Putting North food at top of the menu

Jan 22 2009 by Jane Hall, The Journal

WITH British cuisine no longer a national joke, food tourism is booming.

Like never before, holidaymakers are choosing where they go and what they can put in their stomachs – and catering for them is now top of the menu for destinations.

So-called gastronomic tourism was worth a staggering £1.1bn to the North East economy in 2007 – with visitors to Tyne and Wear alone accounting for nearly £539m.

As the UK sheds its fish, chips and badly cooked roast dinners image, it’s a trend food and tourism experts say is set to continue in 2009 as the credit crunch forces people to rethink their holiday plans and staying ‘home’ becomes the preferred option.

Boasting some of the nation’s finest seasonal foods, from oysters and mussels to salmon, sea trout, beef, hill lamb and game the North East is well placed to cash in and market itself as a food lovers’ paradise.

Once seen as a culinary desert, the region now boasts some of the UK’s finest award-winning restaurants championing local food and fine dining. And all could be in the running for an accolade in The North East Restaurant Awards 2009 – voting for which closes tomorrow. Around 500,000 voting cards have been distributed to the region’s 500-plus restaurants and gastropubs, giving diners the chance to nominate their favourite in one of the 14 categories to be decided by the public.

The aim of the awards run in association with the Gourmet Society, and supported by both The Journal and our sister paper The Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough, are to celebrate and highlight the region’s restaurant scene and its many culinary delights.

In a recent survey of tourist perceptions of the UK food industry, two-thirds of Britons said that food and drink influenced their holiday choice. And once maligned areas like the North East have become gastronomic hotspots thanks to chefs like Terry Laybourne, Michelin-starred Kenny Atkinson and multi-award-winning Rhian Cradock.

Miles Quest of the British Hospitality Association said food sales through restaurants, hotels, pubs and leisure attractions in 2007 were worth £20bn nationally, of which at least £5bn was specifically tourism related. “Food is a very important element in tourism,” he said. “I don’t think there are many people who go on holiday just to have good food, but they will definitely want good food once they are there.

“And as part of this local food is becoming ever more important. People visiting the North East for example, will want to see genuine evidence that locally produced ingredients are being used in genuinely local dishes. Obviously London has always led the pack, but you now have restaurants all over the country which are very highly rated run by British chefs trained in Britain.”

It’s a trend that is not lost on Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative, which is sponsoring the best restaurant in Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside in the North East Restaurant Awards 2009.

He said: “The awards help us to celebrate the quality and diversity of restaurants in NewcastleGateshead and the wider region. We have an excellent array of award-winning restaurants, top chefs and a wealth of local produce here. This impacts hugely on the reputation of our twin cities as a destination to visit.”

The awards help us to celebrate the quality and diversity of restaurants in NewcastleGateshead