Kenny on the menu

Apr 27 2010 by Katharine Everitt, The Journal

TUNE in for top home-grown chef Kenny Atkinson’s appearance next month on BBC2’s Great British Menu cookery show.

The Newcastle-born chef, who won a Michelin star at The White Room, Seaham Hall in County Durham, is now based at the luxurious new Rockliffe Hall hotel near Darlington where he has his own restaurant, Kenny Atkinson at the Orangery.

Kenny, 34, will appear on Great British Menu between May 10 and 14 when he is pitched against two Yorkshire rivals in a bid to cook at a glittering banquet hosted by Prince Charles.

One of the winners on last year’s Great British Menu, Kenny will be championing quality ingredients from the National Trust’s Wallington estate in Northumberland.

He is hoping to be one of eight regional chefs to win through to the final round of the BB2 programme.

Kenny, who came to national attention after winning the Scilly Isles their first Michelin star in 2008, before moving to the White Room at Seaham Hall in County Durham and clinching another within months of taking over the reins, will be using rabbit and venison from the Wallington estate at Cambo.

He said: “They have made it a real challenge this year. Instead of using our local suppliers each chef has been given a National Trust property and a 30-mile radius around. It’s been a real treasure hunt for ingredients.”

Stylish Freya’s restaurant, nestled within Aspers at The Gate, Newcastle, has unveiled its fresh new spring menu.

The menu, which launched earlier this month, features a number of new char-grill dishes, including Barramundi fish dish (£10.50), in addition to the usual steaks and burgers.

Starters include the likes of char-grilled garlic prawns (£6.95) and crispy duck salad. Mains include salmon, char-grilled veggie linguine (£8.95), packed with mixed peppers, red onion and courgette and tossed in pesto, plus chicken piri piri and steak dishes.