food and life | Manchester, UK
Spinningfields isn’t my usual stomping ground – it has about as much soul as Piers Morgan – but occasionally, I trudge over into Manchester’s financial district to eat at places I’ve heard so much about (Manchester House, for example) that I can no longer refuse my greedy nature the pleasure.
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Happy New Year, readers!
After my unexpected hiatus – every year I forget how busy December is – followed by Christmas in Miami, I’m back and feeling refreshed and ready for 2018.
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As the year draws to a close, I’ve been reflecting on my only resolution for 2017: to eat out often and to only visit restaurants once – in an effort to try more of what Manchester has to offer (over 650 restaurants). A controversial decision that sparked a little criticism but did I stick to what I’d resolved?
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Gooey and deeply chocolatey with a generous hit of salt to cut through the richness and the gentle, balancing, aromatic sweetness of a hint of cardamom, these individual melting chocolate puddings are satisfyingly quick and easy to whip up and can be enjoyed immediately, or left in the fridge until you’re ready for them.
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The resounding word on the street might be that the all new Mackie Mayor is expensive but that clearly hasn’t dissuaded hundreds of Mancunians from flocking to the Northern Quarter’s newest food market set in the spectacularly renovated former Smithfield market hall on Swan Street.
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This Autumn, you’ll need a bowlful of something rich, earthy and gratifying. This Venison and Red Wine Sausage Casserole is all of that and it’s ready in under an hour.
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Siop Shop, the cafe, bakery and doughnut shop on Tib Street from the creators of Blawd, feels like it’s always been here. With its pink custard floors, kooky artwork, hand-made furniture, record player, and trays of doughnuts, it exudes an old, familiar NQ ethos and charm.
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Whilst ramen has taken London by storm, it’s not as popular here in Manchester, being served only second to other Japanese dishes in the likes of Cottonopolis, Wasabi, Samsi and Umami. Perhaps it’s because Northerners do comfort food so well (dousing things in gravy) that we’ve yet to experience our own wave of ramenopoly. That said, Shoryu Ramen, popular London chain praised by Jay Rayner, opened its first restaurant outside of London here in Manchester late last year and, approaching its first year anniversary, we were invited to sample this season’s menu.
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Sinking your teeth into hot, spongey, butter-laden crumpets is the paragon of comfort. When there’s rain sliding down the windows, and a fresh pot of tea brewing, I can think of no greater pleasure than devouring crumpets dripping with butter. Freshly made sourdough crumpets are our new weekend breakfast ritual and what’s more is that they and are the perfect use for the sourdough starter you might otherwise discard after feeding.
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It used to be a die-hard tradition that we visited Paris late in the year. There’s something romantic about the Parisian architecture against the grey-white skies of the colder months, and the brisk air never prohibited us from wandering the streets and spending time sitting outside of cafés people-watching while we warmed our hands and lips on rich, velvety Parisian hot chocolate, or ‘Chocolat Chaud’.
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In his article about sourdough, Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall says that baking your own is ‘life-affirming and transformative. And why wouldn’t it be? You are, after all, growing your own bread.’ Like being pregnant and giving birth, I imagine. And, while I don’t yet feel a changed woman, my first fumble into bread making definitely caused enough sweating and fretting to warrant the comparison.
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September is the month of new beginnings, isn’t it? A time for projects and planning. There’s a seasonal shift and we look to fill our bellies and climb under the covers all cosy and covered in crumbs; hopeful of what’s to come.
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Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending ‘Perfect Patisserie’ – one of John Whaite’s (winner of GBBO series 3) Kitchen Cookery School classes. Included in the Standard’s 10 best cookery schools in the UK, the school is Set in a barn in the rolling hills of Lancashire, on the family farm where John grew up, it’s an idyllic setting and the kitchen fit out is enviable.
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As you might know, all that she craves was originally a food blog but there’s more to what I crave in life than food alone. It’s food, and everything that goes with it: the people who cook and eat, the places it comes from and where we go to eat, the surroundings and objects in which food is served and it’s all of that that becomes part of the story. So, this has become a blog about those things, too – food and life.
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So, if you’re wondering where to go for coffee in Manchester, whatever your needs, I can probably help you out. Here are my top five coffee spots:
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Afternoon Tea Week (oh yes, apparently it’s a thing) runs from the 14th-20th of August, 2017, here in the UK. There’ll be deals to be had and tiny sandwiches filling up your insta feed and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend the week craving warm from the oven scones slathered in butter.
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Sam Buckley and his chefs prepare, cook and serve some of the best food we’ve ever eaten, the space is simple but beautifully, quietly, put together, the staff are warm, passionate and knowledgeable, each piece of crockery has a tactility that intensifies the pleasure of each dish, and even the hand wash makes me pant and sigh.
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The Northern Quarter has a new coffee lounge and lifestyle store that’s a long way from the grimy, unnamed, unbranded, shops and bars that used to pop-up here. Carefully curated, Porter + Cole is perhaps more Didsbury-esque than NQ in its approach, but it’s quite at home with its equally grown-up neighbours.
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I’ve developed an obsession with my blender. I don’t know why. It’s not new and it hasn’t suddenly developed the ability to do things it couldn’t do before. But, for some reason, the possibilities and creations I’ve made with it this week have felt endless.
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Absolutely delicious on their own, warm from the oven, financier are a classic French pastry. Sweet and nutty, these little almond cakes, with crisp exteriors and springy middles, are leavened with egg whites and flavoured with almonds and beurre noisette (browned butter).
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Welcome to Mayfield. Home to Manchester’s newest food market: Grub Food Fair! Set in the impressive, resurgent Mayfield depot, a short walk from Piccadilly, Grub’s arrived in style.
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The dishes we’ve selected for our ‘feast’ aren’t all strictly Catalan in origin, in fact, tapas as a way of eating, wasn’t always even part of Catalan culture having been imported, but they’re all certainly dishes you’ll find being served if you visit Barcelona today.
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When the skies go dark and the rain pours so heavily that it bounces and seems to be raining from the ground as well as the sky, when the biggest umbrella won’t even keep you dry, this is when I want these intensely chocolatey, buttery, sugary cookies.
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Since we’ve had more than two days in a row of sun, I can proudly announce that it’s now officially bbq weather! So pull your shorts on, grab your sunglasses, and rummage in the cupboard for those fire lighters. Quinoa and apple salad with wild garlic. The perfect accompaniment to BBQ pork.
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Situated on Tib Street, just up from North Tea Power, Evelyn’s is up off the street in the lush, open plan industrial setting in what used to be my hairdressers (anyone remember Hedonist? We ended up with one of their green Chesterfield couches after our popping our heads in during their clear out/moving day. They’re Hed Space now) and then after it, Superstore, before Zanna group, who are responsible for a number of other successful ventures, including Indian restaurant Mughli, and Railway Kitchen in Alderley Edge, opened Evelyn’s back in 2015.
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Sunday. Just as the rain started, we weaved our way through the backstreets of Manchester, to avoid the crowds of the St Patrick’s Day parade and in to The Midland, where Mr Cooper’s House and Garden is situated.
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A trip to New York isn’t complete without at least one visit to Momofuku Milkbar for their soft serve cereal milk ice cream. It tastes exactly as you’d expect: like the milk you lap up from the bottom of your cereal bowl: sweet, rich and deeply satisfying. I wanted a quick hit of that cereal milk flavour without going to the trouble of making (and waiting for) ice cream, so here’s my take on it in milkshake form.
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‘Hispi’, besides being a bugger to type without being autocorrected to ‘hips’, ‘hippo’, or ‘hippy’, is a cabbage more commonly known as a ‘sweetheart cabbage’, which, admittedly, is something I had to Google before we paid a visit (our first) to the mighty bistro that is Hispi, from Gary Usher, of the acclaimed Sticky Walnut and Burnt Truffle.
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Oranges are not the only fruit, but in these dank, cold months they might as well be for all I care because, for me, oranges are the antithesis to winter: bright and zingy, refreshing and light, rich in Vitamin C, and I can’t get enough of them.
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Ah, The Refuge! Where you’re invited to ‘Come as You Are’ and dine in 1920s’ resplendent glamour. Everyone I know who’s been loves it, and I can finally jump on that big old bandwagon (sometimes you just have to) and say I do too.
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I don’t know about you, but by 4.30 I’m absolutely ravenous and ready for tea. Heading in to teaching straight out of University meant I never got out of the habit of eating tea straight from school and so now, finishing work at 5 and getting home at 6, means I’m beyond hungry. I’m so hungry, I’ve […]
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There’s two reasons you have to bake ginger biscuits in December: first of all, they make the whole house smell of ginger and all things Christmassy. The second, if you need it, is that they’re the first taste of Christmas, perfect for tree-putting-up snacks and for sharing with anyone who calls in (especially if they have presents).
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