Falcons players have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen ahead of next Saturday’s Aviva Premiership showdown with London Irish at Kingston Park (kick-off 3pm).
Tim Swinson, Joe Graham, Matt Thompson and Corne Uys all donned the pinny and put their culinary skills to the test at Close House Hotel on Thursday.
A dinner party for 12, prepared by four members of the Falcons squad is one of the top lots up for grabs at the “money can’t buy” auction – one of the highlights of a special charity day at the club next week.
Entrepreneur Graham Wylie, owner of Close House has joined forces with Newcastle owner Semore Kurdi to make the Irish clash a charity match.
Proceeds will go to the Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF), which has saved the life of Mr Wylie’s daughter on more than one occasion.
And, together, Mr Wylie and Mr Kurdi have put together an enviable list of auction prizes that cannot fail to boost charity funds.
Close House Hotel will provide all the food and wine for the stylish dinner party, and second-rower Swinson, 24, is excited at the prospect of swapping the pitch for the kitchen.
Swinson told the media: “I think I can cook. I picked it up from my dad when I was young, when we used to make brownies, lemon curd and fudge.
“I am pretty good at Vietnamese and Thai food, and my signature dish is lasagne. Mind, I am 6ft 5ins and recently bought a flat, and regret the size of the kitchen because I want to buy lots of machines and equipment but it is too small.
“I hope whoever wins the auction has a big kitchen, because we are all pretty tall.”
The players will get guidance from Chris Delaney, head chef at Close House and the hotel’s new Raffles-style restaurant Argent D’Or.
Mr Wylie said: “We already have two fantastic annual sporting events aimed at raising funds for the CHUF in the Have a Heart golf trophy challenge at Close House, and the CHUF race day at Newcastle racecourse, so I’m delighted that the Newcastle Falcons are joining the fundraising efforts.
“The day promises to be full of excitement and variety, both on and off the pitch, so I hope the people of the North East will support the day.”
The auction will take place after the whistle has blown but sealed bids can be taken in advance of the game and should be emailed no later than Friday, February 17, to julie.stone@chuf.org.uk.
Keep your eyes peeled for a flavour of the auction prizes on the Falcons facebook page and twitter feed @FalconRugby.
The game against Irish promises to be an entertaining spectacle and sees Falcons new director of rugby Gary Gold pit his wits against his former club.
At the weekend the North East outfit went close to pulling off a crucial victory at Bath and outplayed the West Countrymen for large periods of the encounter.
Newcastle picked up a losing bonus point thanks to a last gasp Will Chudley try and Jimmy Gopperth kept his nerve to convert from the touchline to secure a precious point.
Indeed, the Irish game will be the first outing at Kingston Park for talisman Gopperth since signing his contract extension which keeps him in the North East for a further three years.
Tickets for Saturday’s game are available by calling the Falcons Ticket Hotline on 0871 226 6060 or click here to purchase online.
