Chris Davy
Despite now being a restaurateur, Bill Oldfield started his working life as an engineer serving as an officer in the merchant navy, later moving into the oil industry and then the energy efficiency sector. His travels around the world as an engineer stimulated his already embryonic interest in food. So, in 1996 he sought a complete change of direction and, based on a determination to work for himself, gained a quick “apprenticeship” in catering by working voluntarily in various restaurants around the UK.
In 1997, Bill opened his first restaurant in Barnard Castle which quickly gained acclaim by winning the Les Routiers Gold Plate award for quality, service and value in its first three years of operation; the only restaurant in the whole of the British Isles at that time to have achieved the feat. Then in 2000 he opened a second small restaurant in Darlington based on the same principles of the Barnard Castle one.
Despite remaining in Teesdale to live, to achieve his ambitions and grow, Bill then sold the two original restaurants and opened a much larger venue on Claypath in Durham in 2002, followed a year later by a similar restaurant on Osborne Road in Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Success has continued based on the company’s philosophy of combining a relaxed, accessible environment with high quality service and equally high quality British food. Furthermore, Oldfields Restaurants have worked closely with many farmers and other producers in the region in an attempt to source everything they use from within the North East of England.
At the same time they’ve championed the Campaign for Real Food - www.campaignforrealfood.org - which aims to encourage everyone, both in commerce and at home, to attempt to purchase only locally produced, seasonal food or at least understand where their food comes from, its distance travelled and its provenance in general.
As a further accolade, Oldfields Restaurant in Durham won the Restaurant of the Year award for 2006 in the city’s retail awards ceremony and then went on to win Retailer of the Year.
And to top it all, Oldfields Restaurants are publishing their first cookery book in the latter half of 2007. Based on local produce it’s split into the four seasons, lists local suppliers, will be available direct from the company at www.oldfieldsrestaurants.com and it should be available in all good bookshops. If you wish to be sure of a copy, visit the website and sign up to receive the Oldfields Restaurants newsletter. You’ll then be guaranteed to be sent information on how to order it.
Bill is also involved with a South African wine estate and the wine is on sale in the restaurants. For more information visit www.eaglevlei.com.
