ONE of the region’s leading restaurants continues to be part of the country’s elite – after retaining its prestigious two Michelin stars.
The Raby Hunt, at Summerhouse, near Darlington, remains the only restaurant in the North East to receive two Michelin stars for its culinary expertise for the third year running.
The restaurant, run by self-taught chef James Close is one of only 20 two star restaurants in the country.
The Michelin Guide 2019, which was launched at the beginning of this month, unveiled its annual list of the movers and shakers in the world of cookery, which included the success of The Raby Hunt.
Mr Close said: “It’s amazing news that we’ve managed to retain our stars yet again but it’s very much a team effort.
“The pressure to keep up those standards and the level of expectation never lessens and so it’s a massive thank you to everyone at The Raby Hunt – and that includes our incredibly supportive and loyal customers – who play their part in helping us achieve this success.”
The restaurant is housed in a 200-year-old inn and also has three rooms which offer accommodation to guests.
Mr Close’s innovative 15 course tasting menu prides itself on using seasonal ingredients, presented in a theatrical and visually stunning fashion.
For further information visit www.rabyhuntrestaurant .co.uk.
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
