TOO many cooks spoil the broth? Not at award-winning County Durham restaurant the Raby Hunt this weekend, when seven of Europe’s leading chefs will be cooking a dish at a gala charity event.

James Close, who is the head chef at the Raby Hunt, in Summerhouse, near Darlington - the only County Durham restaurant with a Michelin Star - invited the seven chefs to contribute a dish to the evening, which will raise funds for the charity Hospitality Action.

It is the first time so many Michelin starred chefs will have cooked together in the region, and Mr Close feels their presence is further confirmation of the North-East’s growing prominence on the culinary map.

As well as Mr Close, who has designed his own special dish, Sunday’s event will also feature: John Freeman (head chef at two Michelin starred Sat Bains, Nottingham), Sam Nutter (chef patron at Ante and Bror in Copenhagen and former sous chef at Noma, voted the best restaurant in the world), James McKnappett (head chef at Michelin starred Bubbledogs Kitchen Table, Soho), Mark Birchall (head chef at Moor Hall and former head chef at two Michelin starred L’Enclume, Cartmel), Luke French (head chef at Joro, Sheffield) and John Feeney (UK Top Development Chef).

Mr Close said: “We’ve been wanting to do something different for a while, and I came up with the idea of trying to get some of Europe’s most innovative and up-and-coming chefs to get together in the North-East.

“To be honest, I didn’t think that many would agree, but they were all really keen on the idea and the night has come together really well.

“We put the tickets on sale, and they were sold out within half-an-hour, so we’ll have 70 people joining us on Sunday, and hopefully they’ll all have a great night.”

It was always Mr Close’s intention to donate the night’s proceeds to charity, and he chose Hospitality Action because of its links to the catering trade.

He said: “This can be a really hard business to work in, and Hospitality Action helps chefs, waiting staff or basically anyone involved in working in a hotel or restaurant if they fall upon hard times.

“It might be people who suddenly find themselves unemployed, or people who are suffering from mental problems and just need a bit of help. They do great work right across the country, and here in the North-East, and It’s great to be able to do something like this to support them.”