Restaurant Pine savours La Liste 2025 success

Congratulations on being included in La Liste 2025 for the second consecutive year. How does it feel? 

It feels incredible to maintain such a high score in La Liste.

The scoring system is unique in that it’s almost a summary of how restaurants are ranked over an entire year across so many reputable lists.

It’s an interesting take on restaurant rankings, but, like everything, you have to take it with a pinch of salt and humility.

Pine scored an impressive 87.5 out of 100. What aspects of your dining experience do you believe contributed most to this achievement? 

It’s hard to sum up what Pine offers as a restaurant.

On the one hand, you have the food, but on the other, you have the people.

It’s hard to explain to people why the latter actually makes the difference, but that’s how I honestly feel.

What does this recognition mean for your team, and how do you celebrate such milestones while continuing to strive for excellence? 

It’s rare we stop to celebrate any award beyond taking it as a milestone to give us the self-confidence to drive us forward to be a better restaurant.

 

• Chef patron Cal Byerley, left, with head chef Ian Waller

 

Being one of the highest-rated restaurants in the region, how do you view Pine’s role in promoting the North East as a food destination? 

I think Pine’s role is incredibly important in promoting hospitality in the North East.

My biggest hope is we can actually guide the future.

Our 2025 staging calendar is now well underway, as we continue to welcome young up-and-coming chefs, chefs looking to broaden their knowledge in different kitchen environments or chefs curious about how we operate as a restaurant.

At Pine, we pride ourselves on being an open, welcoming and encouraging environment for chefs who wish to be part of our great industry.

Over the past four years, we’ve welcomed people wanting to do stagiaires from around the world, who have become part of what makes us tick as a restaurant.

Immersing themselves in every aspect of the work in the kitchen – prep, foraging, preservation, fermentation, service and all other aspects of our day-to-day work has been hugely beneficial for them.

We offer 50 placements throughout the year and have an extensive period too, where we welcome sole stagiaires for a period of their choosing, from one-week minimum up to a month.

What are your plans for Pine in the coming years, and how does this recognition by La Liste influence your future goals for the restaurant?  

Beyond what we do as a restaurant, we have separate goals of fundraising for our charity partners.

My wife Sian, off the back of organising the Bite Back Festival earlier this year, which raised an amazing £82,000 for Cancer Research, has plans for a ‘Second Bite’ food festival, the planning for which is now well underway.

We’re beyond grateful for the generosity of all this year’s participating chefs, sponsors, donors and supporters.

Their generosity just shows what we can collectively achieve across the hospitality community.

 

Main image: Pictured, from left to right, are Sian Byerley, Ian Waller, Cal Byerley and Vanessa Stoltz

Pictures: Joe Taylor Photographer