Hairy Biker and TV chef Si King is set to launch a new joint hospitality venture at Sheepfolds Stables in Sunderland, promising to bring the nostalgia of a pie and pint before the match to the city with a gourmet twist.
Si, alongside venture partner Richard Marsden – managing director of Building Design Northern (BDN) Ltd, developers of Sheepfolds Stables – is planning to open PROPA! – a new restaurant and grab and go service that will serve hearty British comfort food at an affordable price.
The restaurant, to be located to the left of the courtyard in the existing stables buildings, is expected to open by the end of the year or in early 2025, with the first stages of work already underway.
The takeaway venue will have external seating, an overhead canopy and fire pit – and will offer a range of comfort dishes reflecting the food culture of the region.
A hot food menu will include pies – from steak and ale to corned beef, and cheese and onion – as well as sausage casseroles, stottie sandwiches, corned beef hash, spam fritters, panackelty, brisket puddings and more.
It will also offer a breakfast menu with sourdough specials, egg and bacon stotties, cheese on toast, a full English breakfast and potato floddies. Vegan and vegetarian options will also be available.
“This will be a totally new, yet complimentary, offering for Sheepfolds Stables and one that we’re confident will go down very well with all who visit,” said Si. “We’re taking people back down memory lane, becoming a custodian of nostalgic food, including for those going to the football where a pie and a pint before the game was, and still is, a must (even with a beef tea – Bovril).
“Our focus is very much on creating and serving wholesome, tasty comfort food using the very best ingredients, and these will be sourced from producers local to the city and region. Some of the dishes we’re putting on the menu go back generations and are somewhat native to Sunderland and the North East area, so we’re really excited to get started.
“Sheepfolds Stables has launched to huge acclaim, and it is amazing not just for Sunderland, but for the North East. It’s a truly unique hospitality space that has attracted some amazing independent food and drink operators already, so we’re looking to add to that in a slightly different, more traditional culinary way.
“However, it’s also important for PROPA! to work alongside the local community wherever possible, especially when it comes to food wastage, so we’re exploring ways in which we can partner with charities that need support at a very grassroots level to ensure that any excess food is not wasted and distributed throughout the community.”
Richard added: “We want to bring the nostalgia of cosy comfort food, and memories of a pie and pint before a match – like what the Roker Pie Shop did for years next to Roker Park – to Sheepfolds. We’re ideally located next to the Stadium of Light, and seeing thousands of football fans coming here before and after games, or to watch the match on the big screen, so it’s the perfect combination.
“We couldn’t have envisaged just how popular Sheepfolds Stables was going to be and that’s absolutely fantastic. While it’s all extremely positive, we’ve also listened to some of the more constructive feedback too and observed just how visitors use the space both inside and outside, the bars and restaurants, at different times of the day and week. PROPA! will therefore offer a very complimentary, high quality yet affordable addition to the food and drink provision seven days a week, and we’re delighted to announce it.”