Self-taught chef Mike Bartley has finally opened his long-planned tasting-menu restaurant Jörd in his home town of Bishop Auckland, having secured a £150,000 grant through a government-funded scheme to bring derelict property back into use.
Mike (in photograph with Councillor Karen Allison) has taken over a building previously empty for more than two years – one of 19 vacant units restored through the Co Durham market town’s Property Reuse Fund. The restaurant project was first announced three years ago, but its original premises fell through when it became clear the landlord and the council were unable to agree on funding.
“It has taken so long to get to this point, and I am beyond excited to be able to finally open the doors,” Mike said ahead of opening this month.
Having previously had front-of-house and head-office hospitality roles, Mike switched to working as a private chef after competing in MasterChef five years ago.
Jörd means ‘land’ in Norwegian and Danish, emphasising the restaurant’s celebration of ingredients grown in the locality – which extends even to soft drinks, with home-made lemonade using sweet cicely, an aniseed-flavoured herb from the carrot family, picked in Witton-Le-Wear.
The other theme of the restaurant is value, with a 7-course tasting menu priced at £69 per person. Mike says he is determined to “make fine dining more affordable. Our mantra is a tasting menu that you don’t need to break the bank for.”
The restaurant has 36 covers downstairs, with plans to open the upstairs (also renovated) as an event/private dining space with an additional 30 covers.
Last year Mike launched a more relaxed, street-food venue called The Cornerstone, five miles away in Crook, with a menu of burgers, tacos, cocktails, craft ales and quality coffee.