Northumberland hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, near Wark, is Brexit-proofing its new eight-course tasting menu, with a focus on home-grown produce and UK seasonality.

To ensure the availability of all dishes on the hotel’s tasting menu, which aims to offer guests a true taste of Northumberland, Battlesteads has specifically designed the new autumn/winter menu to have no reliance on ingredients or products from the EU, in case a ‘no deal’ scenario results in food and drink shortages.

The award-winning eco hotel grows much of the green vegetables, salads and herbs on the menu in its onsite gardens and polytunnels. Last year Battlesteads also introduced a temperature and humidity-controlled mushroom farm to grow oyster and shitake mushrooms all year round, and head chef Eddie Shilton also home-smokes meats, fish and cheese sourced locally.

Dishes on the new menu include a selection of in-house produced charcuterie, including Wark forest ham, saucisson sec, smoked duck, smoked brie and speck, with pickled courgettes from the garden; semi freddo and carpaccio of beetroot, with micro-herbs grown under LED lights; home-smoked salmon with lemon jelly; duck breast with savoury granola, black pudding 'prune', charred cauliflower floret and cassis jelly; a regularly changing dessert and Northumbrian cheeseboard.

The menu can also be accompanied by a flight of wines, sourced from outside the EU, and finishing with Battlesteads owner Dee Slade’s homegrown and homemade sloe gin.

Head chef at Battlesteads, Eddie Shilton, said: "Our focus has always been on showcasing the very best local and home-grown produce, and our tasting menu offers the perfect opportunity to show diners just how fantastic seasonal UK food can be. Our gardening team, grows an amazing range of vegetables, herbs and fruit, and we are lucky to have some of the best producers in the country right here on our doorstep. UK-wide, 28% of what we eat comes from the EU, but our tasting menu is a true taste of Northumberland that won’t be impacted by Brexit or our relationship with Europe."

Northumberland hotel and restaurant Battlesteads, near Wark, has been awarded one of the highest accolades in UK hospitality – the Sustainable Business Award at The Cateys 2019.

The Cateys, now in their 36^th year, recognise the most talented individuals, biggest brands and strongest performers in the hospitality industry. Chosen by a panel of highly-respected industry judges, the awards are the pinnacle of success in the hospitality industry.

Battlesteads received the coveted award for sustainability at a glittering awards ceremony on Tuesday 2 July, held at London's Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott hotel.

The hotel, restaurant and observatory has become famous for its eco-friendly initiatives, including achieving a carbon footprint six times lower than the industry average and championing local producers in Northumberland.

Battlesteads' sustainable tourism offering also includes a Dark Sky Observatory, with some of the clearest night skies in the country perfect for stargazing; five modern eco-lodges and a restaurant serving ingredients fresh from the hotel’s kitchen gardens and polytunnels. The hotel has previously been recognised for its sustainability by the Good Hotel Guide, the AA, and at the Visit England Awards for Excellence.

Owners of Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant, Richard and Dee Slade, said: "The Cateys really are considered 'the Oscars of hospitality', so to win this award, going up against such strong competition from across the country, is an outstanding achievement for us. Our goal has always been to show that being sustainable doesn’t have to mean sacrificing guest experience, and this award gives us a platform to share our ethos and expertise with the wider industry, driving forward innovation and putting Northumberland on the map for eco-tourism."

Read the Cateys Statement