Much of this week, the Hairy Bikers have been on our screens with their new BBC series which matches some of the UK's top restaurants with local suppliers.
And it wouldn't be a series for Si King and Dave Myers without them heading to the North East. Their 2021 show, the Hairy Bikers Go North saw them sample restaurants and ingredients from Newcastle and Northumberland. Their new series, the Hairy Bikers Go Local, sees them back in the region to visit Northumberland's first ever Michelin Star Restaurant.
Restaurant Hjem, in the village of Wall, near Hexham, was the county's first to win the coveted culinary award in 2021. Opened in 2019 by Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and Northumberland born Ally Thompson, it combines local and regional produce with Scandinavian values and cooking techniques.
Read more: Hairy Biker Dave Myers 'over the moon' to make TV return on Saturday Kitchen after chemotherapy
Ally said: "It was a real pleasure to welcome Si and Dave to Hjem and serve them in our dining room. Although it was obviously a bit nerve wracking to have a film crew around, we had a lovely time. They were both so easy to get along with and they certainly know their food, so we were delighted to hear that they appreciated what we’re doing at Hjem."
Later in the programme, Dave and Si invited Ally and Alex to Healey Hall for a three-course meal to showcase the local suppliers they had found. They used wild salmon caught off the coast of Berwick-upon-Tweed; delights from a fermented food company in Wallsend; and unique chocolate treats from Morpeth all feature.
However, viewers will have to wait and see if Hjem have added said suppliers to the menu, with the show screening on BBC2 at 8pm on Friday, January 13. When the duo announced their new series on Saturday Kitchen in December, Dave said of the show: "We took a chance and reckon there are a lot of Michelin Star chefs, proper chefs like Ollie [Dabbous] who live in the locale but don't really know what's available to them.
"So we set ourselves a mission to show the chefs local suppliers and we cook with their food. And actually, I thought at first this isn't going to work because any chef worth his salt will know what's going on... They didn't!"
However, it's unlikely that Dave's reference was to Hjem, who already use local and regional produce in their cooking. Alex Nietosvuori said: "Using the very best local produce is at the heart of what we do in the kitchen at Hjem and we’re always looking for new ideas, so this series was a perfect match. It was a great to spend some time around a dining table with Dave and Si and we’re really looking forward to seeing the finished programme."
The series finale of The Hairy Bikers Go Local airs on BBC2 at 8pm on Friday, January 13. The series will also be available on iPlayer.
Have you watched any of the Hairy Bikers Go Local? Let us know!
Read next
- Northumberland Michelin star restaurant launches lodges for overnight guests
Northumberland pub hopes new addition will be star attraction under county's dark skies
- The 100-plus restaurants taking part in NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week
- Newcastle's newest Michelin Guide chef shares his top spots to eat in the city
- All 9 Newcastle restaurants featured in the Michelin Guide from House of Tides to Trakol
