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Entente Cordiale celebrated on Tyneside

Jesmond Dene House Hotel in Newcastle intends to fly the flag for Anglo-French food relations by inviting 10 top British and French chefs to work as culinary allies. Together they will create a six-course Entente Cordiale gala dinner – the centrepiece of a week-long Festival of Food and Wine at Jesmond Dene House this spring.

The Festival of Food and Wine starts on April 8, the anniversary of the political Entente Cordiale signed in London in 1904. Jesmond Dene House is seeking to recreate the now friendly rivalry on Tyneside with its own take on the cross-channel cook-off. As the first event of its kind outside London, it has attracted recognition from the French Embassy, which will be represented at the event.

All 10 chefs taking part in the Entente Cordiale are members of the Academy of Culinary Arts or its French counterpart, the Académie Culinaire.

Michel Bourdin, Academy founder, said: “Britain is France’s best ally in terms of gastronomy, and French cuisine has had an influence in Britain for over 300 years. “We set up the Academy of Culinary Arts in the 1980s with HRH the Prince of Wales as our patron and we have had 250 members since then – the best of the profession. “This collaboration at Jesmond Dene House is a way of celebrating the shared culinary traditions of France and Britain.”

Terry Laybourne, co-owner of Jesmond Dene House, said: “There’s bound to be plenty of banter with 10 chefs in the kitchen, but we all have great respect for one another’s skills and experience and I expect the results will be a tribute to both French and British cuisine.”

More information on the Festival of Food and Wine at Jesmond Dene House is available at www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk. For further details about Eat! NewcastleGateshead log onto www.newcastlegateshead.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .