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A White Christmas

From the archive, first published Saturday 15th Dec 2007.

CELBRITY chef Marco Pierre White swapped Hell's Kitchen for a slice of heaven in North Yorkshire.

The TV chef visited the Black Swan at Helmsley yesterday to officially open a new luxury tearoom and patisserie.

He was one of the first to try out a mouth-watering range of handmade cakes, chocolates and pastries.

The new tearoom, which has been created out of a former bar area, offers guests teas and coffees from around the world.

A spokeswoman for the Black Swan said the owners believed it would soon be considered the finest patisserie in the North.

The range of cakes and pastries has been created by the hotel's chef patissier, Martin Towse. She said the opening of the tearoom was just the latest step in a series of changes at the Black Swan, which have also included the refurbishment of the public and dining areas.