AN IRISH chef is bringing a taste of his home country to a quiet corner of rural Durham.

Kieran Burke, 31, is the new chef at the recently re-opened restaurant at the Wardle Bridge Inn in Holmside, near Consett, which is run by Maggie and Bill Smith.

He hopes to bring them the same success he achieved at the Victoria Hotel in Cork, in Ireland, where he won the national best food award for two years in a row.

Diners can expect an Irish flavour to the menu.

Mr Burke said: "For St Patrick's Day, we did put on quite a few traditional Irish dishes, like bacon and cabbage and Irish stew.

"I do a lot of fish dishes from Irish recipes and home-made pastries as well, but I also like cooking with your local produce, like the deer and pheasants."

The trip over the Irish Sea is a homecoming of sorts for Mr Burke's wife, Nicola, whose family are from Darlington.