BRAVE diners at a local restaurant will be able to sample a unique three-course menu in which every dish is made using nettles.

The meal with a sting in its tail is being served this week at Oldfields restaurant on Claypath, in Durham City to mark national ‘Be Nice to Nettles Week”.

Customers will be able to tuck into a starter of whipped goats’ cheese and nettle terrine, followed by nettle potato rosti with smoked haddock and poached egg for mains while those with a sweet tooth can finish up with a nettle cheesecake and sweet nettle syrup for dessert.

Be Nice To Nettles Week was set up by the Cramlington Organisation for Nature and the Environment, an organisation which includes work to help provide school nature areas and raise awareness of nature conservation.

Peter Wood, Operations Director of Oldfields, said: ‘Oldfields is all about using as much fresh local produce as possible, and you don’t get much more local and fresh than the humble nettle, which grows all around is and is considered a pest by many.

‘Nettles actually have a subtle but distinct flavour and have been used in cooking for centuries. They are high in vitamins, minerals and protein, so healthy too.’

Should the dishes prove to be a big hit with the locals, the restaurant is considering adding them to their regular menu in the near future.