Called PROPA!, the new takeaway restaurant will focus on grab-and-go options featuring a menu designed by Si King, offering ‘nostalgic’ British comfort food. King has teamed up with Richard Marsden, managing director of Building Design Northern (BDN) Ltd, to develop the restaurant, which is expected to open by the end of the year or early 2025.
PROPA! will operate as a takeaway hatch and will include outdoor seating, complete with an overhead canopy and fire pit. The menu will showcase a range of homemade pies, sausage casseroles, stottie sandwiches, corned beef hash, spam fritters, and panackelty—a traditional dish from the region. A breakfast menu will also be available, featuring a full English, egg and bacon stottie, and cheese on toast.
King expressed enthusiasm about the new venture, stating, “This will be a totally new yet complementary offering for Sheepfolds Stables and one that we’re confident will go down very well with all who visit. We’re taking people back down memory lane, becoming a custodian of nostalgic food.”
He emphasized the commitment to wholesome, tasty comfort food made with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. Many of the dishes have deep roots in Sunderland and the North East, which adds to the excitement of launching this new restaurant.
The announcement was made during the Sunderland Business Festival, an annual event that attracts a significant number of local business representatives for a week of activities. This festival was hosted at Sheepfolds Stables, a venue that opened earlier this summer. Notably, earlier this year, King’s co-host on The Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers, passed away from cancer at the age of 66.
