Berwick is larger and has not just one but two secondhand bookshops (Slightly Foxed and Berrydin Books) which is a huge treat for book-a-holics! If you’re into Scandi-style visit Marehalm on Bridge Street for contemporary gifts, jewellery and home interiors. Close by there’s The Curfew, a micro pub, and shops selling vintage homewares and furniture, kitchen equipment and upcycled furniture, yarns and other craft supplies and The Green Shop which stocks a wide range of organic and plant-based foods plus fair trade products.
There are a number of other interesting independent shops, plus a lovely walk around the walls that surround the town. When eating out in Berwick we’ve enjoyed meals at Audela, which is dog-friendly, the Queen’s Head Hotel, which has an interesting, varied menu and Amran’s, which serves delicious Indian food. Berwick also has a number of larger supermarkets, including a Marks & Spencer Foodhall on a small retail park, near the centre.
Kelso has an excellent selection of shops including the wonderful Rogerson's shoe shop, a branch of Orvis, which is a ‘must visit’ for anyone into fly-fishing, and numerous other high quality independent shops. If shopping doesn’t appeal you might like to have a day out at Kelso Races, which operate from September through to May. The town also hosts a monthly farmers’ market which sells fresh local produce and an array of gifts and treats. The market is usually held on the fourth Saturday of the month but check on the web to be sure.
There are several folders of information in the cottage about places of interest in Northumberland and the Borders plus menus from recommended local pubs, restaurants and take-aways.
