Foraging for wild garlic, exploring more seasonal ingredients and making cordials from fruit off-cuts that normally would be binned are just some of the changes being made at a leading Newcastle restaurant in the face of escalating costs.
Blackfriars, one of the city's most enduring restaurants, is constantly "thinking on its feet" to find ways of tackling the cost of living crisis says owner Andy Hook. And while he foresees problems in the autumn, when rising utility bills kick in, he says the focus for now is on making small alterations to ensure customers aren't left counting the cost.
"It's difficult, with inflation going up, the cost of living going up and prices going up," he said. "We are having to really think carefully at the moment how to tackle all those things.
