Six Rooftop will host its first chef’s dining experience, A Taste of Spring, on Friday May 31 with tables available from 5.30pm. A limited number of guests will be part of an interactive journey through a unique nine-course tasting menu celebrating spring’s first flush of produce, with each dish cooked by SIX Rooftop’s food director Greg Lambert. Greg will be showcasing ingredients from some of the finest local suppliers and producers, some of which are located within a few miles of the restaurant door. Dishes will feature produce from the likes of Taste Tradition, Portland Shellfish, Herb Fed ..read more

Northumberland-based Hummingbird Drinks’ master mixologist Chris Green has partnered with Turnbull’s to create a unique take on an old fashioned featuring bacon smoked by the Alnwick butcher’s team. Part of the celebrations for World Cocktail Day on May 13, the Turnbull’s Old Fashioned was created as an experiment by Chris, which was inspired by the Benton’s Old Fashioned created at New York bar Pdtny. Chris – who infuses bourbon with smoked bacon mixed with honey and dashes of Angostura bitters to create the cocktail – said: “I have been interested in the effects of bacon and bourbon since re ..read more

Headway Wearside, a charity which supports people with brain injuries, is hosting a corporate fundraising night with a difference at STACK Seaburn on June 27. Tickets are on sale now for the Summer Festival event, which will include food and drinks, entertainment and a range of festival-themed activities. “We wanted to use somewhere in the city and create something a little bit unusual but which we are sure everyone will really enjoy,” said Kim Hunter, business and community development manager at Headway Wearside. The festival is being sponsored by Burnetts Solicitors LLP, EMG Solicitors and ..read more

Matfen Hall has received a five-star rating from The AA, becoming the first and only five-star hotel in Northumberland. The Grade II-listed luxury hotel and country estate has undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment – which included extensive renovations and upgrades to its Great Hall, dining areas, bars and bedrooms – and impressed inspectors on their visit. AA five-star ratings are only awarded to hotels which provide luxurious accommodation and public areas. Along with the highest standards of food and drink, hotels must also demonstrate a host of extra facilities and a multilingual s ..read more

Container venue Hwkrland is giving drinkers the chance to play the stock market – with drinks instead of pounds – in a new game. The Wolf of HWKR Street is an interactive happy hour concept at Hwkrland – the street food market, drinks venue and entertainment container park beneath the Tyne Bridge on the Gateshead Quayside – which is open Thursday to Sunday and on Bank Holiday Mondays. The new game will run every Thursday night at the venue, giving customers the chance to save money while pitting their wits against a virtual stock exchange. The game works by connecting bar prices to a stock mar ..read more

Sunderland Food and Drink Festival – which promises a celebration of all things culinary along with some added ingredients – will return June 7-9 with events taking place across Keel Square, High Street West and Market Square, with more areas set to come on board. As well as offering the opportunity to tuck into favourites from across the globe from a range of continental food stalls as well as local, independent traders – the festival will also be serving up a host of workshops and live entertainment. Among those already signed up to take part are Karachi and Spice Indian street food, Sweet d ..read more

Following its recent awards successes, which have included securing two AA rosettes for culinary excellence, SIX Rooftop by Pneuma Hospitality Group has been included in the Michelin Guide for the first time. The restaurant, at the top of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, joins the likes of 21, Cook House, Dobson & Parnell, Lovage, Nest, Ophelia and Rebel in the guide – which first published its UK edition in 1974. There are currently 1,158 UK restaurants listed in the guide – 825, including SIX Rooftop, with a listing, while 127 restaurants hold a Bib Gourmand. A total of 170 venues ..read more

Breast Cancer Now’s Afternoon Tea is back this August, with the event set to raise vital funds for world-class breast cancer research and life-saving support. Whether it’s scones in the sunshine, a picnic in the park, or tea and biscuits at the kitchen table, Breast Cancer Now is calling on the public to hold an afternoon tea this August. Every tea will help Breast Cancer Now raise vital funds to provide support for today and hope for the future for people affected by breast cancer. Georgie Gibbons, afternoon tea manager at Breast Cancer Now, said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer, wit ..read more

Bar and kitchen Banyan in Monument Mall, Newcastle has launched a new Build Your Own Bottomless experience – with mix and match food and free-flowing drink options. To celebrate the launch, the venue has also extended its bottomless brunch duration to two hours for all customers and tailored its menu offering with pre- and post-3pm food options. The updated menu features an array of new and improved food options, including Chicken Spirelli and Bang Bang Chicken fried rice. There are also new drinks, including Bombay Sapphire mixers, an expanded non-alcoholic selection to complement a reduced-p ..read more

Gosforth restaurant Osters has followed in the footsteps of its sister restaurant, Lovage, by making it into the Michelin Guide within months of opening. Opened in November 2023 on Gosforth High Street, the restaurant has received rave reviews for its imaginative menu and its use of fish and seafood. Listed in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide, Osters joins sister restaurant Lovage – at St George’s Terrace, Jesmond – in making it straight into the guide within months of opening. Chef Kleo Tabaku said: “We were thrilled when Lovage got into the Michelin Guide and to have Osters now added ..read more