Teesside export · Newcastle and Gateshead
The parmo crosses the Tees: where to find Middlesbrough’s finest up here
Breaded chicken, béchamel and melted cheese, invented in Middlesbrough in 1958 (probably). It has made it to the Tyne. Here’s where.
A parmo is a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork, topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar. Then it goes in a box with chips. It’s not subtle, and it was never meant to be.
Probably 1958
Its origins are disputed. Most people credit Nicos Harris, who ran the American Grill on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough and is said to have created it there in 1958. It was called an Escalope Parmesan at first, and it was made with tomato sauce and mozzarella. The rival story credits Marcellino Dinello, an Italian who came to Teesside in the 1960s and opened the Europa restaurant. We’re not going to settle it here.
The calories are less disputed. In 2007, North Yorkshire Trading Standards tested a large parmo with chips and salad, and found about 2,600 calories and 150g of fat. Share it, or don’t. We’re not your doctor.
Teesside would like it back
In 2017 Ben Houchen, the Tees Valley Mayor, started a campaign to protect the name.
“The parmo was invented on Teesside and should only be made on Teesside.” (Ben Houchen, Tees Valley Combined Authority, 14 September 2017)
An application for protected status as a traditional speciality went in in July 2021. We couldn’t find a decision, and protection would cover a recipe, not a place. In the meantime, the parmo has crossed the Tees, and Tyneside hasn’t sent it back.
North of the Tees
Pizza & Co. on Westmorland Road in Newcastle has a whole parmo section on its menu. The Original Parmo comes “served with chips & salad”, starting at £7.50. There’s also a Tandoori Parmo, a Mega Meat Parmo and a Donner Parmo, which shows how far the idea will stretch.
Maguires Fish & Chips on Hexham Road in Swalwell, Gateshead, tops all its parmos “with Bechamel and Special Mixed Cheese”. They come in regular or large, from £8.99, and the list includes a Kebab Parmo and, yes, a Fish Parmo.
In the MetroCentre, Tomahawk Steakhouse says it’s “proud to be the first in Metrocentre to bring you Teessides’s famous Chicken Parmo”. We haven’t checked the claim, but it’s clear where they think the dish comes from.
If you’ve had one up here that a Teessider would sign off, log it. We’ll need the evidence.
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