A QUIRKY new restaurant has recruited one of the region’s top chefs.

Bosses at Mrs Mustard, which opened on Saddler Street, Durham City, in July, have appointed Steve Cosgrove as its new head chef.

Mr Cosgrove, 30, from Newcastle, was formerly head chef at Longhirst Hall, in Morpeth; the Lord Crewe Arms, in Blanchland; and Matfen Hall, in Northumberland.

He was also head chef at Hell’s Kitchen star Marco Pierre White’s restaurant in Birmingham.

Mrs Mustard is inspired by a Durham woman of that name who invented mustard power in the 1720s and is thought to be the country’s first mustard-inspired eatery.

Mr Cosgrove has been charged with creating a traditional British menu cooked with a contemporary twist, as well as a range of specially blended mustards to complement the dishes.

He said: “We’re fortunate in the North-East in having superb quality meat, fish and dairy products.

“Mrs Mustard is a real celebration of the very best in British food – often using old-fashioned cuts of meat and cooking techniques alongside modern flavours and presentation.”