'National Crust' launches to offer woodfired pizza at Gibside

Visitors to one of the North East's favourite spots will be able to pick up a slice of pizza, thanks to a new venture.

The National Trust is launched a new pizza outlet at Gibside in time for the Easter holidays.

'National Crust' is due to open on Saturday, March 23, offering pizzas and hot or cold drinks to sit in or takeaway, including vegan and vegetarian options.

There will be outdoor and indoor seating, and all will be dog friendly.

It comes after the National Trust called time on the Garden Tap Pub, which was run by Firebrick Brewery, in March 2023, and also offered woodfired pizzas.

The brewery voiced its disappointment at the National Trust's decision not to continue its contract with Firebrick, but bosses at the charity said they had to 'ensure resources are managed carefully' and wanted to focus on daytime operations.

'National Crust' will initially only open on weekends and during school holidays between 12pm and 3pm.

It will be be open throughout the Easter school holidays, from Friday, March 29 to Sunday, April 14.

Nicola Mowbray, food and beverage manager at Gibside, said: "We’re delighted to be opening the first permanent National Trust pizza outlet in the North East and I think people will appreciate more variety in the food offer at Gibside.

"We’ll be working with the gardening team in the future to develop a delicious seasonal menu of toppings using fresh produce grown at Gibside. Being able to eat food grown fresh on-site adds an element of authenticity to our offer which I think is really special."

Gibside has recently made several improvements to the visitor offer, including a set of new play equipment at Strawberry Castle play area.

The new equipment features designs inspired by the nature at Gibside, including an ‘otter holt’ and a ‘red kite tower’, dedicated to beloved local red kite ‘Red Philip’, who was buried at Gibside in 2020.

The new equipment is part of a project to make the area more inclusive, designed with young children and children with certain additional needs in mind.

Gibside is an 18th-century landscape garden featuring miles of walking trails, a Palladian chapel, Walled Garden, grand ruin and Column to Liberty towering above it all.

There are four outdoor play areas, multiple food and drink outlets, a second-hand bookshop and a program of seasonal events to enjoy. Gibside is open year-round 7 days a week, 10am to 4pm until Friday, March 22, from 10am to 5pm, from Saturday, March 23, to Sunday, October 13, 2024.

Admission to Gibside is free for National Trust members and paid for non-members.