After sifting through thousands of reviews from diners and consulting a legion of in-house critics, Northumberland eatery Pine has been named SquareMeal’s best UK restaurant for 2024. It should be noted that the list excludes London – you can find out more about the separate ranking of restaurants in the capital here.
Experts from the independent restaurant guide applauded Pine for its ‘many stroked of genius’ and ‘breezy and charming’ service while complimenting chefs Cal Byerleyand Ian Waller on their talent for ‘[assembling] dishes with surgical precision and a painterly eye’.
Set in an old cow barn, Pine serves a spectacular (and sustainable) line-up of 19 courses. And as all the very best sustainably-minded spots like to do these days, it sources produce straight from its own kitchen farm or forages stuff from the surrounding Northumberland landscape.
Pine then uses all of that good crop to create the kind of stuff culinary dreams are made of. Its lavish tasting menu changes regularly depending on what’s available and in season. In the past it’s offered mouth-watering dishes like blow-torched mackerel with sugar kelp and borage flower, chicory root with pineapple weed and raw scallop with rhubarb and rose geranium.
Although this was the first year that Pine has made it into SquareMeal’s top five, a few regular award-winners made a return. Welsh restaurant Ynyshir was bumped up from third to second place and Moor Hall in Lancashire went from fifth to third, while last year’s winner, Grace and Savour, was pushed down to fourth. Luxury Yorkshire dining room Myse came fifth.
You can browse the whole list here.
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