Celebrating the best of local produce is key at the newly opened Hawthorns brasserie at the Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter
A relative newcomer to Newcastle’s vibrant restaurant scene, Hawthorns is a buzzy brasserie nestled in the luxurious Crowne Plaza Newcastle – Stephenson Quarter. But unlike other corporate branded hotels in the city, its approach to food is local all the way.
Specialising in North East produce, the modern brasserie is developing its reputation beyond the guests who stay or visit the hotel, near the Central Station.
Chef Chris Wood brings his own style and passion to the dishes and newly launched menu that is a celebration of great modern cooking and also the fabulous regional larder; with produce from the fields of Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire along with the seas off the Northumbrian coastline.
And while fresh, seasonal, local produce is a drum that’s beaten by most good chefs, Chris and his team at Hawthorns take this several steps further. There is a passion and genuine commitment to understand and love the produce.
At Hawthorns, traceability and provenance of meat is just as important as its taste. Turnbull’s of Alnwick supplies the beef and game that feature in the delicious venison burger and rib eye steak choices. Diners can be assured that the chef knows exactly how to get the best out of the meat, having visited the butcher to see it being prepped.
An abundance of superb seafood is supplied by Robson’s of Craster. North sea crab, Craster kipper pate and Hawthorns fish pie are just a few of the dishes on the menu using the freshest produce from the highly acclaimed fishmonger.
The freshest bread sourced from Geordie Bakers – a family owned craft bakery with a heritage of over 50 years – is used for burger buns and sandwiches, and is served up with the soup of the day. The chefs have also visited the bakery for a bread making session; every detail about the often overlooked ingredient has been considered.
A selection of Doddington Dairy ice creams come in seasonal flavours and the sticky toffee pudding is complemented with Doddington’s honey vanilla ice cream. For a savoury finale, the Northumbrian cheese board is crammed full of the finest produce from the Blagdon-based Northumberland Cheese Company.
Hawthorns has enlisted some of the best local suppliers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
Independent coffee roasters, Ouseburn Coffee was established in 2012 and has become a firm favourite of coffee lovers in the region and beyond, Durham Distillery is one of the North East’s distillers of choice for people who care about the quality and craft of what they drink. It supplies handcrafted spirits that can be used to ‘engineer’ your own cocktail.
Celebrating the best of local at Hawthorns goes way beyond the menu with fantastic musicians from across the region providing an eclectic mix of live music as the backbeat to the delicious North British cuisine. Experts about provenance and passionate about local produce, the brasserie offers freshly prepared, seasonal food throughout the day. It’s ideal for a business lunch or a relaxing night out with friends. Give it a go.
Visit www.hawthorns-ncl.com for more information.
