What’s new this month. A round-up of restaurant openings across the North.
Biedronka
1 October 2026
County Durham
MAREK Dziedzic, previously head chef at the Michelin star restaurant Hjem in Northumberland, launched his new venture, Biedronka, at South Causey Inn in County Durham today 1 October 2026.
The chef helped Hjem win its Michelin star. Sadly, the restaurant has closed.
Dziedzic was part of the team to run a Hjem residency at The Farmhouse at South Causey. That residency has come to an end and the chef is taking over the kitchen there himself.
Biedronka means ‘ladybird’ in Polish.
Handmade Polish dumplings will be at the heart of the menu, with both savoury and sweet versions available.
“At Biedronka, we want you to be able to choose how you experience our food,” states their website.
The menu is divided into four sections: Snacks, Starters & Dumplings, Seafood & Meat, and Desserts, with a choice of four, five, six or seven courses.
The sample menu includes Oysters, cucumber & dill as a snack; Beetroot, heritage grains, horseradish & goat’s curd starter; An array of dumplings including Cepeliny: Potato dumplings filled with seasoned minced pork, served with crispy bacon or Poznańskie Pyzy: Fluffy steamed potato dumplings filled with braised duck leg, served with apple & duck jus.
Seafood course including Shetland mussels steamed with cider, fennel, cream & fresh herbs, meat course: Chargrilled onglet, oxtail jus, pancetta, silverskin onions, trumpet mushrooms & potato purée and Rhubarb trifle: vanilla crème pâtissière, soft rhubarb jelly, rhubarb compote, brioche & mint oil for dessert.
Chef’s Table re-opens in Swinton Park Estate
1 October 2026
North Yorkshire
RISING culinary star Jamie Keeble is now head chef of Swinton Estate Chef’s Table.
Keeble joined Swinton Estate from Michelin-starred Mýse. He is in charge of the 12-seat dining experience, which, reopens today 1 October 2026.
Keeble worked at Michelin-starred Lords of the Manor and Ynyshir, and was named a National Restaurant Awards Rising Star in 2026 after appearing on the BBC’s Great British Menu.
Set within the historic Coach House on Swinton Estate, the Michelin Guide-listed Chef’s Table has built a reputation for its immersive estate-to-plate dining experience.
The restaurant will continue to champion seasonal British cooking, with ingredients sourced from the estate’s garden, tenant farmers, and local Yorkshire producers.
Little Beast
Medlock Square, Manchester
4 October 2026
LITTLE Beast by MasterChef: The Professionals winner Dan Merriman, will be a formal restaurant opening in Manchester’s Medlock Square, next to Etihad Stadium on 4 October 2026.
The restaurant will showcase an in-season ‘Best of British’ menu.
Merriman from East Lancashire took the MasterChef: The Professionals title in 2024. He is the development chef at Little Beast.
Built around the British agricultural calendar and the moon, the restaurant will change as ingredients come into season, championing the best of British seasonal produce.
Originating from Worcester, the 29-year-old took up the role of senior sous chef at the Black Bull Inn, in Old Langho.
Merriman has also worked at Michelin-starred Plas Bodegroes, The AA 3-Rosette Cottage in the Wood, Fishmore Hall in Ludlow and most recently Northcote in Langho.
A Brickworks Market Hall will also open in the £300m Medlock Square development with confirmed traders including Nell’s Pizza, Good Burger and ramen specialists Joji.
Seel & Slater
9 October 2026
Liverpool
Steel & Slater, part of the Open Restaurant Group, is launching in the former Wreck Bistro site in Liverpool’s Ropewalks.
The New York-inspired restaurant is led by renowned chef Andrew Sheridan.
Sheridan’s career began in the North West, where he worked alongside Michael Caines at ABode in Chester, progressing from a junior role in the brasserie kitchen to sous chef in the fine dining restaurant.
He went on to become executive chef at Sosban in South Wales, where he spent two years transforming the restaurant into a destination for food lovers.
The Grade 11 listed site will feature a restaurant, bar and grill and a low-lit cocktail bar. The cocktail bar is a nod to the jazz clubs and late-night bars of 1940s New York.
The opening marks Open Restaurant Group’s second Liverpool restaurant. The first is Restaurant 8 on Cook Street, which holds three AA Rosettes and is listed in the Michelin Guide.
The restaurant will open seven days a week from 8am, offering breakfast and brunch through to lunch, dinner and late-night drinks.
The menu is inspired by the Italian-American dining rooms of Manhattan’s Flatiron and Gramercy neighbourhoods, the menu will centre on prime cuts from the grill, handmade pasta, generous plates and classic New York favourites.
Early menu highlights include a pastrami doughnut, ‘The Don’, a dry-aged ribeye, lobster lasagne and New York cheesecake brûlée.
The waitlist for bookings is now open.
Calluna Saltmoore
15 October 2026
North Yorkshire Moors
CALLUNA at Saltmoore, a new intimate fine dining restaurant, is opening on 15 October 2026.
Led by Saltmoore’s Executive Chef Adam Maddock, Calluna will offer a tasting menu experience inspired by the landscape surrounding the estate, from the Yorkshire coast and kitchen garden to the wild beauty of the North York Moors.
“Calluna vulgaris is the Latin name for heather. A resilient bloom that carpets the North Yorkshire Moors in soft hues of purple.”
The menus will evolve throughout the year according to what is growing, being caught and available from its network of producers.
The opening menu begins with dishes including sea bream with toasted nori and pickled cucumber, and a mutton doughnut with pickled bilberry. Black Sheep sourdough follows, accompanied by burnt onion and beef dripping butter, cultured butter and beef tea.
The cheese course pairs Baron Bigod with Yorkshire tea cake, damson and truffle, before sweeter dishes of fermented cherry and meadowsweet, and milk chocolate with brown butter, dandelion coffee and yoghurt. Pineapple weed Canelés de Bordeaux and pear with juniper.
The tasting menu is priced at £125 per person, with the Baron Bigod course available as a £15 supplement.
Reservations are now open.
IBILE
Manchester
24 October 2026
A NEW West African restaurant, IBILE, will open its kitchen in Freight Island, Manchester on 24 October 2026, with the residency running for three months.
This is a new chapter for IBILE, which is bringing its relaxed, festival-style Kitchen concept to a home in one of Manchester’s leading food, drink and cultural destinations.
With the kitchen open for a three-month residency, diners will have a limited window to experience it!
Founded by first-generation Irish-Nigerian immigrant Tolu Asemota, IBILE was born from a desire to bring the vibrant flavours of West African cuisine to a wider audience while preserving the authenticity and cultural richness behind every dish.
“IBILE translates to ‘traditional’ in Yoruba.”
It reflects their commitment to honouring its roots through both its food and hospitality.
Asemota travelled the West Coast of America following his studies, where he worked front of house in restaurants. What started as a family business has since grown into a fine casual, contemporary take on West African dishes.
The new Manchester menu has been curated by Nigerian-British chef Soliat Bada, with highlights including Prawn Akara, black bean fritters served with prawns in seafood bisque, Beef Suya, steak seasoned with suya spice, onions and garlic, Jollof Rice and many more.
