A CHEF to the stars has taken over a new role - cooking for visitors to a popular North East museum.

Darren Parkhill has left the bright lights of Newcastle, where he cooked up dishes for Alan Shearer and Robbie Williams, to become head chef at the cafe attached to the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle.

The Darlington-born 24-year-old previously worked at Newcastle United's Magpie Room.

Mr Parkhill said: "It is not just a cafe. Everything is home-made as much as is possible."

He was head-hunted for the role by his predecessor Adrian Barrett.