This month we ask our five fab foodies to tell us about the best restaurants they’ve visited recently… Kathryn Nicholson, Nicholson’s Butchers I would have to say the squid salad at Omni café in Monkseaton is a standout dish for me. ...

Would you believe that some foods – apart from the obvious mince and dumplings etc – have more warming qualities than others? Foods loaded with antioxidants and immune-boosters, and those which take longer to digest, keep you warmer for longer ...

Not just for your granny, port is back in vogue. Derek Colsell of Lanchester Wines offers a guide to one of the world’s finest wines Port – or vinho do Porto – is arguably the greatest fortified wine in the world, ...

Egg nog is the new black, in drinks terms at least, and if you’re in with the in-crowd (and your grandparents) this Christmas, this will be your drink of choice. Beloved of all from hip young things to, well, hip ...

Feeling thirsty? Try our 12 North East festive drinks! GIN Hepple gin Hepple Martini 150ml Hepple gin, 20ml dry vermouth, thin strip of lemon zest Fill a jug with ice, add Hepple gin and dry vermouth, stir slowly 30 times, ...

Paul Johnson, chef-proprietor of The Ship Inn, Wylam, Northumberland, serves up a Christmas Day feast Hadrian’s Wall gin-cured salmon, apple & fennel salad, dill yoghurt Northumbrian venison loin & scrumpet, caramelised chicory, beetroot ketchup Tenderstem broccoli with Ship’s butter Honey ...

Christmas pudding Bouche de Noel  

This time last year, we were preparing for Veganuary, January 2018 being the time when every self-respecting foodie with a conscience gave up meat, fish and dairy in favour of a plant-based diet. This year, the cool kids have either ...

Our 12 chefs of Christmas offer their advice for the festive season Bev Stephenson North Chocolates Cheat’s retro rum & raisin ice cream In the 1970s, Christmas wasn’t Christmas without a bottle of Old Jamaica rum on the G-Plan sideboard. ...

If you’re going to do Christmas at home, you may as well do it properly.  These 10 top tips all add vital sparkle to your table… 1. LIQUID LUCK For a sparkling cocktail on Christmas morning, pour 7.5ml simple syrup ...