Christine’s Kitchen opened in Consett in September 2025 and has brought Filipino food to the heights of County Durham
17:39, 16 Mar 2026
A former dental nurse has opened her dream caféin a County Durham town. Christine’s Kitchen in Consett is of the only eateries in the North East serving up Filipino cuisine.
It is the work of Christine Hewitt, 40, who swapped the white sand beaches of Masbate in the Philippines for the UK in 2014. Christine first settled in Southampton with her husband Adrian, taking a job as a care worker and later as a dental nurse.
The couple moved to the North East four years ago to be closer to Adrian’s family. In 2024, Christine decided to pursue her dream by leaving the healthcare sector to bring the food of her home nation to the region.
Starting off from a van in Durham Marketplace, Christine served up traditional dishes such as pork adobo, Filipino spaghetti, and lumpia (spring rolls), and built up a loyal following.
She told ChronicleLive: “We started from a market stall in Durham to test if people like the cuisine. We found out that they like it, and some people asked if we could open a café or a restaurant somewhere.
“We secured a tenancy and opened in September. It’s starting to get busier now!”
Now, in the former butchers on Victoria Road by Consett Bus Station, Christine has a full kitchen to serve those dishes up, and a few others alongside them. Tocino breakfast plates (sweet cured pork and chicken served with rice, fried eggs and spiced vinegar), are offered up alongside traditional bacon sarnies, toasties and full Englishes, while ube (a South East Asian root vegetable, similar to a yam or a sweet potato) cheesecakes and lattes bring a touch of purple to the table.
Christine says that when people order more familiar food and see the Filipino dishes coming past, they often ask to change their orders! As well as attracting curious locals, Christine and Andrew have welcomed Filipinos from all over the North East who have appreciated a reminder of home.
The café is simply decorated, with drawings done by Adrian that Christine has then coloured in; such as a map of the Philippines, the Manila skyline, and the words Kain Na!, which translates to “Let’s Eat” in English.
Husband Adrian Hewitt said: “It’s her dream, it’s her limelight. It’s as simple as that.”
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