Steak is of course the main feature of the restaurant's menu, with a variety of cuts from a number of breeds, all from Northumberland.

Head chef Patrick Porteous, who now has the cooking of steak down to a fine art, joined the team in April 2007.

Born and bred in Alnwick, he started training at the White Swan in 1995.
Patrick has worked in a variety of restaurants in Alnwick and Morpeth and has been asked to give a cookery demonstration at this year's Alnwick Food Festival.

Louis Steakhouse is the concept of Alnwick butcher Mark Turnbull, whose family's butcher shop is just across the road.

He wanted to create a restaurant that had hands-on control over the origin and quality of its steaks.

They are all sourced from Northumberland by Turnbull's and hung for 18-21 days, allowing the beef to mature for taste and tenderness.
They are then trimmed to create the perfect steak.

But not only is the beef local, fruit and vegetables are also sourced from Turnbull's, fish is from North Shields and sometimes Holy Island and dairy produce is from Doddington.

Restaurant manager Adam Turnbull said: "It is important to support local producers and local businesses.

"Sometimes you find that local produce is far better in quality.
"We want to support local farmers and local growers and the local economy."

The steakhouse has also recently teamed up with Doddington Dairy Ice Cream to produce the Louis Sundae, a vanilla and strawberry ice cream mixed with crushed meringues and summer berries.

A variety of specials are on offer at weekends. This week it's the Tournedos Rossini.

An early bird menu is run all night on Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 5pm to 6.30pm Thursday to Saturday.

And on Thursday nights if you buy any a la carte beef steak you can get a starter for just £1.50.

See the next page for two delicious recipes from Patrick.