NEW LIST HIGHLIGHTS HEALTHY EATING SPOTS IN NORTH EAST
FOUR local restaurants have been singled out by OpenTable for their healthy food, bringing another boost for the region’s flourishing food scene.
In a newly-announced list of the Top 100 Restaurants with Healthy Bites in the UK, two hugely popular venues in Northumberland are featured alongside two more in Newcastle – and three of them specialise in fish.
Online reservation site OpenTable draws up its esteemed restaurant lists from diner ratings and has timed its latest to coincide with a time of year when it says around 57% of Brits made resolutions to eat more healthily.
The four local venues that make its top Healthy Bites list are The Jolly Fisherman at Craster and The Potted Lobster in Bamburgh, both in Northumberland, and The Saltwater Fish Company along with Kiln in Newcastle.
Seafood sourced from around the local coast is showcased on the menu at The Potted Lobster, which has just posted some ‘exciting news’ on its Facebook page, saying owners
Richard Sim and Tom Leslie – who also run The Whittling House in Alnmouth – are now taking over Bertram’s B&B in Warkworth.
Fish is also popular at The Jolly Fisherman pub, with the likes of its seafood platter and luxury fish pie being popular dishes, while The Saltwater Fish Company, run by Terry Laybourne inside Fenwick Food Hall, has been designed purely with seafood lovers in mind.
Kiln, meanwhile, in the heart of Newcastle’s Ouseburn area, adds to the mix with a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired tapas-style menu.
The entire 100-strong list was compiled from more than 1.2m OpenTable diner reviews, taking into account the likes of ‘healthy’ tags; diner ratings and allocations of five stars.
Open Table has also joined forces with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, who is also an author and founder of health clinic Rhitrition, to share her top tips on how to navigate a menu when looking for healthier options.
The advice includes seeking out dishes incorporating wholegrains, such as brown rice, quinoa or wholewheat foods like pasta and couscous; switching from meat to plant-based proteins – for instance tofu, tempeh and legumes, and choosing meals that are grilled, baked or steamed to retain their key nutrients and avoid saturated fat.