Download the Programme - Tynemouth Food Festival

2pm: Troy Terrington, head chef,
Blackfriars Restaurant and Banquet Hall,
Friars Street, Newcastle, 0191261 5945,
www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk
Troy – who is making a welcome return to the
Tynemouth Food Festival demonstration stage -
moved to the North East to pursue his culinary
passion in 2005 and is now head chef at
Blackfriars, based in a former Dominican friary
which can trace its roots back to 1239.
The restaurant took the prestigious Taste of
England gold award in this year’s North East
England Tourism Awards, reflecting not only
Troy’s skill in the kitchen but Blackfriars’
commitment to using local and seasonal
ingredients – often straight from the farm – on
its traditional British menu.
Surprisingly, cheffing wasn’t top of Troy’s list of
must-do jobs as a child – originally he wanted to
be a high flyer with the RAF, then a sports
scientist and an English teacher. But he says:
“Now I am a chef, which I never thought I
would be, but I have the bug and don’t want to
give up.”
3pm: Simon Walsh, executive head chef for the Close House
complex, Close House Hotel, Heddon-on-the-Wall,
Northumberland, 01661 852 255, www.closehouse.co.uk
Chef Simon Walsh has worked at some of the North’s most
prestigious dining out establishments – the Lakeside Hotel at
Windermere, Cumbria, The Barrasford Arms, Slaley Hall, Bistro 21
and The Morritt Arms, before joining the team at Close House
Hotel.
The affable chef who demonstrated his culinary talents at last
year’s Tynemouth Food Festival, is passionate about local produce
and sources as many ingredients as possible from within a 30 mile
radius of Close House.
He says: “The produce we use is fresh and vibrant; it speaks for
itself. We invest in a local community of great suppliers. Why serve
French cheese when you can use Northumbrian? It doesn’t make
sense.”
4pm: Junior Grand MasterChef champions present
their winning dish
This slot will remain a mystery until the day. King’s School
took the Junior Grand MasterChef competition title last year
and got the chance to cook their winning dish live on the
demonstration kitchen alongside The Grand Hotel’s head
chef, to a packed audience of proud parents and festivalgoers.
The demo was even filmed by Sky Tyne and Wear!
Teams of budding chefs from secondary schools across the
area are invited to enter the high profile competition
organised by The Grand Hotel. Not only does the winning
team have the chance to take to the food festival demo
stage, but work alongside the Grand Hotel’s head chef to
perfect their dish.
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