Evening Chronicle 15 December 2011
Chefs from Blackfriars in Newcastle, who have a first-class reputation for recreating authentic medieval cooking, appeared on the BBC's One Show last night. The team rustled up a range of meat and vegetarian dishes for the TV show which is hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker.
Andy Hook, the owner of Blackfriars and head chef Troy Terrington were at Bamburgh Castle for the shoot. Andy said: 'We do a huge amount of historical research at Blackfriars into medieval cooking and work together with Durham University's Medieval Studies department. Anglo Saxon menus were something new for us, as they are slightly earlier than what we usually do, but there are a lot of similarities. The main difference is that it is too early for sugar and spices like saffron that were brought into the country in medieval times during the crusades.'
Food & Drink Matching
‘The highlight for me was the chocolate tart, it was beautiful, and I don't usually have a sweet tooth in the slightest. It was rich and dark and delicious and unusually had flecks of salt through it which worked so well.'
Anna Hedworth, The Grazer Blog, 12 November 2011
Blackfriars restores medieval banquet hall
The splendour of a medieval banquet hall has been brought to life thanks to painstaking research and restoration carried out by Blackfriars.
The restaurant has re-opened its own ornate medieval banquet hall after a year of meticulous restoration, costing £150,000. The hall was the celebrated venue used by King Edward III for receiving royal Scot, Edward Balliol, in 1334, and has now been fully restored to its original glory.
The hall, which is situated next to the restaurant, has been lovingly refurbished with help and support from the city archaeologists, English Heritage and Newcastle City Council, with authentic and bespoke banners, chandeliers, wall coverings and stained-glass windows created by local craftsmen. A bar and kitchen are hidden behind reclaimed wooden screens, and furnishings include large oak communal dining tables and matching chairs, which all add to the candle-lit atmosphere.
Specially created dishes have been researched in intricate detail using ancient publications from the period for the medieval banquets, which are offered at around £35 per person for four courses including mead, rustic loaves and stuffed suckling ‘pygge’ washed down with flagons of local ale and fine wine. In addition to the full medieval banquets, other bespoke menus are offered from £17 per person.
Andy Hook, owner of Blackfriars, said: “We have been passionately promoting the rich tapestry of Blackfriars heritage for almost a decade now and are incredibly excited to re-open this stunningly beautiful medieval banquet hall for the local community, school children and tourists to enjoy.
“We are continuing to serve gutsy, traditional and medieval food using seasonal produce from the local farms and markets to re-create gastronomic medieval extravagances, providing something unusual and unique for the city.”
The hall, which also has its own kitchens, bar and toilet, accommodates 50 guests on large communal tables and is the perfect venue for corporate events, networking groups, functions, wine tastings, educational visits, private parties, anniversaries and weddings