An interactive cheese belt, British small plates and a beautiful new setting. Blacks Corner is giving Sunderland something different to discover…
There’s a new talking point in Sunderland’s food scene and this one involves a conveyor belt of cheese.
Blacks Corner has opened at Culture House, bringing its love of British produce into the city centre. The new venue combines an eatery, wine bar and delicatessen. It also features the first cheese belt of its kind outside London.
For this Luxe review, Danielle Ritchie invited colleague Zoë Burn along to discover what the new opening had to offer.
We arrived at around 4pm and the team told us it was their quietest afternoon since opening. For us, that was actually quite nice. We had time to look around, speak to the staff and enjoy the experience.
The interiors immediately caught my attention. The lighting creates a lovely atmosphere, while a beautiful tree forms a special feature of the entrance space.
I also loved the smaller details. Between the tables, discreet coat pegs give guests somewhere to hang their jackets. It’s such a simple idea, but it keeps coats off the backs of chairs.
You can tell someone has thought carefully about how people will use the space.
After taking everything in, we settled onto the high stools at the cheese belt. I was particularly looking forward to this part of the visit.
Discovering the cheese belt
There’s something rather fun about watching different cheeses travel past you, especially when they arrive with combinations you wouldn’t normally consider.
The concept is simple. Each guest receives a menu and pencil to mark their choices. Every plate also comes with a numbered metal marker.
Once you’ve finished, you place the markers in your tray. The team then uses them to calculate your bill.
Four price tiers range from £4.50 to £5.75. You can also help yourself to complimentary crackers from the belt.
However, what made the experience particularly enjoyable was the team.
The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic about the food. They talked us through the different cheeses and explained why certain flavours worked together.
I loved hearing their recommendations. It encouraged us to move away from familiar choices and try something new.
My first selection was Sparkenhoe Red Leicester with lemon curd.
Now, cheese and lemon curd isn’t something I’d ever have thought to put together. I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely convinced at first.
But I absolutely loved it.
The flavours worked so well together and it became my favourite pairing of the afternoon. It’s also the one I’d be most likely to order again.
I tried Welsh spicy chorizo with pineapple too, which offered another interesting combination.
Zoë chose Montgomery’s Cheddar with salted caramel popcorn and Northumberland Nettle with rose and strawberry jam.
Naturally, we shared our selections so we could try everything.
And that’s where our opinions differed.
Zoë loved the cheddar with salted caramel popcorn. I, on the other hand, really didn’t!
It gave us a good laugh, but that’s part of the enjoyment. Everyone has different tastes and it’s fun comparing your choices.
You might discover a new favourite or find something you’d happily leave for someone else.
Behind the concept, Blacks Corner has a clear focus on British cheesemakers and independent producers.
The business works with artisan makers who take pride in their craft. That means guests can discover cheeses and accompaniments they might not usually come across.
The staff also bring that story to life. Their knowledge adds something to the experience, particularly when you’re trying unfamiliar combinations.
Small plates worth exploring
Although the cheese belt was a big part of our visit, we also had the chance to explore the small plates menu.
The chef had kindly arranged four dishes for us to share.
First came roasted rainbow beetroots with hummus and hazelnut vinaigrette. We also enjoyed Buffalo Farm halloumi with lemon, nigella seeds and honey.
Next were Welsh chorizo meatballs with garlic, tomato and English pecorino. King prawns with garlic, parsley and lemon completed the selection.
There was plenty of variety and each dish brought something different to the table.
For me, the roasted rainbow beetroot was the standout.
It tasted fresh, had plenty of flavour and worked beautifully alongside the other plates. I’d happily order it again.
Zoë had her own favourite. The Welsh chorizo meatballs won her over.
I particularly liked how the small plates fitted into the afternoon. Rather than ordering a traditional main course each, we could share everything.
We enjoyed a little of each dish between trying the cheeses and chatting over our wine.
The portions were just right too.
With four small plates and our cheese selections, we had plenty to eat. Yet neither of us left feeling uncomfortably full.
I enjoyed that relaxed approach to dining. There was no rush to finish one course before moving on to the next.
Instead, we could try different things as the afternoon went along.
Wine worth taking your time over
Alongside the food, we each enjoyed the Blacks Corner Trio wine flight.
The selection featured three wines from France, Chile and Austria. These included Réserve de Gassac from Languedoc, a Chilean Sémillon and an Austrian Zweigelt.
I’m always happy to enjoy a glass of wine with good food, but trying three different varieties made the afternoon even more interesting.
I particularly enjoyed the rosé. In fact, it was my favourite of the three.
I’m not usually a big red wine drinker either, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed that selection.
Having the wines alongside the cheese and small plates gave us even more to compare.
It also made the experience feel different from a typical restaurant visit.
I’d definitely order the wine flight again. For me, it was one of the highlights of the afternoon.
More than a cheese belt
One thing worth knowing is that Blacks Corner offers much more than its headline attraction.
The venue serves breakfast from 9am until 11.30am. Its daytime menu follows until 4.30pm, before the evening offering begins.
Meanwhile, guests can enjoy the cheese belt from 11.30am until close.
The wider space also includes a delicatessen, cheese counter and open studio kitchen. Plans for patisserie workshops will bring another experience to Culture House.
So there’s plenty of opportunity to visit without making the cheese belt your main reason for going.
You could stop by for coffee, meet friends for lunch or enjoy wine and small plates later in the day.
I like that flexibility. It gives people different reasons to return, rather than treating the opening as a one-off experience.
There’s also a wider story behind the venue.
Culture House forms part of Sunderland’s ongoing regeneration. Its arrival brings new opportunities for people to spend time in the city centre.
For Blacks Corner, the opening also offers a chance to introduce more people to independent British producers.
That commitment runs through the food, from the cheeses on the belt to the ingredients on the wider menu.
And while the cheese belt is certainly a clever way to attract attention, I think the focus on quality and provenance gives the concept more substance.
It’s encouraging to see an independent North East business invest in Sunderland and bring something new to the city.
A welcome addition to Sunderland
What I particularly enjoyed about Blacks Corner was that we never felt we had to rush. We could settle in, try something new and make an afternoon of it.
It’s easy to see the appeal for a date night or an afternoon with friends, especially with the festive season approaching.
But beyond our visit, there’s something positive about seeing a North East independent bring a fresh idea to Sunderland. It’s another reason to spend time in the city centre and discover what its growing food scene has to offer.
If our afternoon was anything to go by, I don’t think the cheese belt will be the only thing keeping people coming back for more.
