A Northumberland couple say they are 'humbled' after the 'ridiculous and surreal' news that their debut restaurant has been dubbed as one of the most exciting new restaurants in the UK after a glowing review from a top food critic.
Restaurant Pine at Vallum Farm was reviewed by Marina O'Loughlin for the Times, who pondered: "Is this my favourite restaurant of the year?," after sampling the 16-course tasting menu in December last year.
Run by Cal Byerley and Sian Buchan, Restaurant Pine is set in what was once a cow barn with views of the Northumberland landscape on one side and an open kitchen on the other.
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Sian and Cal had no idea that O'Loughlin, who compared Restaurant Pine to one of the world's best restaurants in Sweden, had visited until they were contacted by the Times for photographs.
Sian said: "Even after she'd been I had no idea. We thought they were giving us a heads up that she was coming, but after a few hours we realised she'd already been. It was all a bit of a shock to us.
And after reading the review, Cal said: "It's a bit surreal. We're working hard, we're really pushing to be noteworthy and we're very humbled that Marina saw what we envisioned - to make it a very enjoyable dining experience. I'm glad that our team has been recognised."
As well as Sian and Cal, Restaurant Pine's team is made up of Head Chef Ian Waller, who co-creates the menus with Cal, Head Sommelier Vanessa Stoltz, and Head Bartender Bobby Morrison.
This small team aims to make the most of the land around it. Set in the heart of the Northumberland countryside, they use local suppliers and claim that everything comes from within 20 miles, barring a few occasional exceptions for things that can't be grown in the area, such as chocolate. At the farm, there's an extensive garden on site where many of the vegetables and herbs included in the dishes come from.
Describing Pine's food, Cal said: "It's just a celebration of British ingredients really. Our ethos is fully based around growing, picking and preserving our own food. We base our menu around what's local and in season, and we always take recommendations from farmers and butchers, rather than deciding what we want to do.
Sian added: "We want to showcase the best that the North East can produce and it's great that we're getting recognition for that. We want to make sure people make the most of what's on their doorstep and enjoy it."
But Sian and Cal don't intend to stop at just serving high-end food. They say they've learned a lot and hope to pass that on and create an educational programme.
Cal said: "We've got a huge farm and garden which we're expanding this year working with Wilde Farm in Ponteland. I hope one day, we can create a place that we can welcome kids who can come and enjoy what we do or just have an afternoon with us as part of an educational programme."
For now though, it's about getting through the uncertainty of the pandemic. Cal said: "At the moment, it's literally one foot in front of the other with lockdowns. This review has helped us immensely, we can't say how thankful we are as bookings have just absolutely blown up. It's made a massive difference for sure.
Sian added: "It's also helped after having lots of cancellations due to Covid. It's been so reassuring to use to continue what we're doing."
You can read Marina O'Loughlin's full review of Pine here.
