University Professors declare that Sunderland has banished its image as a culinary wasteland
It was not so long ago that it was nearly impossible to get a decent cup of coffee or a tasty meal in any of Sunderland’s hospitality establishments. With only a handful of coffee shops and a very limited selection of restaurants, Sunderland was effectively a culinary wasteland. Fortunately, in the last ten years, the city has witnessed a culinary transformation. Chains such as Starbucks, Costa and Café Nero are now firmly established, and there is an ever-increasing number of independent coffee shops and tea rooms spread throughout the city. One of the more recent additions, the Elephant Tearooms on High Street West, is actually a revival of a much older tea house that was established a few doors down on the corner of High Street West and Fawcett Street, now marked by the iconic building that houses the RBS. Like many of the other new independent tea rooms, ‘The Elephant’ as we affectionately call it, offers a range of in-house specialities and caters for more than just tea and scones. In a nod to the greater diversity of dietary preferences that are becoming mainstream in the 21st century, many of these tea rooms and coffee shops offer cakes and other delights that are gluten free and vegan.
As testament to the quality and variety of restaurants that have opened up in the city, for the second year running Eat Drink Sunderland Restaurant Week is being hosted from Saturday 11th– Sunday 19th March 2017. To kick off restaurant week we went out as a mixed group of vegetarians and carnivores to Number 2 Church Lane, one of the newest restaurants in the city which sits opposite the beautiful and historic Sunderland Empire Theatre, on a corner 
of the development that borders on the MAC Quarter and Keel Square. Number 2 Church Lane has a chilled-out ambiance, a cosy interior and a fantastic selection of beers, both bottled craft ales and draft along with a wide range of spirits and non-alcoholic beverages. The restaurant specialises in burgers and we were delighted to discover that there was a burger to suit all of the tastes and diverse dietary requirements of the members of our group. The range of vegetarian and vegan burgers, with diet-appropriate sides, is a joy! We all agreed that the sweet potato chips were a great choice. The menu has been thoughtfully put together and minor tweaks are easily incorporated into the published selection to satisfy even the pickiest diner (such as the vegetarian who doesn’t like goats’ cheese). Sunderland has indeed come a long way in a very short time span from culinary ‘badland’ to a city that would please even the most discerning diners. Achieving UK City of Culture 2021 can only lead to more scrumptious developments in the city’s culinary offerings!
Professor Donna Chambers
Professor Angela Smith
University of Sunderland
