The Cherry Tree in Jesmond is a restaurant I’ve dined at a few times over the years, most recently was last April for a friend’s hen-weekend meal. I was invited along to sample the menu and was informed that there had been a lot of changes, including a new chef, a new menu and a bit of…
Category: Local Life
Starks Kitchen – Heaton
You can’t miss Starks Kitchen if you’re driving down Chillingham Road in Heaton. The bright white signage and (stark) white interior really stands out from the rest of the shop fronts. Starks Kitchen has opened up where Cal’s Own used to be (the best pizza in the toon has moved to Jesmond). It’s a family-run venture, with husband and wife…
The Rosebery Hotel – Jesmond
Nestled in the heart of Jesmond is The Rosebery Hotel, it’s almost hidden away behind gorgeous greenery on the corner of Rosebery Crescent. I was recently invited to review this charming boutique hotel and decided on a mid-week stay. The hotel is just off the Coast Road, around the corner from Dene’s Deli (best sandwiches in the toon, people!)…
Tango Durham
Who doesn’t love a burger?! When I was invited to review the food at Tango Durham, I spent a little while beforehand perusing the menu, like I usually do. There are lots of options to choose from and I’d already pretty much decided on what I was going to order before we’d even set off for…
Flat White Kitchen – Durham
I’ve wanted to visit Flat White Kitchen since it opened back in October last year. Located on Saddler Street, next door to Bill’s and pretty close to Flat White cafe, this place looks impressive from the outset. Flat White cafe has been my number one place to get coffee in Durham, because they serve my favourite OCC coffee,…
The View – Tynemouth Longsands
Two years in the making, The View at Tynemouth Longsands, is now open for business! Owned by the Wilson family, who also own Crusoe’s, The View really lives up to its name… with huge ceiling to floor windows, there are panoramic views of the beach from every seat in the restaurant. The seaside theme is…
Violets Cafe – Newcastle Quayside
Violets Cafe opened on the Quayside at the beginning of June this year. Located right next to The Side Gallery, this cute little cafe is owned by Abbie Atkinson, wife of NE chef Kenny Atkinson. I’ve followed Abbie on Instagram for a while and she often posts pictures of delicious-looking home baked treats. A few months…
Branches Ponteland – Review
Branches Restaurant opened in Ponteland at the beginning of April, I spotted it on a random trip to Waitrose mid-April. The restaurant is on Brewery Lane, right next to the entrance to the Waitrose car park where Indian restaurant Sampan (RIP) used to be. This new venture is owned by businesswoman Aysha Pervez, with Chris Finnigan as Head…
The Biscuit Factory – Summer Launch
When I got an invitation for the Summer launch at The Biscuit Factory, I couldn’t wait to go. It’s been years since I last visited and this gave me the perfect opportunity to pop down. When we arrived, it was already really busy with people of all ages milling about. The first thing I noticed…
Desserts & Decadence at The Botanist
The Botanist opened in Newcastle at the end of 2014, and no matter what time of day I’ve been in or walked past, it’s ALWAYS been busy… there’s sometimes even a queue to get in – the people of the Toon clearly love it. The Botanist have very recently launched their new food menu, I was invited…
Fenwick Beauty Week – Newcastle
Those of you who know me, know of my intense love for all things beauty. I’ve been meaning to start the Beauty section on my blog for ages… so here goes! I received an invite to the blogger preview for Fenwick Beauty Week which runs from Saturday 7th May – Sunday 15th May, this was pretty exciting to…
Jamie’s Italian – Newcastle
Jamie’s Italian opened in Newcastle two years ago and over those two years I’ve been there a whole two times (I tried to go on Easter weekend this year but there was a 45 minute wait so we went to Byron instead, my friend’s husband was too hungry to wait!). The people at Jamie’s kindly invited…
Hinnies – Whitley Bay
When I read that the people behind Blackfriars, were opening a restaurant serving Geordie comfort food in Whitley Bay, I was interested. I mean, the name is propa cushty/lush/mint hinny! (Sorry) Hinnies is located on East Parade, looking out onto the sea front (where How Do You Do used to be) and even on a cold,…
Dil & the Bear
Dil & the Bear is a cute little cafe and patisserie on Front Street, Tynemouth. If you live up here, you’ve no doubt already heard about Dil & the Bear. I’ve been trying to eat here for AGES, it’s always been packed when we’ve tried to go. I expected it to be the same situation the sunny…
Tynemouth Market
Tynemouth Market is held every Saturday and Sunday from 9am-4pm, inside Tynemouth Metro Station. It’s free to get in and there’s heaps to see! It’s hard to describe all the kinds of wonderful treasures you can find, but the stalls I stopped at mainly sold bric-a-brac, antiques, jewellery and collectibles. There were also some stalls selling…
1901 Caffe Bistro
1901 Caffe Bistro is located inside a beautiful church building on St. Georges Terrace, Jesmond. I never knew it was there, but it’s been open for quite a few years and was taken over by new owners last year. 1901 has recently undergone a refurb, I’d heard wonderful things from my friend who lives close by so…
Rossopomodoro at John Lewis
There’s a new eatery in town! Rossopomodoro opened shop in John Lewis, Eldon Square in early October and I was invited to pop along and check out their menu. Rossopomodoro have a few restaurants in the U.K but lots more in Italy, I’d heard the name but have never eaten at one. With the promise of…
Fenwick Food Hall Newcastle
Fenwick Food Hall has had a massive redevelopment, like MASSIVE. I went in last week without realising it had been finished and was in awe of how different it looked and just how spectacular it was. I was lucky enough to get an invite to the official launch event. Before I get to the event,…
Cake Stories Jesmond
Cake Stories Coffee House & Cakery is situated on the ever-so-pretty Brentwood Avenue in Jesmond. They opened their doors about five months ago after spending lots of time developing recipes and getting themselves sorted. I decided to pop along with a friend I hadn’t seen in ages. Cake, coffee and a good old catch-up were most…
Ringtons Tea
It won’t surprise anyone to learn that I (like most of the British population) enjoy a good cup of tea, so when I received an invitation to attend the #RingtonsXmasParty I jumped at the chance. Ringtons humble beginnings date all the way back to 1907 and I was looking forward to learning more about this well-known local business. First on…
Cloud in a Teacup 