(New seven-part series, programme five)
Wednesday February 4th 2026, RTÉ One, 8.30pm
Programme five: County Durham and Durham City
Neven’s first stop is Blanchland, a scenic village in the upper Derwent Valley. Blanchland is the perfect starting place for a walk in the North Pennines National Landscape, a protected area of natural beauty and rare wildlife. Neven takes a guided walking tour through the woodlands of Pow Hill Country Park to the tranquil Derwent Reservoir. The Derwent Reservoir is one of the highlights of the ‘Roof Of England’ trail, a 14 day, 188 mile walking route crossing three counties: Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria.
A short drive east from Blanchland is the Knitsley Farm Shop run by a 6th generation farming family whose story is inspiring. Neven meets owner Rachael Jewson and learns how her family diversified their livestock farm to develop a farm shop, butcher’s counter and cafe. The farm shop includes a specialised pie-making unit producing over 75,000 handmade pies per year. Neven meets baker Jayne O’Brien who shows him how to make one of Knitsley Farm Shop’s famous traditional pork pies using hot water crust pastry.
Neven then travels to the historic city of Durham which sits on a peninsula on the River Wear. He calls into the Cellar Door restaurant, tucked away in a 13th century riverside building on the hill leading up to Durham Cathedral. Chef Taahir Patel shares his recipe for Honey Panna Cotta made with Northumberland Honey and white chocolate and pistachio praline, accompanied by Yoghurt with Madagascan Vanilla, Blueberry Sorbet, and topped with miniature bee-shaped crackers.
Durham’s skyline is dominated by the Cathedral, which is over 900 years old and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cathedral houses the relics of St. Cuthbert whose shrine was a place of medieval pilgrimage and continues to attract pilgrims from around the world. St. Cuthbert was a monk, bishop and hermit on the island of Lindisfarne where the Irish St. Aidan founded the first monastery in AD 635. Neven meets Reverend James Shelton, Director of the Cuthbert Centre for Pilgrimage and Prayer to learn more about St. Cuthbert, the history of the Cathedral and modern day pilgrimages.
Durham Cathedral was founded by the Benedictines, a holy order known for its hospitality. Neven is keen to find out what the monks and pilgrims ate over the centuries, and calls in to meet Alison Cullingford, Head of Library & Collections. Alison explains how archaeological excavations of the medieval kitchen revealed great detail about the food prepared onsite, including porpoise, frog, and 21 species of fish.
Neven’s English Food Tour is produced by David Hare of InProductionTV and sponsored by Flogas
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