HEXHAM’S Beaumont Hotel has dished up a brand new dining experience after cooking up a £150,000 kitchen makeover.

The Best Western hotel was bought last year by Hexham couple Roger and Magda Davy.

They have poured £150,000 into a new kitchen on the ground floor, in what was formerly the ballroom.

The kitchen is visible to the public from the car park at the rear and open to the restaurant at the front.

Roger said: “When we purchased the Beaumont last year, we were thrilled to become the latest custodians of such a much-loved Hexham hotel.

“It has a lot of sentimental value for us, as we have celebrated many family occasions there.

“We felt that the ballroom had fantastic potential to become a thriving open kitchen for a brasserie-style eatery, so it’s very satisfying to see our plans come to fruition.

“Our vision has been brought to life and the chefs are very happy with both the high quality of the equipment and the excellent look of the kitchen.

“We are very much looking forward to seeing what our guests think of the new developments.”

The six-month installation project was undertaken by Newcastle company Crosby’s Catering Equipment.

An up-to-date pastry section has been installed to allow for afternoon tea to be served.

The new area includes multi-temperature drawers and new equipment to allow chefs to micro-puree mousses, ice-creams and sorbets.

And a new Waldorf Bold, Blue Seal range was manufactured to order and shipped from New Zealand.

Project design manager John Clarke said: “As we were installing a kitchen which was to be highly visible to the public, we needed to ensure that it was aesthetically pleasing.

“The finished kitchen looks stunning, with the exposed stainless canopy, ducts, Waldorf polished steel and black enamel panels contrasting against the grey crackle ceramic wall tiles.

“It makes for one of the best looking commercial kitchens around, and we are very proud of its functionality and appearance.”