Riches on our doorstep

Apr 18 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

Local celebrity chefs will be sharing their favourite recipes using local ingredients at The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival on April 26.

GASTRONOMIC treats galore will be on offer as the cream of the region’s chefs team up to throw their culinary weight behind The Journal Taste North East England Campaign.

A quintet of celebrity chefs have all agreed to give their time free for a one-day food and drink event organised by The Journal in association with the National Trust. The first Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival is taking place at the National Trust’s stunning 18th Century landscape gardens at Gibside, near Rowlands Gill, on April 26.

More than 50 of the region’s finest producers and suppliers will be at the day, organised to support The Journal’s buy local, use local, eat local initiative launched at the end of January to encourage consumers, retailers, hoteliers and restaurateurs to look to the North East economy when buying their food and drink.

And they will be joined by local BBC MasterChef Goes Large finalist Dave Hall; Journal columnist and restaurateur Bill Oldfield; Richard Sim, of the Made in Northumberland food project; Tony Binks, of the Barrasford Arms pub, and Gareth Marks, fresh from hosting Tyne Tees TV’s A Taste of the North, and now of Newcastle’s Persian-influenced Flatbread Cafe, who will all be creating mouthwatering dishes at cookery demonstrations throughout the day using ingredients supplied by stallholders.

Northumbria Larder, the regional food and drink group, has kindly donated its mobile kitchen complete with onboard cameras and plasma TV screens, while Waitrose’s Hexham store is sponsoring the demonstration marquee and donating the chain’s own event tent to be used by the Friends of Gibside for refreshments.

But that’s not all. Joining the chefs will be another local celebrity food lover, Hairy Biker Simon King, who is also giving his time free in support of the Taste campaign.

The unconventional TV cook from Prudhoe, Northumberland, who found fame with fellow food loving biker Dave Myers from Cumbria, is a lifelong advocate of local produce and plans to spend at least two hours meeting stallholders and visitors.

The Journal editor Brian Aitken said: “It shows how much support there is for local food and drink, and for The Journal Taste North East England Campaign, that all these top chefs are willing to give their time for free at what promises to be a fantastic day of celebration of great regional cooking and excellent produce.

“This is the first time The Journal has had a food festival of this kind, and working with the National Trust we aim to provide something for everyone to get involved in on April 26.

“It will truly be a celebration of the very best food, drink and chefs within our area. For people who really love their food and drink this is one to enjoy and take part in.”

The festival is also supported by the City Centre Partnership, which runs the revamped Sunday market on Newcastle Quayside, and has stepped in to provide smart new stalls producers and suppliers will use on the day.

Meet the chefs

Dave Hall

Age: 38

Lives: East Boldon, South Tyneside, with wife Helen and three-year-old daughter Cerys.

Company: Book the Cook

Claim to fame: After reaching the final of BBC’s MasterChef Goes Large in 2007, Dave decided a life in food was what he wanted.

Philosophy: As a self-taught chef he believes in local seasonal food. A supporter of farmers’ markets, Dave says the UK produces “food to rival the world’s best”.

As a father, he is also keen to teach children the importance of a balanced diet, sparking enthusiasm with fun and simple food.

Other projects: Dave writes a Journal blog, works for national food magazines, and presents cookery demonstrations across the North East. He has presented to more than 500,000 people in two years.

Why are you supporting The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival? “I love what you are doing with the Taste campaign and I think it is really important that you are promoting the area and its producers. It is something that is close to my heart as a chef.

“I hope the Gibside event will highlight to people that there is something special going on here in the North East and open a few people’s eyes.”

What will you be cooking? Mackerel or sea bass with orange, mustard and saffron braised fennel and a warm salad of sausage, bacon, almonds and chickpeas. Both are easy dinner party dishes packed full of flavour and local ingredients.”

When to see Dave: 10.45am-11.15am

Gareth Marks

Age: 35

Lives: Prudhoe, Northumberland, with fiancee Helen Forrester, whom he is due to marry in three weeks. They live with Helen’s daughter, Chloe Thirliway, nine. Gareth also has a nine-year-old daughter, Keira Davis.

Company: Flatbread Cafe, High Bridge, Newcastle

Claim to fame: Recently presented Tyne Tees TV’s A Taste of the North. Was head chef at Malmaison, Newcastle, for three-and-a-half years.

Philosophy: “Don’t be constrained by what you think the limits for food are. Try and explore as much as possible – but keep it simple.”

Other projects: “I’m learning Spanish. I think it’s another skill to have. I’m also aiming to become a DIY master. Or at least, that’s my dream.”

Why are you supporting The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival? “Because there is so much good produce around us and people need to know about it. People think the farmers’ markets are for those with disposable income, but I believe the more people who know what we really have, the more local food will take off. It is about education.”

What will you be cooking? “Because of what I do with Persian-influenced food, I will be sticking to that theme using the local produce available at Gibside on the day.”

When to see Gareth: 1pm-1.45pm

RICHARD SIM

Age: 39

Lives: Alnwick, Northumberland, with wife Kim and son Rowan, nine.

Company: Appearing on behalf of the Made in Northumberland food project.

Claim to fame: Newcastle and Gateshead Buzz chef of the Year 2003; executive chef at Alnwick Garden. “At the moment I also do private catering for wealthy people, everybody from Guy Ritchie and Madonna to the Ambassador of Japan who was at Alnwick Castle a couple of weekends ago.”

Philosophy: “Buy the very best and keep it simple. That’s about it. As may granny used to say, you can’t make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.”

Other projects: “I’m busy trying to find premises to open a restaurant in north Northumberland specialising in fresh local produce.”

Why are you supporting The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival? “To support local produce and local producers. That’s the top and bottom of it. I am looking forward to the day as I haven’t done a big live cookery demonstration for a while. It is nice to be back doing this.”

What will you be cooking? “Probably it will be fish based using local produce. Whatever I can get on the day.”

When to see Richard: 3pm-3.30pm

BILL OLDFIELD

Age: 51

Lives: Teesdale, County Durham

Company: Oldfields Restaurants Ltd

Claim to fame: Journal food writer. Oldfields was voted Durham restaurant of the year in 2006 and 2007 and the firm won the Taste of the North East 2007 title at last year’s North East England Tourism Awards for its use of local produce.

Philosophy: “To let the food speak for itself.”

Other projects: Having closed his Jesmond, Newcastle, restaurant, Bill will soon be opening a new outlet in the centre of Newcastle.

Why are you supporting The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival? “I want as many people within the industry and the wider public to eat as much local produce as possible. Buying local makes you think about your food rather than just eat the first thing you see on the shelves and, crucially, it cuts the number of miles that food travels, reducing the amount of carbon produced by using fossil fuels to get it to you.”

What will you be cooking? “Something very traditional – steak and kidney pudding with side dishes using local produce. I’ll be at the event with our head chef at Durham, Anthony Taylor, and we’ll be showing people how to prepare the pudding. There will, of course, be an element of ‘here’s one we made earlier’.”

When to see Bill: 11.30am-noon

TONY BINKS

Age: 46

Lives: Barrasford Arms, Barrasford, Northumberland, with wife Monica and two boys, Adam, 14, and Robbie, seven.

Company: TonicaHexham Ltd

Claim to fame: England football team chef; England rugby union team chef; America Ryder Cup team chef at The Belfry, Wishaw, West Midlands; cooked for Princess Diana, Tony Blair, the Queen Mother and Prince Philip; won Scottish restaurant of the year three times at Caledonian, Edinburgh.

Philosophy: “Buy the best you possibly can. We use as fresh and local as we can possibly get, and keep it simple.”

Other projects: “There is a possibility of us putting some of our products out to retail, which is exciting: pates, stocks, terrines, souffles and soups. That won’t be until the end of this year or beginning of next, however. There is always the opportunity of another little Barrasford Arms somewhere as well.”

Why are you supporting The Journal Taste North East England Campaign Food and Drink Festival? “Everybody is talking about it – it is fantastic. I really embrace what you are doing. With me being stuck in the middle of such a great meat and livestock area, and with the quality local suppliers we have around us, it is great to be able to support and showcase them. I am really looking forward to Gibside.”

What will you be cooking? “I think it’s going to be grilled black pudding, bacon, potato salad and poached egg and I’m also hoping to be doing something with asparagus, salmon and hollandaise sauce.”

When to see Tony: 12.15pm-12.45pm