York Food Festival 2007 - A Passion For The North East

A sparkling black-tie dinner, to be held in York’s 15th century Guildhall, will herald the start of York’s 11th Festival of Food and Drink and a ten-day celebration of good food.

Terry Laybourne, Newcastle’s top chef, will be joined by a stellar cast of colleagues: Michael Waugh, Stephen Smith, David Kennedy and Clare Armstrong – all from the north east’s finest restaurants. They will bring to York a dinner that will be cooked live in the Guildhall aimed at showcasing the best regional foods from the north east.

Michael Hjort, Director of the York Food Festival is delighted: "The Food Festival has a tradition of using visiting chefs, so we are delighted that Terry and his colleagues from the north east have accepted our invitation to prepare the Gourmet Dinner. The Festival is, after all, as much about respecting origins and provenance as celebrating our own regional produce."

Terry Laybourne is the north east’s best-known chef. He opened his first restaurant 21 Queen Street in 1988 and within three years was awarded the city’s first Michelin star. Further restaurants followed with Café 21, Bistro 21 and Café Live. In 2005, he opened the boutique hotel Jesmond Dene House and a further two restaurants Café 21 in Fenwick’s and Caffe Vivo.

Despite running this growing empire, Terry Laybourne continues to support small, local food producers. He says, "It’s my belief that shopping local is the secret to successful, satisfying and distinctive dishes. I feel a need to retain some sort of regional identity to my cooking, a sense of time and place."

Terry’s menu for this special Festival dinner reflects his respect for local distinctiveness. Dishes will include Kielder roe deer, line caught turbot, local langoustines, Heritage potatoes, roast sirloin of Northumbrian beef, apple cake with local Chainbridge honey and to finish, Northumberland cheeses.

The dinner is being supported by Northumbria Larder, Sustainable Food and Farming Partnership and organised by the Red Meat Task Group. They have said of Terry, "For years he has used the best of regions’ food in his award-winning restaurants and is a shining example of a busy man who somehow finds the time to encourage young chefs and support good causes."

Fore more information, log on to Yorkfestivaloffoodanddrink.com.