Six Rooftop at Baltic and Blackfriars Restaurant feature in episode four of ‘Neven’s English Food Tour’

This week, Neven’s English Food Tour takes him back to Newcastle, a city renowned for both traditional and contemporary cuisine, and its vibrant tourism and cultural attractions. 

Neven’s first stop is ‘SIX Rooftop at Baltic’, a restaurant on top of one of Europe’s largest art spaces and former flour mill, and listed in the Michelin Guide in 2024 and 2025. Chef Carlson Landles gives Neven a snack masterclass with recipes which feature on the restaurant’s Land & Sea Menu including a Cheddar Apple, Crab Tartlets with Lindisfarne Oyster Mayonnaise, and Northumbrian Venison Tartare and Cobnuts.

A short walk from the city centre is the Sandyford district where Neven visits The Small Canteen, a tiny restaurant which serves just 14 people per sitting. Chef Sam Betts prepares all the dishes himself, and The Small Canteen was recently voted one of the Top 100 Local Restaurants by the Good Food Guide UK.

Sam shows Neven his recipe for Shin Beef and Oyster Pie, a traditional dish which dates back at least 200 years.

The Ouseburn neighbourhood of the city is a thriving cultural hub, home to artists, musicians, designers, bakers and brewers. It’s also the location of a more hidden tourist attraction, the historic Victoria Tunnel. Built in 1842, the subterranean tunnel was first used as a wagon way to transport coal from the Leazes Main Colliery down to the River Tyne ready to be loaded on to ships. The tunnel was abandoned after the closure of the colliery in 1860, and converted into an air-raid shelter during the Second World War. It could hold an impressive 9,000 people during the ‘Newcastle Blitz’. Neven takes a guided tour of the tunnel, which is almost 4 km long, and reaches 26m in depth.

Finally, Neven calls in at the Blackfriars Restaurant and Cookery School which is believed to have the oldest dining room in the UK. Housed in a former 13th century Dominican Friary, the restaurant hosts authentic medieval banquets and the annual ‘Eat Medieval’ summer school where guests explore and taste medieval style food and cooking. Neven tries a medieval cookery class with Irish chef Emma Pierce who shares a recipe for a medieval quiche using cheese, onions, currants and saffron.

‘Filming in the North East of England was a memorable experience”, says Neven.

“We got such a warm welcome everywhere, and the food, the people, and the places we visited were exceptional. I was delighted to discover the artisan local food culture, and try food I’ve never tasted before. I hope our viewers will be interested to see a beautiful part of England which deserves more recognition here, especially as it is only a short plane journey from Dublin. This is the first food and travel programme based entirely in the UK made for Irish television, but I am sure it won’t be the last”.