The Hairy Bikers Go North: These are the Yorkshire places that appear in the new BBC food and travel series
Si King and Dave Myers filmed The Hairy Bikers Go North for BBC Two in the summer and autumn of 2020, and BBC have now begun showing the programme's trailer. The first episode will be broadcast on September 23 at 8pm.
Their journey takes in Yorkshire as well as Cumbria, Northumberland, the Peak District and Newcastle - beginning on the Cumbrian west coast and ending at the North Sea.
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Hide AdThe premise of the series is that the Bikers will explore where our food comes from by meeting local producers, chefs, farmers and entrepreneurs and visiting restaurants, cafes, breweries and markets.
They will showcase new recipes created with the ingredients they discover along the way.
So which Yorkshire towns, cities and villages did they visit during filming?
Malton
The Bikers stayed at Malton's Talbot Hotel - an historic Georgian coaching inn. Malton famously brands itself as Yorkshire's gastronomic capital, so it's no surprise that it ended up on the itinerary. They then shot scenes at Talbot Yard, an artisan food court. Camera pieces with British pastry champion and master patissier Florian Poirot and butcher Paul Potts, who owns delicatessen Food 2 Remember, will be featured in the series. The converted coaching yard is also home to a bakery, gin distillery, gelato parlour and coffee roastery.
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Hide AdHere's an interview with master patissier Florian Poirot and a feature on Malton's rise as a foodie destination
Leeds
The Bikers were spotted filming in Kirkgate Market in Leeds city centre. The traditional Victorian indoor market is home to a range of traders as well as newer businesses and a street food hall run by creative food scene entrepreneurs.
Scarborough
The Bikers arrived on the coast and visited Scarborough Market Hall, where they met stallholders including the owners of Solange Bakery, All Seasons fruit and veg and M Nockels butchers.
Whitby
While in Whitby, Si and Dave learned about the town's kipper smoking tradition. They explored the only remaining smokehouse, Fortune's Kippers - established in 1872 by William Fortune and still serving the delicacy today.
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Hide AdRobin Hood's Bay
While in the fishing village they diverted somewhat from food by paying a visit to Berties of Bay, a heritage business producing 'ganseys' - the sweaters traditionally warn by trawlermen - fishing smocks and other nautical clothing.
Owner Matthew Pugh said: "Dave and Si did call into our heritage clothing store on Chapel Street, which has been open since 2019 and both purchased a fisherman’s boat neck smock. They were both so friendly and enthusiastic and loved our store. It was an absolute pleasure to meet them both and it was a day we will always remember."
Kirkby Lonsdale
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Hide AdWhile on the Yorkshire-Cumbria border they enthusiastically sampled ale from Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery's The Royal Barn, a large tap house venue that opened in 2016.
A vineyard
In the trailer, the Bikers are filmed drinking wine grown in a vineyard which they say is in Yorkshire. The winery's location has not yet been confirmed, but there are several similar businesses across Yorkshire.
Si King said: ‘’Without doubt our most personal emotional and enlightening journey we’ve undertaken. Go North was a trip around the wonderful northern landscapes that shaped our identities, palates, culture and friendship. We met some great folk dedicated to their areas and to the continued success of their beloved communities. We flipping loved every turn of that motorcycle wheel.”
Dave Myers added: “It's been nearly a decade since we went on the road in Britain and it’s true you quite often miss what’s on your own doorstep. We had already decided to film in the UK before Covid was an issue and stopped foreign travel, so we filmed here through choice not circumstance.
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Hide Ad"The series is a love letter to the north, and a celebration of the food and the people that produce it. Viewers will get to see the two of us in our temporary homes in an intimate, honest reflection of two life-long friends cooking laughing and living together. We found amazing cooks, chefs and producers who have chosen to make the north their home. The landscape and roads are as varied as the people themselves. Please join us for a joyous romp through some of the finest food in the world and the world that is ours, The Hairy Bikers."
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