Kenny Atkinson at the Orangery

Rockcliffe Hall, Hurworth-on-Tees, Darlington, Co Durham

The Geordie chef who wooed voters on the BBC’s Great British Menu has had a stellar couple of years: two Michelin stars at two different establishments and now his name above the restaurant at the north of England’s new five-star country house hotel. Kenny Atkinson at the Orangery reflects its namesake’s personality: serious about food, yet cheerfully unpretentious. Inside a former Victorian hothouse, Atkinson presents cooking that combines pedigree ingredients with modern techniques. Alas the portion sizes are somewhat modern, too. But that is the nature of a ‘tasting’ menu; in this case eight courses (there is also an à la carte option), featuring meat and fish with seasonal accompaniments. Among the highlights were a sushi-roll sized ballotine of organic Scottish salmon, dusted with dill and paired with poached Scarborough lobster; line-caught Cornish turbot, moist beneath its paper-thin herb crust; and fillet of Teesdale beef, slow-cooked to perfection, on a bed of savoy cabbage. Our pre-dessert was refreshingly tongue-in-cheek: a shot of lemon posset topped with ground caramel praline that crackled like Space Dust.