Revealed: England’s best kept food secret

National tourism quality inspectors have finally unveiled one of the best kept secrets on the UK food map. Food and drink in Durham is among the best in Britain, according to inspectors from Visit Britain, the national tourist board, who tested more than 30 restaurants, café’s, pubs, farm shops and hotels for the launch of a new food quality mark called TasteDurham.

TasteDurham has been created by the County Durham Tourism Partnership to showcase the quality of food and drink in the region to a national audience and rewards only those businesses who offer a consistently high quality service and support local food producers and suppliers.

Melanie Sensicle, chief executive of County Durham Tourism Partnership, said: “TasteDurham is a celebration of the quality of food and drink businesses in Durham, which are among the best in the country, a fact that until now has largely been kept secret in the North East of England.”

Businesses from across the county’s food and drink sector were invited to join the scheme that was funded by CDTP to undertake the assessment against Visit Britain’s strict criteria for quality of menu, cleanliness, customer service and use of locally sourced produce.

The Taste quality mark is in use in other UK regions including Lancashire and Staffordshire, but this is the first time the national food spotlight has been turned on Durham.

To mark the launch of the scheme, its award-winning businesses have created the inaugural TasteDurham cookbook with 28 distinctive local recipes made using fresh, seasonal and local ingredients.

Local Durham favourites include: Cotherstone Cheese Soufflé with light chive cream from the Rose & Crown Inn, Teesdale, and Beamish Trout Pate, served with Rocket, ciabatta and humous, from the award-winning South Causey Inn, where trout is sourced from the owner’s fish farm.

The cookbook is available to buy online at tastedurham.co.uk by ordering a hard copy or as a downloadable e-book.

The Michelin starred White Room restaurant at Seaham Hall Hotel and Serenity Spa is one of the TasteDurham award winning businesses with the highest quality assurance.

White Room was recently named the 27th best place to eat in the UK, according to Restaurant Magazine, beating a host of top London restaurants.

Head Chef Kenny Atkinson, said: “Ninety eight per cent of my ingredients are fresh and local and I change my menu’s to suit the best that is available from North East food producers. TasteDurham is great news for the region and champions my belief that the North East can compete with the likes of London and Edinburgh for top end restaurants, bistro’s and café’s.”

Businesses will also be able to use the TasteDurham mark to promote themselves and benefit from a marketing toolkit supplied by CDTP, including stickers, logos and an enhanced listing on Durham’s official tourism website visitcountydurham.com.

For more information about TasteDurham and the levels of award within the scheme, visit: tastedurham.co.uk.