A MICHELIN guide Newcastle restaurateur is working hand in hand with his community to obtain the finest ingredients for his customers.
Kleo Tabaku is chef patron of Lovage, Jesmond – which has retained its placing in the acclaimed Michelin Guide for the fourth year running.
And amateur gardeners and allotment holders are doing their bit to ensure it stays there – by donating their produce to Kleo.
From around mid-April right through to October and November, gardeners make their way to Lovage, on St George’s Terrace to offer Kleo everything from rhubarb to radishes.
In return, the chef – who also owns Osters at Gosforth High Street – ensures they are credited on his menu and says the local provenance appeals to customers keen to know the origin of their food.
A committed advocate of non-processed ingredients, Kleo works with dairy, fish and meat suppliers in Newcastle and Northumberland to ensure produce is locally sourced, sustainable and seasonal.
And he says support from local gardeners enables him to serve the freshest possible salads, fruit and vegetables.
“Quite a few of our customers have allotments,” he said “and they’ll stop by with everything from freshly picked berries to lettuce, brassicas and even the flowers from their broad bean plants, which make the most beautiful, edible garnish.
“They don’t donate large quantities as they tend to grow what they need and I know many of them donate ingredients to food charities as well, but I am always very grateful for what they bring me as you can genuinely taste the difference.”
And donating items to a top chef can be beneficial to the grower, as allotment holder John Newlands, from South Gosforth, discovered.
“I showed him round my plot and was amazed at the things he was interested, in,” he said. “I was preparing to dig out some old parsnips that I hadn’t harvested in time and which would be too woody to eat but Kleo was more interested in their flowers.
“I was more than happy to let him have them as they would just have gone in the compost bin otherwise – I learnt quite a lot from him actually.”
Kleo grew up in the small, rural, Albanian village of Sheze, approximately 30 miles from the capital Tirana.
His restaurants both use olive oil produced on his family’s farm and using fruit and vegetables grown by local gardeners reminds him of his childhood, when entire communities relied on what they could grow.
“I was born in a communist system,” he said, “and food was rationed. That meant we largely had to live off the land and consequently we really had to understand how to garden.
“I am genuinely touched and heartened that local gardeners share their produce with me as I appreciate the care and skill that goes into growing it – and I know our customers are just as appreciative.”
For more information, or to book, visit https://lovagejesmond.co.uk