An award-winning inn which was named the best in Northumberland this year is not letting the coronavirus outbreak spoil its weekly pub quiz.

The Dipton Mill Inn has been running a weekly Wednesday night quiz for several years and not wanting to break with tradition, owner Janet Brooker has decided to continue it on the pub’s Facebook page.

“Every Wednesday sheets of questions are handed out at 8pm and the answers are read out at 9pm,” she said. 

“There is no entry fee and no big prize. The winner of the first quiz took the prize - a box of wrapped chocolates - and handed them around to all contestants and anyone else in the pub.  This is now our tradition. Each team marks their own answers and there is no set team size. 

“There is a rota of quiz setters who are much appreciated as it is no easy task to produce a quiz of 60 questions that are interesting and stimulating, but not so difficult as to produce groans of despair!”

With coronavirus keeping everyone at home, the pub will now be running the quiz online, with the question sheets put out on its Facebook page at 8pm on Wednesdays and the answers read out at 9pm.

“There’ll be no winners and no prizes but you can always award yourself a chocolate!” added Janet.

The pub was named the best in the county by the Campaign for Real Ale earlier this year and brews its own beer in the picturesque back garden, where its Hexhamshire Brewery is based.

But with the majority of its trade based on cask ales, Janet said the pub was now launching a free local delivery service of bottled beers in the Tyne Valley from Haltwhistle to Prudhoe, also taking in Allendale.

Currently, there are bottles of Whapweasel, Northumberland County IPA and Devil’s  Water available. Call (01434) 606577 for more information.