NORTHUMBERLAND has got some of the finest products in the country and we should be proud of it.
That is the message from Alnwick born and Alnmouth-based chef Iain Inkster. And he certainly proved his sentiments to be true at this year's Alnwick Food Festival.
The 43-year-old impressed the foody audience with smoked haddock risotto and a fres
h Lindisfarne mussels salad.
The delightful dishes echoed Iain's love for cooking seafood, his passion born from the variety the ocean has to offer and the delicacy of the cooking.
But it also showed that, when it comes to fish, where better to start than the coast of Northumberland?
Iain said: "I chose the haddock and mussel dishes because they highlight the excellent produce that Northumberland has to offer.
"The haddock is from Craster and it shows the great traditions of smoking fish in Northumberland. Craster smoked fish is known all over the world. And Lindisfarne oysters and mussels are also fantastic. They are locally-produced at Holy Island. There is a great tradition there, a family-run business which has been passed down through the generations."
But Iain is quick to point out that it isn't just fish which makes Northumberland stand out from the rest.
And that is something for which he applauds the food festival.
He said: "I am from Alnwick and I was very proud to be asked to perform at the food festival. The festival represents everything good about Northumberland and Northumbrian products. We have so many great products in the area and the festival highlights this, letting chefs and producers in the area show off their wares."
And Iain has thrived on the goodness that Northumberland has to offer, having spent the majority of his 27 years as a chef in Alnmouth.
Although his early years saw him plying his trade in Cheshire, Iain returned to the seaside village to help run the Marine House Hotel in Alnmouth with his mother and father. He has also flaunted his culinary skills at Foxton Hall Golf Club and runs a catering company – Links Catering.
Over the last four years he has been working at Bistro 23, in Alnmouth, and in 2006 the eatery was crowned Alnwick Food Festival Food Trail Restaurant of the Year.
