Northumberland Michelin Star restaurant Hjem to offer outdoor dining and wine from April 12

Restaurant Hjem, in the village of Wall, will be opening an outdoor pop-up wine bar in its back garden.

‘Hjem Vin’ will serve up a selection of small plates and perfectly paired wines in the open air – allowing diners to make the most of the stunning countryside views as well as the new freedoms.

Elements of the menu will change weekly, as will Sommelier Anna Frost’s wine selection. Alongside the wines there will also be cocktails, soft drinks and juices.

Meanwhile the new Hjem unfiltered lager, which has been developed and refined during lockdown with The Twice Brewed Brew House, will also make its debut.

Ally Thompson, who runs Hjem with partner and head chef, Alex Nietosvuori, says: “When the Government roadmap was unveiled, we knew we wouldn’t be able to open the restaurant until at least May 17, so we started thinking about what we might be able to do with our outdoor space.

“We’ve always had plans to open a wine bar at some point - offering low intervention wines, our own brewed beer, local cheeses and charcuterie and a selection of small plates to be enjoyed alongside.

“And while a bricks and mortar operation isn’t really realistic at the moment – particularly after the year we’ve all just had – we thought a pop-up version of it would suit the al fresco setting perfectly and allow us to welcome back guests for a taste of Hjem after such a long time.”

There will be blankets, hot water bottles, fire pits and hand warmers available.

Hjem Vin will open between Thursday and Sunday – starting on April 15 - with the exact schedule being kept flexible to adapt to how kind the weather is being.

The first tables will be released on Monday, April 12 for reservations (secured with a £25 per person deposit) from April 15-18. Sittings will take place at 12.30pm, 2.30pm and 5pm and the maximum table size is six, in line with the government’s rule of six.

To find out more, visit www.restauranthjem.co.uk or keep your eyes on Hjem’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

The dramatic events of the pandemic are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on your support through buying our newspaper. If you can, please pick up a copy of the Northumberland Gazette when you are at the shops. Thank you.