North East restaurants regosnised among the best in the country at National Restaurant Awards

The National Restaurant Awards took place this week and, alongside the awards themselves, organisers name the top 100 sites across the UK.

Most of the list is dominated by London sites, although a handful of North East restaurants also receive praise for their efforts.

Taking the title of the 26th best restaurant in the UK is Pine, a Northumberland restaurant which was awarded a Michelin star within a year of its 2021 opening.

Describing the site, the awards say: “Located in an old cow barn, it might not sound like the most glamorous of locations, but with a complete overhaul and with views over the Northumberland landscape and Hadrian’s Wall it’s a dining room that more than delivers on the visuals.

“The theatre of nature extends to what’s on the plate with Pine chefs Byerley and Ian Waller serving an almost 20-course procession of dishes, many of which use ingredients foraged from the Northumberland countryside or grown within the restaurant’s own kitchen garden.

“The cooking is progressive, using techniques such as preserving, fermenting and ageing to full effect.”

Chef Kenny Atkinson’s follow-up to his Newcastle restaurant House of Tides also made the list, ranking at number 67. The Newcastle site was described as: “A more intimate and focused counterpoint to House of Tides. Atkinson’s menu gives very little away with each course named after a single ingredient.

“The menu is big on premium ingredients with the likes of caviar, langoustine, wagyu beef, scallop, turbot and squab pigeon featuring heavily.

Slightly further afield, Hjem near Hexham took the 73rd spot.

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Pine’s chef-owner, Cal Byerley, and front-of-house manager and co-owner, Sian Byerley, said: ''Being recognised alongside our peers is always really special, especially knowing that some of the UK’s most discerning foodies have been involved in the judging, which in itself is pretty daunting.

“It goes without saying we’re proud of everything the team achieves together. Without everyone’s efforts, it just doesn’t work. Restaurants are unique in that sense; the team has to pull together and work hard for everything to gel, and when that happens, it’s pretty special.

“With that in mind, I’d like to say thank you to all of our suppliers, customers and the entire team for their continued support and dedication.’’

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