AN Eden pub which is being turned into a food haven has pulled off a major coup by appointing one of the North East’s top chefs.

The George and Dragon at Clifton, is undergoing a major refurbishment before it reopens as a high quality pub/restaurant next month.

Gateshead-born Paul McKinnon (right) will be head chef at the historic pub on the Lowther Estate, which will showcase fresh food from nearby farms, including organic meat, free-range eggs and other local produce like such vegetables from Askham Hall Gardens and Cumbrian cheeses and ice cream.

Paul, aged 30, spent eight years understudying Tyneside’s best known chef, Terry Laybourne, whose expertise earned him a prized Michelin star at Newcastle’s 21 Queen Street restaurant, where Paul worked for him.

But now Paul, who was a senior chef for Terry in the corporate catering unit at Newcastle United’s St. James’s Park stadium, is looking forward to running his own five-chef team at the George and Dragon.

He said: “This is a dream come true for me running a restaurant where everything on the menu is going to involve local produce, largely from the Lowther Estate itself. The key to good food is good fresh ingredients cooked well and you can’t get better than direct from a local organic farm.

Paul’s catering career has also seen him work at Royal Ascot, Silverstone, the Henley Regatta and Lord’s and, more recently, as head chef at Café Live on Newcastle’s Quayside.

He will be living at the George and Dragon with his girlfriend Michelle Coggins, who will work at the front of the house, and 16-month-old daughter Olivia.

He added: “Terry Laybourne was a total inspiration to me. It’s all about cooking with love and putting some passion into your food, whether it’s a scone or a stew! What I want to achieve here now at the George and Dragon is that sort of quality at the right price. I’m looking for clean, simple presentation of good, honest, rustic food. I believe we are on track to achieve all that.”

The George and Dragon is due to reopen on 15th July.