Twenty years of fine food in historic setting
From quiet beginnings to award-winning success, Blackfriars Restaurant is marking two decades of service,
WHEN Andy and Sam Hook opened Blackfriars Restaurant in Newcastle in 2001 their first day of business did not turn out quite as they had hoped.
Not a solitary customer passed the threshold of the historic building, a former 13th century Dominican friary just off Stowell Street, which they’d had the vision to transform into a unique dining concept showcasing local produce and local skills.
Back then they were left wondering “what have we done?” admits Sam.
But by that summer’s launch of Blackfriars, the couple had already made a success of their first restaurant, Sidney’s in Tynemouth, and knew they had a winning formula on their hands so, undeterred, they set about shaping that vision.
They went on to make history of their own inside the ancient walls of what was a friars’ refectory – thought to be first purpose-built restaurant in the country – where they are now celebrating its 20th anniversary year.
Fast-forward two decades on from that inauspicious first day and Blackfriars is one of the city’s top restaurants, with a proud reputation and accolades including a two-time Taste of the North East win in the North East England Tourism Awards, thanks to a combination of their skills – Sam’s background lies in PR; Andy’s in hospitality – and what they call their “amazing team”.
“We’ve even survived a pandemic!” points out Sam, which Andy refers to as having been their biggest challenge of all, with the restaurant launching an ‘at-home’ menu to help sustain it during lockdown.
Reflecting upon an extraordinary journey to reach their landmark year, Sam said it began with an idea which came to mind one day as she passed the building – a council-run restaurant at the time, called Eclectic – and noticed how quiet it seemed.
She decided to make some enquires and found that its lease was available. They submitted their application and “the rest is history!” she says.
Blackfriars is now more than a restaurant. Its Banquet Hall – previously the friars’ guest hall which hosted Henry III and Edward III – is a popular setting for weddings and events such as Burns Night suppers and they expanded in 2017 to open a Parlour Bar and create an upstairs Tasting Room and a Cookery School to run courses.
The latter expansion brought empty rooms into public use for the first t time, including a space where the e Dominican friars ars had a library in the 1200s. And a unique ue circular table, dating g from a time that town guilds uilds previously occupied the site following the Reformation, is proving ideal for their spirit and wine tastings. Having weathered the challenges of the pandemic, which was a massive blow to the whole hospitality industry and a fatal one for some restaurants, Blackfriars is now set to build further upon its success. Future plans by Andy and Sam, whose Hooked-on Group also runs Dobson & Parnell restaurant on the Quayside and Hinnies in Whitley, include renovating its Cloister courtyard and launching a micro brewery.
“The last few years have been very challenging with the hospitality industry being badly affected and it has arguably been the most challenging period of our 20-year tenure,” said Andy. “We were grateful for all the support we h had from th the Government er , council cou and our regulars who c continued to orde order food at home throughout th but it didn’t make ma up for the loss of trade during that period.
“Fortunately for us, the pent-up demand for dining-out since businesses were allowed to reopen has been such that we’ve been busier than ever this summer and autumn.
“Looking forward, Christmas bookings are encouraging and we’ll hope and pray any new variants don’t scupper our festive trade which we need to carry us through what are usually the quiet winter months of next year.”
He added: “The pandemic has taught us to fight one day at a time, which we continue to do, but in the hope we’ve helped set Blackfriars on a strong and stable course for another 800 years.”
The couple feel a great responsibility to a venue of such historic importance to the city.
Andy, who has become increasingly interested in medieval hospitality and history and has forged links with medieval scholars at Durham University to launch online Eat Medieval cookery courses worldwide, said that they feel “honoured to be custodians”.
Calling it “the jewel in Newcastle’s medieval past”, he said Blackfriars is also important internationally.
“Over the years I’ve had the privilege of working with local archaeologists, universities, museums and historians, learning about the medieval buildings, the Dominican friars, the food they ate, how they ate and life in the Middle Ages,” he said.
“We’ve managed to weave Blackfriars’ heritage into the narrative of a working of a modern restaurant to create something that is quite unique.
“Blackfriars now attracts thousands of visitors each week enjoying anything from a medieval banquet to a bread-making class, a tour of the complex of buildings to an elegant a la carte dinner.”
The restaurant’s other accolades include being named best restaurant in the North East by the likes of the Observer, Independent and Time Out magazine and over the years there have been several celebrities among its diners, including dancer and choreographer Craig Revel Horwood; the late magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee (pictured left); comedian Al Murray and Slade frontman Noddy Holder.
Giving an update on their current plans to renovate the cloister courtyard and install a micro brewery, Andy added: “Blackfriars is very much a work-in-progress, as it has been since it was first built almost 800 years ago.”