Our Food & Values

We constantly strive to use the highest quality, freshest and tastiest ingredients available.

We're committed to supporting the wonderful local producers of the North East as much as we can. We've been fortunate enough to work with many great local suppliers who, like us take care and time over their work and love what they do. We're passionate about people getting back to using local products as well as shopping at farm shops and farmers' markets.

The Best of Local...

We believe it's important to know the source of the food on your plate. Something we constantly strive to do is support and promote local produce. Here are profiles some of our suppliers and includes links to their websites:

Steve Ramshaw, Northumbrian Organic Meat, Otterburn
Monkridge Hill Farm lies 20 minutes drive from the A1, just before Otterburn in the hills of Northumberland. It's here some of best organic produce in the UK is reared. Steve has recently been named Organic Farmer of the Year and in the Organic Food Awards picked up the accolade of Beef and Sheep producer of the Year. It's not hard to see why. When we met Steve on his farm, we instantly became infected with his passion for organic farming and produce. He showed us around his farm and Richard came away saying that for a chef the meat on Steve's farm was the motor world's equivalent to an Aston Martin. Since that visit we've been committed to using Steve's beef and lamb and any other organic produce we can get our hands on.

Anthony and Lucy Carroll, Heritage Potatoes, Berwick upon Tweed
On Tip-Toe farm you will find some of the most unique varieties of potatoes available. The Carroll's grow pre-1950s gourmet heritage potatoes. Their farm has been awarded the LEAF mark. This means that they are one of only a small number of farms throughout the UK that have proved to farm using environmentally friendly methods. At Fresh Element we're big fans of the Ratte variety in particular and have used them to accompany many dishes.

Hugh Richardson, Wheelbirks Dairy Farm, Stocksfield
Hugh and Tom are putting the Richardson family dairy farming expertise to good use by developing the new Wheelbirks Northumbrian Dairy Ice Cream range. Made using only the rich and creamy milk of Jersey cows, the new ice creams have a smooth distinctive taste. The whole process is carried out at Wheelbirks Farm - so you can be confident that whatever’s in the tub will be top quality, homemade Northumberland fare.

Mark Robertson, Northumberland Cheese Farm, Blagdon
The Northumberland Cheese Company was established in 1984 by Mark Robertson in the green tranquillity of the Rede Valley, which once sheltered the infamous Border Reivers of centuries gone by. Their first cheese, Redesdale, handmade from ewes' milk at Elsdon Hill Farm, was such a success with the locals that word soon spread, and as the range expanded to include fine cows' and goats' milk cheese, national and indeed international accolades began to pour in.

Willy Robson, Chainbridge Honey Farm, Berwick upon Tweed
The Chain Bridge Honey Farm is a flourishing family business, started by beekeeping advisor William Selby Robson in 1948. The farm currently employs 15 people including Willie and Daphne and their three children, Stephen, Heather and Frances. The 50 tonnes of honey that the farm produces each year is used in a wide variety of delicious honey products including Tweedside, Heather and Flower Comb Honey.

Jane Williams, Davenport’s Chocolates, Blagdon
Jane trained under Swiss master chocolatier Philippe Burger. She has travelled throughout Europe in a quest to expand her chocolate experience, whilst also working for over seven years at a patisserie in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Her passion to realise the creative potential in chocolate has culminated in the creation of Davenport's Chocolates. We use Jane’s Chocolate Studio to design individual chocolates for highly bespoke events.