Good Taste Magazine Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 FREE

goodtaste

Wedding menus .. Make the perfect loaf .. Baltic Triangle coffee guide .. Liverpool’s new private members’ club

Plus: 100 inspiring women Your essential food and drink guide for Merseyside and beyond

WARRINGTON’S BRAND NEW RETAIL MARKET

NOW OPEN Everything you need for Christmas UNDER ONE ROOF • Hot Food, Cafés and Eateries • Family-owned butchers • High quality retail outlets • Groceries • Fish & Game • Cheese • Fruit & Veg Time Square, Warrington e: infodesk@warrington.gov.uk t: 01925 632571

goodtaste contributors

Dalip Matta of Matta’s on Bold Street celebrates 30 years in the business on page 8

We have listed 100 amazing women ... we are just scratching the surface Welcome to the Spring issue of Good Taste magazine

On page 37 Denise Harris introduces her new food and drink festival, Manchester Eats, and gives a sneak peek at September’s Liverpool Food and Drink Festival

As we launch Weddings With Good Taste, Lou and Matt Hardy explain how to get the wedding you want without a chair cover, plate of dry chicken or glass of warm white wine in sight. Page 38

A gastronomic trip to Madrid inspires Graffiti Spirits director and travel writer Matt Farrell on pages 48 and 49

This year we celebrate 100 years since the first women got to vote in the UK. It’s a century that’s seen massive changes, but still we see women under-represented when it comes to owning and running businesses.

One area where that balances out a little is food and drink, Merseyside’s biggest employment sector. Here we see women that are incredibly hungry for success and doing well, working in an agile way, adept at multi-tasking, growing sustainably, looking after staff, and building something amazing.

We looked at compiling a feature, looking at the amazing women in the food and drink industry. Initially it was suggested we could profile 10 women, then 25, then 50. Each time we realised that we were only scratching the surface. We have listed 100 amazing women here, all nominated in our public vote. But let’s be clear – we are still only scratching the surface.

There are so many more out there, all worthy of our praise and admiration.

This isn’t designed as a definitive list. It’s a talking point, an opportunity to add more and a work in progress.

We want you to add to it. If we’ve missed someone out, tell us about them. We’d love to hear more.

Thanks go to the brilliant Women’s Organisation, who wrote the introduction to our feature, and work tirelessly to boost women’s confidence in themselves and their business ideas, and to everyone who nominated someone.

While there are a lot of women in this edition, it’s not just about that. Spring is a time for new beginnings, and we see great new events, gorgeous new menus, and new restaurants and bars welcoming people in.

It’s also the launch of our Weddings with Good Taste section, where we look at how to tie the knot if you love food and drink and want something a bit different.

There’s also our feature on Merseyside’s marvellous markets - and how you can buy local produce without needing to use the car.

The evenings are getting lighter, summer is on its way and there’s a whole new load of brilliant produce across the region making its way onto menus and into shopping baskets.

We’re a seasonal publication, and our next magazine later in the summer will be packed with food news, recipes and events. In the meantime, we have daily updates on our website www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk and on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Please do get in touch with us, as we’d love to hear your views.

Enjoy.

Jade Wright editor, Good Taste Magazine jade@goodtastemagazines.co.uk www.twitter.com/JadeWright www.instagram.com/goodtastemagazine www.facebook.com/GoodTasteMagazineUK

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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About us We are team of experienced journalists who eat, sleep and breathe food and drink, who’ve worked for years at the heart of what has become one of the most exciting scenes in the UK.

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What we do We bring you all the latest news, reviews and insight you need to be sure you experience the best Merseyside has to offer, from restaurants and bars to cafes and independent food and drink producers.

How we do it We have updates throughout the day, every day on the Good Taste website www. goodtastemagazines.co.uk, as well as our weekly newsletter, delivered free to your inbox with all the latest news and offers, and with our seasonal Good Taste magazine, available for free in selected venues across Merseyside.

How you can be a part of it If you’re interested in stocking Good Taste, or are a food and drink business who’d like to share a story, we’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to advertise with Good Taste and reach new customers, get in touch with us at info@goodtastemagazines.co.uk or sales@ goodtastemagazines.co.uk.

100 inspiring women

Contents

Contacts

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Editor: Jade Wright Email editor@goodtastemagazines.co.uk Magazine design: 23Design Web design: Bold Creative Thanks to the following people, without whom this magazine would not have been possible: Dawn Collinson and Janet Tansley at CopyMedia, Karen Burns Barnes, Matthew Barnes, Jo Mountford and the team at The Women’s Organisation, Francis McEntegart, Erica Wright, and, of course, baby Beatrice, who has inspired the whole thing.

Make the perfect loaf Coffee guide

Cover image: Greek salad at Bacchus Taverna, Liverpool. Copyright Good Taste Magazines.

Find us on social media at: www.instagram.com/ goodtastemagazine www.facebook.com/ GoodTasteMagazineUK www.twitter.com/good_tastemag Good Taste is a registered trademark of Good Taste Magazines.

Good Taste Magazines, 54 St James Street, Liverpool L1 0AB Email info@goodtastemagazines.co.uk Copyright Good Taste Magazines Liverpool 2017.

Reproduction in whole or part prohibited without permission.

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors in advertisements, articles, photograph or illustrations. All prices correct at the time of going to press.

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Apprentice loser turns winner

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Warrington’s global market

Wedding flavours

38 Father’s Day gifts

Gracious developments

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Live ON AIR

Eat out in Madrid

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for all the best dining deals and discounts at www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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food news

Santa Maluco and Bold Street Coffee get together for breakfast

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Big mouthful ...Bold Street Coffee’s Egg Buoys Below: Matt Farrell, Sam Tawil and John Ennis

wo of Liverpool's most popular independents have joined forces for what promises to be Liverpool's best breakfast.

Santa Maluco has opened its doors to coffee connoisseurs, Bold Street Coffee, providing Castle Street with the perfect all-day eatery, offering everything from delectable brunch items to pizzas and cocktails.

Bold Street Coffee has been a firm favourite of Liverpudlians since it first opened its doors in 2010, when it quickly became recognised as one of the goto places for a great coffee and breakfast.

Since then, the venue has acquired a loyal customer base, so it was to the dismay of many when it recently announced its closure due to maintenance issues. Bold Street Coffee founder Sam Tawil has been friends with Graffiti Spirits Group founders Matt Farrell and John Ennis for many years, and Sam hopes it will be a long-term venture.

Operating from 7.30am-3.30pm during the week, and from 8.30am-3.30pm over the weekend, guests can expect a diverse brunch menu comprising Bold Street Coffee’s most popular items. Featuring everything from the renowned Egg Buoys to smashed avocado and chilli on toast, the menu offers something for everyone, all of which can be washed down with one of their signature coffees.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, pizza lovers will still be able to enjoy Santa Maluco’s signature wood-fired pizzas, available in a unique all-inclusive Rodizio style.

The drinks menu takes inspiration from its sister bar, Santa Chupitos, offering a creative rum-based cocktail list, alongside much-loved classics, such as the 5 Dollar Shake, made with vodka, Chambord, milk, blueberry jam and ice cream.

Commenting on the Liverpool food and drink scene, Sam says: “Over the past three years Liverpudlians have seen a real shift in the independent shops and restaurant culture. Where there was a lack of them in previous years, now the city is starting to thrive with standalone venues, with this collaboration demonstrating perfectly how independent businesses in Liverpool continue to support and work together, helping to evolve the ever-changing hospitality industry.”

Santa Maluco X Bold Street Coffee 2 Castle Street, L2 0NA T: 0151 236 5646 www.santamaluco.com Mon-Fri 7.30-1.30am, Sat-Sun 8.30-1.30am

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food news

Early Greek

Bacchus Taverna’s new evening deal for two

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acchus Taverna has launched a new early evening menu which offers some of their most popular dishes. The dock road favourite is a real hidden gem, serving traditional Greek favourites, very much as you’d get it on the isle of Samos, where owner Diamantis hails from.

The special offers two starters, two mains and a bottle of house wine for £35 on Mondays to Thursdays from 4.30-7pm.

Starters on the menu include a selection of fantastic dips, with home-made taramasalata, hummus, tsatziki and slow roast beetroot served with warm fresh bread, or the excellent Greek salad with olives and feta dressed with olive oil, vinegar and oregano.

The garlic mushrooms are a real treat, with a butter, cream and wine sauce that begs to be mopped up with the fluffy bread.

On the mains list, meat-lovers will adore the pork, lamb and chicken kebabs, so lean and healthy they’re a firm favourite with some of the city’s best-known athletes.

There’s also a halloumi version.

The moussaka is the best this side of Athens, made to a traditional family recipe, with meat or vegetarian options. All mains are served with rice, roast potatoes and green beans.

Di is a real food lover, and a perfectionist – he is usually up before dawn every morning getting the best produce from the markets. His food is made with love, and served in large portions.

Wash it all down with a bottle of house wine, and dream of Greek sunshine.

Bacchus Taverna, 0151 255 1661, 14 Waterloo Road, Liverpool L3 7BB, www.bacchustaverna.co.uk

Plans are moving a step closer for Liverpool’s most exciting new food and drink market.

Entrepreneurs John Ennis and Matt Farrell are taking influences from the best artisan markets around the world for their new venture on Duke Street.

Specialising in the finest food and the coolest drinks, the market will act as a platform for independent brands, offering visitors and Liverpool residents a space in which to try the best the city has to offer.

Graffiti Spirits Group is an independent bar and restaurant group which was founded by John and Matt in 2007 with just two members of staff and £200.

The group currently operates six successful venues in Liverpool, and John and Matt have big plans for expansion both within and outside the UK. Matt said: “The aim is to be the number one go-to spot for a gastronomic experience in the city.” www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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Health and wellbeing are at the heart of the Matta

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alip Matta is celebrating 30 years in the business. The grocery stalwart and award-winning trailblazer, who along with brother Deepak, runs Matta’s is noticing a real boom in healthy eating.

“We’ve noticed that Liverpool and its people are taking a much keener interest in health and wellness in all of its forms of late,” says Dalip. “The spikes amongst wellness food and drink on our website proves that.”

Dalip says it’s been a long road for many operators in Liverpool treading the wellness path.

“We at Matta’s had a vision many years ago to bring a more health-aligned range of products and we know that in spite of the large array of our current stock, it is just the beginning.

“We’ve always thought that the most positive action to take when you have a passion for something that is missing

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in your home city is to provide it for everyone yourselves. And that’s what we’re doing.

“We’re also bringing more of Matta’s to the outside world, taking part in many pop-up events rather than just expecting people to visit our shop...actually we never expected lots to visit, just hoped.”

As well as the ingredients and products we’ve all come to know and love, Matta’s position on Liverpool’s burgeoning restaurant quarter, Bold Street, means it’s become a centre for new and unusual products too.

“We’re getting approaches from really exciting, nascent businesses offering high quality products especially organic and or/vegan products, many of which are perishable goods that lend well to pop-up activity in-store, heightened social media activity and national press coverage.

“We’re also often giving fledging companies their first start and it’s been

great to watch them grow. In addition, and especially based where we are in the restaurant quarter, we’ve plenty of famous faces like Nisha Katona (pictured) shopping with us from the industry as we sell so many basic essentials for cooking. We’ve grown our business by selling natural ingredients, I guess in referring to wellness, we’re just calling them something different but the range in the market just gets bigger and so does our stock.”

All this has culminated in Dalip putting together plans for a wellness cafe and treatment rooms in a substantial space above the shop, with work beginning this spring.

He adds: “Along with introducing a loyalty card for the store, it’s a really exciting development for us and there’s much anticipation amongst the city’s wellness community for its opening.”

Find out more at www.Mattas.co.uk

food news

New menu at Vincent

The Vincent has launched a new seasonal menu, combining tapas, Japanese and sushi influences.

The Exchange Flags eatery has unveiled four new maki and temaki platters, as well as new main course options such as tasty roast loin of venison, braised red cabbage with port wine sauce and succulent Teriyaki glazed beef short rib, served with shumeji mushrooms or lobster and crayfish risotto, which comes with wilted greens in a rich shellfish sauce.

The restaurant has also launched a standalone vegan and veggie menu. Diners can choose from chicory and orange tartlet, pear and dressed rocket salad or a wild mushroom ravioli served

with rocket and parmesan. There’s also a delicious tandoori curry which comes with vegetables, fragrant rice and poppadum.

Vegan dessert treats include apple tart, dairy free vanilla ice cream, passionfruit cheesecake and mango sorbet, as well as a selection of sorbets.

Restaurant Manager Tibu Pinedo says: “Having been established in Liverpool for over two years, we have been able to monitor food trends and the dishes that have worked well for us.

“I believe the new-look menu will only strengthen our position as the city’s leading luxury restaurant that always serves top quality cuisine.” www.vincentcafeandcocktailbar.com

Wirral is next big thing, says Sean Paul Sean Paul Redding has opened his new restaurant and cafe in Birkenhead.

The Texan chef, who has cooked for Paul McCartney, Kate Moss, Liv Tyler and Tamara Ecclestone, has taken over the kitchen at 142 The Lauries in the centre of town and has created a menu of traditional favourites, with some twists.

Sean Paul is one of the best known veggie and vegan specialists in the country, and has matched every meat and fish dish on the menu with a vegetarian and vegan alternative, with melt in the mouth bean burgers, delicious super salads and even vegan fish fingers.

There are plenty of sweet treats too, with cakes and bakes by Jennifer Dunn, many of which are also vegan.

“Birkenhead is such a brilliant place to be at the moment,” says Sean Paul. “There’s so much going on here and it feels like we’re at the start of something really exciting.

“Wirral is such a food hub. I’ve been working with local producers and Wirral Chamber of Commerce. Our fish comes from Ward’s, our strawberries and asparagus will come from Claremont Farm, there’s so much amazing food and drink here it’s a real pleasure.”

He adds: “I’ve been working on Bold Street, which I loved, but I can’t believe this is 15 minutes on the train door-to-door. In London you’d travel more than an hour to find somewhere like this. It really feels like the next big place for food and drink.” www.facebook.com/142TheLauries

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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food news

sauce and extras make up the final meal.

The Bold Street store, which has recently been chosen as one of the best places for vegan food in Liverpool, has built up quite the reputation for healthy, vegan and vegetarian food.

The team behind LIV hope that this new addition, which for the first time includes options for meat eaters, will add a whole new culinary dimension to the store, allowing customers to

experience a fresh and organic twist on La Dolce Vita. With both chefs dedicated to the area, La Casa della Pasta will become a place for friends to meet and eat, enjoying the exciting dishes in a new stylish seating area.

Find out more: Twitter: @LivFoodMarket Instagram: Liv Food Market Facebook: LIV Organic & Natural Food Market

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old Street is to get a fresh and healthy taste of authentic Italian food, with La Casa della Pasta at LIV Organic & Natural Food Market.

Headed up by Italian chefs Alesandro Legnaro and Lorenzo Lanza, it sees dishes freshly made in front of the customer, with organic ingredients.

Each dish will be freshly made to customers’ exact specifications, with options to choose which type of pasta,

Alesandro Legnaro and Lorenzo Lanza

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LIV gets a touch of La Dolce Vita

1 t, Liv e p o ol, L r

N E W TO L I V O R G A N I C & N AT U R A L FOOD MARKET L A C A S A D E L L A PA S TA B R I N G S ORGANIC & FRESH, HANDMADE PA S TA W I T H AU T H E N T I C I TA L I A N S AU C E S M A D E I N S TO R E DA I LY AT O U R N E W L I V E PA S TA K I T C H E N

food news

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est friends Paul Hudson-Jones and Emira Shepherd are, quite literally, the gin to each other’s tonic.

Their love of all things gin inspired them to share their gin journey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Every day the pair select a gin from their vast collection to blog about.

From there they write a potted history on the story of the gin, expertly choose a garnish and tonic to match it with, and then upload a carefully styled picture to their social media sites, attracting 33,500 followers on Instagram alone. They have attracted the attention of gin distillers and tonic suppliers worldwide who are keen to collaborate and be featured on their pages.

They’ve started working with gin brands to run quirky themed events, from gin cruises and gin buses, and they’re now launching The Gin to My Tonic Show at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

Co-founder Paul Hudson-Jones says: “Gin drinking habits have changed dramatically in the last five years and today’s gin drinkers demand to know more, not only about what they are purchasing, but also how it can be served. The show is there to take you on a journey of discovery.”

As well as a chance to sample and buy a diverse range of artisan and craft gins, the show offers cocktail making masterclasses, blind taste challenges, presentations from distilleries, tonic and garnish tutorials, and theatrical bartender performances. It’s billed as ‘the ultimate interactive gin experience’.

Emira adds: “Liverpool has a vibrancy and cosmopolitan character that you won’t find anywhere else. We are delighted to be partnering with Exhibition Centre Liverpool to bring this show to life. We can’t wait to share the wonderful world of gin in a fun, different and engaging way.”

The show will take place on 7th-9th September 2018 at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

Tickets are available from thegintomytonic.com

Show is the perfect tonic for gin lovers

It’s Sunday roast Jim, but not as you know it On Sundays at Ma Boyle’s – the home of all things fondue – there’s a sharing dish offering a Sunday roast with a twist. It’s a fondue.

There’s huge slow-cooked beef brisket, with Yorkshire pudding waffles and all the trimmings, ready to dunk into a delicious, red wineinfused rich gravy bubbling away over a flame as you tuck in.

Forget the old ‘cheese or chocolate’ debate. This is serious fondue.

Sundays, Ma Boyle’s, Liverpool, www.maboyles.com www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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Food news

The Old Bank on James Street in Liverpool’s bustling commercial district has breathed new life into the former First National Bank.

It’s the latest project from Pub Invest Group, which owns more than 25 other city centre bars and clubs such as Eric’s, McCooley’s, SOHO, Level, Rubber Soul and Brooklyn Mixer.

Tony McGee, from Pub Invest Group, says: “Pub Invest has been wishing to launch in the business district for some time and the suitability of the First National Bank building as our first venture could not be any better. The long and rich history of the waterfront has been reflected in everything we have put in place.”

The Old Bank features a bespoke main island bar and cosy drinking and dining booths split over two floors with a second smaller mezzanine bar above, serving an impressive drinks list on draught and a bottled selection that includes a range of home grown local beers and craft ales.

A traditional ‘good pub food’ menu, with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and maritime influences, is served in the new mezzanine dining area. For sports fans, occasional big game matches will be shown live.

*Room is subject to availability.

Located on Liverpool's UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront, 30 James Street is a magnificent landmark steeped in maritime history.

Indulge, unwind and take in the magnificent surroundings.

An overnight stay in a luxury suite Two-course evening meal in Carpathia Breakfast in the morning

£138.00 per couple

For booking please call

0151 601 8603

or visit our website for more offers www.rmstitanichotel.co.uk/offers 30 James Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L2 7PQ

Food news

Village gets double dose of flavour

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iverpool’s bustling Cain’s Brewery Village has two new food concepts on the Upper Parliament Street side of the site.

Phooey’s Dim Sum and One Love Jamaican Jerk have joined the popular BBQ specialists Apocalypse Cow at ON AIR music and cocktail bar and Birdies Bar and BBQ which has doubled its size to meet demand.

ON AIR is the latest impressive development from the team behind Ghetto Golf, Kip Piper and Danny Bolger, and chart topping musician Ethan Allen.

A complete theatrical experience, it features huge beautifully painted 60ft film sets, with a secret garden mezzanine offering views over the stage. With live music at its heart, it has the feeling of a courtyard music festival, surrounded by stunning old

buildings and even a fairytale castle.

It is unlike anything Liverpool has seen before and there is now a second gate from Upper Parliament Street, which allows direct access.

Chefs Andrew Henry and Stephen Hampton (or Rolo and Burger as they are known) have created their own secret recipes, with the perfect blend of 100% beef in their burgers, as well as delicious slow smoked halloumi fries, butter, tofu and fish. As well as meat, vegetarian and vegan burgers, they offer a wide selection of twisted tapas for sharing, including baby back ribs, jumbo wings, lasagne bites and the best mac ‘n’ cheese in the city.

Phooey’s Dim Sum and One Love Jamaican Jerk offer an even bigger range of flavours, inspired by Liverpool’s love of world food.

For more information, see www. onairliverpool.com

Maray has launched a new spring menu, with dishes including duck tagine with courgette, bulgar wheat and apricot, burrata, chai tea grapes and harissa, arancini, butternut squash puree, apricot vinegar and pea shoots and a new Persian bread with zhug, confit garlic, paprika oil, tahini.

There’s also a new fillet steak, labneh, grapes, prune dish, as well as tenderstem broccoli, green olive harissa, apple and pistachio.

For details see www.maray.co.uk

Bordeaux comes to Liverpool Liverpool’s love of wine is to be celebrated in style this summer as the Fête le Vin in France’s wine capital of Bordeaux makes its UK debut in Liverpool.

Now in its eleventh year, the biennial festival regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of wine lovers.

It has previously been held in Hong Kong, Quebec, and Brussels, but organisers had never considered the UK as a host venue until now.

The Bordeaux Wine Festival will take place in Liverpool on the final May bank holiday weekend and will coincide with the spectacular Three Festivals Tall Ships Regatta.

Tickets are now on sale, starting from £18, and are available from www.BWFliverpool.com www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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food news

Which menu is right for you?

Check out the new app

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ver wanted a certain dish, but not known where to get it? Or want to find vegan options, but not known where to look?

Which Menu has launched in Liverpool, billed as ‘the first ever UK restaurant menu app’.

The app available on Android and IOS devices - is the first to allow customers to view official restaurant menus and search for specific items of food.

So, whether you fancy falafel, long for linguini or want to find a vegan menu, Which Menu promises to guide customers to the closest restaurants and the best offers - all on one easy to use app.

It provides restaurant location, opening times, recent reviews, prices and any special offers available. Customers can ‘like’ their favourite restaurants to ensure they receive future special offers straight to their phone.

According to the Which Menu Team, they have now reached their target number of restaurants to launch in Liverpool. But the

Team are still busy recruiting more and are offering restaurants who sign up a free six month trial from the launch date to restaurants only in the Liverpool area.

The plan is to take the App nationwide, recruiting more staff to sign up more restaurants in cities across the UK. Thomas White from Maray, one of the many restaurants included on the app says: “Which Menu is a great concept and we are looking forward to being part of the first wave of restaurants featured on the app. It's a unique marketing tool and will allow us to reach our followers in a very immediate way....we are excited to see how it will impact the Liverpool food and drink industry.”

ADVERT copy.pdf

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Restaurants can apply via the website : www.whichmenu.com/apply 16:37

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food news

Royal Institution gets a new lease of life

By Dawn Collinson

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ne of Liverpool’s most historic landmark buildings established by Liverpool philanthropists to “promote literature, has been transformed into the city’s newest private science and arts”. It was officially opened in November 1817 by members’ club. Owners, Gracious Development philanthropist William Roscoe and awarded its Royal Charter Group, have spent eight months restoring the Royal four years later.

Institution, retaining original features and bringing back its The downstairs rooms were used by the Literary and former elegance to create a club where members can work, eat, Philosophical Society and by the Liverpool Academy. There was drink and relax. also a room to display paintings from William Roscoe’s private With an all-day menu and meeting spaces, they hope it will collection and books which featured beautiful colour lithograph become a place for Liverpool’s professionals and creatives to get prints of birds and insects by famous New York painter and together for work or take a break and enjoy bringing guests. ornithologist John James Audubon. A selection of those have True to its 19th century roots, Royal Institution on now been reproduced in striking artwork on the walls of the new Colquitt Street will combine style and service, with a range of club, and the owners have also managed to track down one of complimentary perks available for members. Co-owner Ryan only 50 original gilt-edged books presented to invited guests at McMahon says: “We wanted to provide a comfortable and the opening event to feature in the club’s archives. safe environment where people could come to relax and get “We wanted to give people a real sense of the building’s really good service and great history,” adds co-owner Danny cocktails, premium spirits and Murphy. “We did a huge amount of champagne. research on the building to allow us to “The main focus of Royal create something that really fitted with Institution is the service. When it, so we kept and restored as many a member comes through the original features as we could and made door, either on their own or sure the ones we added complemented with their guests, everything those.” needs to be absolutely perfect.

Potential members will be It’s really important to us to interviewed and Royal Institution will offer that level of service where charge an annual membership fee of even the smallest, most subtle £250. Compared to London private detail has been thought about members’ clubs like Soho House and taken care of.” it’s low, but Ryan stresses it’s more Gracious Development Group The Royal Institution in its Victorian heyday about attitude than affluence: “Royal has owned Aloha bar in the Institution is all about a different level basement of the Royal Institution building for the past eight of service and we’re confident that people would be willing to years. Ryan explains: “It had been used by Barnardo’s and when pay for that. We kept the fee small, it covers the benefits we’re it became available we planned to take it on to use for our own offering to members, because really it’s more about finding offices. But then when we found out the history of the building, people who buy into what we’re offering and appreciate it.” we saw the potential it had and realised we had to do something more in keeping with its incredible past. That’s when we decided Royal Institution, 24 Colquitt Street, Liverpool L1 4DE to open a private members’ club.” www.royalinstitution.com. See pages 24,25 for an interview The Royal Institution dates back to 1814, when it was first with the men behind the Royal Institution www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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Classic white loaf recipe... by Room Forty This makes a lovely loaf and is easy to make because of the oil content.

Join us on one of our beginner’s bread classes and we’ll teach you how to make our World Bread Award-winning White Delight

1

Place the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other. Pour in the olive oil and 250ml warm water then use your hands to mix, carefully adding up to 75ml more warm water until a smooth dough forms. Note: you might not need all the water, or you may need a little more.

2

Knead the dough for about ten minutes until a smooth and elastic dough forms. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled in size.

This could take anything between an hour and an hour and three quarters, it all depends, just let the dough do its stuff!

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Put the oven on 200 degrees. 220 if it will go that hot.

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Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly oiled surface and give it another knead known as knocking it back (pushing the air out of it).

Shape into a large, taut ball by folding the dough into the middle, then place seam-down on a baking tray dusted with flour, polenta or semolina.

Or shape it into a rugby ball shape and drop it into a 2lb loaf tin (about 21cm long, 11cm wide and 7cm high (8 x 4 x 3 inches approx).

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If you have made a ball shaped loaf place a large inverted mixing bowl over the top (if you have one made of glass so much the better as you can see it prove).

If you have placed the dough in a tin cover very loosely with oiled clingfilm

leave to rise for about 45 minutes or until it has again doubled in size.

Ingredients: 500g strong white bread flour 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 10g fine sea salt 30ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing

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When ready to bake, use a sharp knife to slash the top of the bread (lightly grease the blade with oil to give a ‘cleaner’ cut).

Place into the centre of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. If you tap the bottom, the bread should sound hollow.

Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Natural is best when it comes to your daily bread, says Jen Perry

P

rocessed foods make up over 50 per cent of the average UK diet, which is alarming when you consider that a French study recently published in the British Medical Jounal found that the more ultra-processed food we consume, the greater our risk of cancer.

A basic loaf has just four ingredients; flour, water, yeast and salt. So far, so good. However, the vast majority of the 12 million loaves bought every day in Britain are produced in huge commercial bakeries and additives, sadly, are the norm.

Bread has taken a bad rap in recent years.

Gluten, carbs and yeast have been blamed for

16

all manner of ills. But a growing number of nutritionists are suggesting it is actually the additives in bread and extra yeast (coeliac disease aside) that are to blame for some of the symptoms rather than the gluten.

Real bread is delicious, healthy, filling and well worth seeking out. It is just not that easy to find. Sexton’s in Warrington bake real bread and Liverpool is blessed with Artisane, Rough Hand Made, Italian Club Bakery, East Avenue Bakehouse, Homebaked Anfield, The Bagelry, LIV and The Wild Loaf. If in doubt ask questions about additives at the bakery, or bakery counter.

Expect to pay more, but it is well worth the difference. Preservative free, the bread

won’t keep as long, but we just slice it and freeze it.

Encouragingly 13 per cent of people bake their own bread and at Room Forty we want to increase that number. A large, filling, homemade loaf will cost about 35p to make.

It just takes a little time, but the effort is well worth it.

We love teaching people to bake bread and run classes in Warrington, Grappenhall, Lymm, Rainford and now in Liverpool. Only two years ago I had never baked bread. Last year Room Forty won Silver in the World Bread Awards. Room Forty have a number of classes across the North West. Find them at: www.roomforty.co.uk/bakingworkshops

food news

life begins at

60

Afternoon tea and Sunday roast at 60 Hope Street

With its smart Georgian style and sunny aspect, 60 Hope Street has launched its new options for an afternoon in the prettiest part of the city.

Over at 60, it’s all about understated elegance – of the interior designers who have laid on a beautiful yet informal setting, of the staff, who seem to genuinely love being there, and of the food and drink itself.

For afternoon tea there’s dainty finger sandwiches, beautifully springy scones, served warm from the oven with freshly sliced strawberries and Cornish clotted cream and perfectly formed homemade cakes and pastel-coloured macarons.

Prices start at £18.95 for speciality tea, or for £27.50 you can add a glass of Champagne. Scones and clotted cream with tea is £11.

Or, if something more savoury is more to your liking, they have a Sunday lunch offer on at the moment with a roast and a pudding for £18 per person. To book, call 0151 707 6060 and quote “Roast Offer”.

Each traditional roast comes with all the accompaniments you’d hope, and the puddings are reassuringly hearty.

They say you can never have too much of a good thing. At 60 Hope Street, this certainly rings true. Book well ahead. www.60hopestreet.com

Izakaya adds spice to corporate catering There can be few things more depressing at the end of an otherwise successful meeting than a platter of curly cornered sandwiches, dry and unloved, surrounded by a sprinkling of crisps, long out of their packets, their intended flavours unknown.

Now Castle Street Japanese restaurant Izakaya is launching an alternative, bringing its fresh and fun style to the world of corporate catering.

“We recently did our first in Avenue HQ with Monzo Bank,” says co-director Harry Marquart. “We delivered our highly soughtafter bao buns filled with crispy pork, spicy mayonnaise, pickled red cabbage and crispy shallots. We were really pleased to see a repeat order for the following day.

“We’ve wanted to offer an alternative to cucumber sandwiches since we opened in 2016.

We are only now in a position to expand our operation and be able to deliver on this. We are sure that our sushi platters will give an added touch of class to any launch events, business

events and corporate meetings. We’ve invested in our outside catering facilities to be able to offer a full hot food menu, sushi platters and fully bespoke outside catering.”

The menus are competitive, starting at £5 per head. www.Izakaya-sushi.co.uk www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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THE OLD BANK, 2-8 JAMES STREET, LIVERPOOL, THEOLDBANKLIVERPOOL.CO.UK

food news Peter and Elaine Kinsella

Lunya pair proud to announce the arrival of their new baby restaurant

T

he team behind the multiple award-winning Lunya is preparing to open Lunyalita at the Albert Dock.

Eight years on and following the move to Liverpool One back in October 2017, owners Peter and Elaine Kinsella have seen a strong rise in footfall with regular full houses. They’ve even had to turn people away.

Elaine explains: “It seems that both locals and tourists can’t get enough of what we’re doing and naturally that’s very satisfying in one way but we do need more space to satisfy ongoing demand. Our move to Hanover Street has seen our sales in Liverpool shoot up by more than 25 per cent and we are confident of the demand continuing – our customers have told us so.

“We have often thought about giving birth to a ‘baby Lunya’ compared with our first two – Lunya Manchester and Liverpool are both more than 5000sq ft. We were made aware of a perfect opportunity at Albert Dock with space of 3000 sq ft available to develop our idea and we’re keen to show that Lunya can work in different formats. It will also make us more investor-friendly for

when we decide to grow further or even hang up our apron strings.”

Talking about the location of Lunyalita, Peter Kinsella spoke of the commercial advantages of “one of the most fabulous waterside spots in the UK.” He says: “Our unit is opposite the Arena and big wheel, next to the Beatles Story, the main entrance to the Albert Dock and, we overlook the dock too. Plus, we have a close emotional attachment to the Albert Dock, Elaine and I had our wedding reception here in 1988 and it seems serendipity that we can open here in our 30th wedding anniversary year.”

Lunyalita promises to be full of character, complete with 150-year-old paving stones, vaulted ceilings and a sun terrace.

“It will enable us to appeal to a more tourist-led market and help the Albert Dock attract more local trade too. It gives us the opportunity to attract some of the three quarters of a millionplus people that have dined and shopped with us in Liverpool One since we opened there in 2010. We’re also big fans of Albert Dock and love the plans for the area which will establish it as a high-end retail and dining destination.”

Speaking about Lunyalita, Elaine says: “We will still be a restaurant, bar and deli with the latter being much smaller...we stock nearly 1,400 different products in Lunya. Lunyalita will stock up to 400 products which will be carefully chosen to cater for the strong tourist market and local shoppers, residents and workers alike.”

The ground floor of Lunyalita will be more café, bar and deli, aiming for the strong, informal daytime trade. It will consist of a ‘stunning central island’ bar, open kitchen and informal café style seating.

Upstairs, Lunyalita will have a more formal restaurant seating with a purpose-designed private dining and meeting space that can hold up to 50 people seated or 80 standing.

Peter says: “Our bar will have a smaller, more focussed drinks offering with some new wines, spirits and beers. We’ve literally been scouring Catalunya and the rest of Spain for some new drinks to feature and we’re very excited with what we can offer.

We want it to reflect our influences and experiences eating our way around Spain...with our deli roots drawing on some other influences of delis across the world.”

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

19

food news

‘Getting fired by Sir Alan was the best thing that could have happened’

By Dawn Collinson

I

t took a caravan and a selfconfessed sales disaster to get Kurt Wilson fired from the nation’s most famous boardroom.

But Lord Sugar’s trademark dismissal, back in 2013, didn’t send him retreating to the relative safety of a regular day job like so many Apprentice candidates before him.

If anything, it gave him a renewed determination to grow his own business, Fuel Station. Not, he insists, because he wanted to prove Lord Sugar wrong; there was never any sense of the revenge success.

“I don’t think I’d have ever won, even if I’d been the best person,” he reflects.

“They picked me for the show because I was a fit that they were looking for in that group of 16.

“I wasn’t a sales person though, so when I had to sell a caravan at the NEC I made a couple of blunders to say the least. Was Lord Sugar right to fire me?

Yeah, in that situation I’d have probably fired me as well.”

So he walked away without the investment or any words of wisdom from the abrasive billionaire. “Not one conversation even,” he reveals.

What his experience on the series did give him was the impetus to come home to Liverpool and refocus on his healthy shakes business.

Kurt, pictured left, channelled his energies into the business which he’d started with his older brother Jay six months

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earlier after their own sibling fitness works as a performance nutritionist for rivalry highlighted a lack of easilyEngland’s national football squads, they available healthy food-to-go. added perfectly-balanced meals to their “We noticed there was nowhere to shakes, supplements and snacks range. get a good quality healthy lunch so we “We use the right type of came up with the idea of offering shakes carbohydrates, the right fats, the right tailored to each person’s goal, whether it amount of protein – and we source was weight loss, going to the gym, or just everything carefully so we know it’s the wellbeing.” best quality.”

They launched Fuel Shakes in Fuel Station’s customer base now Liverpool city centre and struck lucky ranges from time-poor office workers to with some unplanned social media elite athletes. endorsement.

“The majority are female: women who “A couple of WAGs and celebrities go to the gym after work then either don’t started coming in after the gym or yoga want to or don’t have the time to prepare sessions, including Steven Gerrard’s wife something healthy when they get home, Alex,” he remembers. “They put posts on or want a lunch to eat at their desk that’s their Twitter and Instagram and that got good for them and not bland. our name out there.

“But we also look after sports people “The actress Michelle Keegan, who was – James designed a meal plan for Tyson still at Coronation Street then, saw them Fury before the Klitschko world title fight and got in touch. and we have Premier League footballers “They only have a six-hour shelf who come to us. We’ve still got quite a life, they’re made fresh, so I’d drive from Liverpool to Manchester every morning at 6am before work and deliver one myself. It cost more in petrol than the shake did, but it was worth it because she’d post about it and the next day we’d have an extra 10 customers, then another 10 and it went on …”

It was a desire to give the business an extra boost that prompted Kurt Fan: reality TV star Vicky Pattison to apply for The Apprentice. few celebrities too, like the TOWIE and “Naively I’d watch it and think I could Made in Chelsea cast.” do better than the idiots on there, like Kurt, who is also co-owner of Izakaya everyone does,” he jokes. restaurant on Castle Street, can proudly By the time he was fired that desire say that Fuel Station broke the £1million was even stronger and Kurt and his turnover barrier in 2017. brother began researching investment Now with partner Joanna, 17-month opportunities. They discovered Angels old son Felix and another baby boy on Den, which is like a real-life version of the way, 31-year-old Kurt says he’ll be Dragon’s Den, and aimed to raise £150k disappointed if the company doesn’t for a 20 per cent share of their business. double its turnover in the next 12 Having successfully won an initial months. investment from a consortium through All of which makes Lord Sugar’s speed funding, they were contacted via decision to fire him seem quite unwise LinkedIn by a second investor in the City now … who agreed to match-fund £75k.

“My business plan when I went on The In July 2014, £150k secured, the Apprentice was awful,” he admits. “I read brothers closed their first shop, it back now and cringe. Now we know rebranded as Fuel Station and opened a what we have and we know we can make unit in Aintree. it work.”

Teaming up with James Morehen, who

food news

Smell the coffee Liverpool barista, trainer and coffee guru Natasha Murphy, also known as ScouseCoffeeGirl, takes us on a coffee lover’s tour of the Baltic Triangle

V

oted the coolest place to live in Britain by The Times no less, the Baltic Triangle is a reminder of Liverpool’s strong industrial and maritime past, with factory buildings standing proud next to new modern glass facades.

As I walk down Jamaica Street I’m filled with pride that Liverpool continues to develop and invest in its culture, bringing together a mix of creatives, small businesses, students – and some of the best coffee in the city.

Coffee and Fandisha Meanwhile, hiding around the corner is the hidden gem, Coffee and Fandisha.

I heard great things prior to my visit here and it didn’t disappoint.

The coffee itself is wonderful. I chose an espresso for my flying visit and I could taste cherry-flavoured berry notes with a hint of chocolate which was simply divine.

to sit and relax, with limited tables and space to move around. My latte arrived promptly and had a rich nutty flavour, decorated with a foamy tulip.

There is a collection of vintage bikes in the corner and the décor has a lot going on visually.

Ryde might not be for everyone but is much loved by the local cycling community and quick-stop coffee goers.

Ideal for anyone on the move in need of a quick coffee or bite to eat.

Unit 51 In the heart of the Baltic Creative lies Unit 51. Reclaimed wooden objects adorn the ceiling and walls. It’s the perfect place to sit, relax or conference, with a real communal feel.

The works of local photographer John Johnson hang on the walls and the furnishings have a modern contemporary feel but nothing too pretentious or radical.

This is a really great meeting place to catch up with friends, as it’s a really quiet, inviting space to spend time off the beaten Baltic track.

I ordered a flat white, which was simply delicious. Alongside its beautiful creamy texture it was presented with a nicely executed piece of latte art sitting on top.

Looking around I could see it was a very popular meeting point for both local workers and visitors to the area, thanks, no doubt, to its central location and great food and drink offering.

Ryde Ryde is located in the heart of the new Cains Brewery development. This café offers a unique perspective as it doubles up as both coffee shop and bicycle repair shop.

On visiting during a busy Saturday afternoon it was difficult to find room

With the Baltic Market now successfully settling into its residency and with more development on the way around the Brewery area, the Baltic Triangle will no doubt continue to grow and have mass appeal for coffee lovers for many years.

Only time will tell if plans for the likes of Ten Streets will offer anything near as good a hub to challenge it.

Read more at scousecoffeegirl.wordpress.com and www.instagram.com/scousecoffeegirl

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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feature

“Mareek’s goat curry is the stuff of legend.... real Punjabi soul food”

global market 22

feature

Jen Perry finds the revitalised Warrington Market has plenty of flavours to tempt the dedicated foodie

T

here’s a surprise new foodie destination on the block that is well worth a visit. Warrington Market has got its mojo back and those in the know are flocking back.

Housed in a bright and bustling building in the centre of town there’s an independent food court with a street food buzz that I was keen to experience first-hand.

Check out Singh’s Grillhouse; Mareek’s goat curry is already the stuff of legend. As he proudly and enthusiastically puts it, it is ‘Real Punjabi soul food’.

His neighbour, Andy, shares a history of high end street food and has chosen to park up his trailer and settle in Warrington. ‘Café at the End of the Universe’ serves amazing hand-crafted burgers. How does the ‘Electric Mayhem’ grab you – double beef fried onion patty, American cheese, pepper mustard and ‘secret’ sauce on a brioche bun, perhaps with a side order of ‘SciFries’?

Why not spice things up a little with fresh cooked Thai food, show some Italian love with authentic stone baked pizzas, or wiggle your chopsticks and enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine? There’s even an award-winning Real Ale shack for those with a thirst in need of quenching.

For the foodie shopper and cook there are the traditional butchers, greengrocers and fishmongers, many of whom have been trading in Warrington Market for generations.

These folk know the provenance of their product and have the knowledge and passion to advise

on the best cuts and ways to cook, prepare and serve.

Andrews Fish & Game has been trading at the market since 1995.

Regulars at the Tatton Show, they are one of the finest game suppliers in the region and great fishmongers too – Andrew Leicester Jnr won Young Fishmonger of the Year a few years back. They are the go-to suppliers of venison, quail, pigeon, pheasant, rabbit, hare…all locally sourced.

Dave Mooney heads the stall at The Liverpool Cheese Company.

Those in the know will be aware that it was listed in the Top 15 Cheese Shops in the UK by The Times in November. Dave, a former chef, has an effervescent excitement for food, cooking and all things cheese.

There’s a regular deli too which, along with a Thai delicatessen, will soon to be supplemented with Korean and Japanese grocers.

I have always loved Warrington Market. It’s where I began my working life, and this new phase is exciting. Great food, knowledgeable stallholders who have time to share their skills and ingredients that are five star. Look out for the forthcoming masterclasses in butchery, cheese, bread making, floristry and more.

With summer around the corner they’ll be spilling into the streets and igniting passion in kitchens across the North West. Oh and there’s free parking for three hours in the new multi-storey car park.

Grab your coat!

Find out more at www.warrington.gov.uk/market www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

23

state of

Grace

Danny Murphy, left, and Ryan McMahon

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goodtaste promotion

Danny Murphy and Ryan McMahon talk about the ethos behind their Gracious Development Group

By Dawn Collinson

T

he owners of eight innovative bars in Liverpool have formed a company, Gracious Development Group, which will lead the city’s hospitality industry.

Danny Murphy and Ryan McMahon have co-owned venues in the city centre for the past eight years, since opening their first basement tiki bar, Aloha, on Colquitt Street.

They now have Aloha – which has just celebrated its birthday with a Jonny Bongo party night – along with cocktail bar Furnival’s Well in the old bridewell, commercial district basement disco and bar Jenny’s, and the Studio2 bar and live music venue in the former Parr Street recording studios.

The pair also own hidden gems Berry & Rye cocktail and whisky specialists, and late-night absinthe hideout Some Place.

Their latest addition is the Royal Institution building, above Aloha, which they’ve transformed into a private members club and specialist spirits merchants Whisky Business.

Royal Institution is one of the most historic landmarks in the city centre, dating back 200 years when it was originally established by Liverpool philanthropists to “promote literature, science and arts.”

Most recently used as offices by Barnardo’s, the company saw an opportunity to create an exclusive members-only club, restoring the

building and retaining many of its original features.

The choice of Gracious Development Group as a company name represents the shared values and service ethics of Danny, Ryan and their expanding team.

Ryan explained: “We have a mindset across all of our employees, which has been in our core manual from day one, and that is grace, attention, respect.

“They are the three things that we ask of every single person in every single situation, whoever they’re dealing with, whether it’s a window cleaner, a barback, a manager, or a guest.

“Every point of the working day goes back to that and we’ve always really focused as a business on those three things so that was why we wanted to include gracious in our name.”

Danny added: “Development is a huge part of what we do – we invest heavily in developing staff, we have a designated training team, and we’ve developed our sites and as a company in the eight years since we started.

“We’ve grown organically and always promoted from within. We have a low turnover of staff because they’re always developed and helped every step of the way, often from bar-back to general manager.

“We wanted a company name which had a real meaning to us, and what is important to us in business, and Gracious Development Group has that.”

All of the Liverpool city centre bars owned by Gracious Development Group have a straw policy in operation.

Aloha, Furnival’s Well, Jenny’s and Studio2 on Parr Street are all included in the ‘by-request-only’ rule.

So are Berry & Rye and absinthe specialists Some Place – and the newly-launched Royal Institution has had it from day one.

“We try as a company to be very environmentally aware and we were among the first bars in Liverpool to stop using plastic straws,” explained coowner Ryan McMahon.

“We use biodegradable straws and only provide them if a guest asks, otherwise drinks are always served without a straw. We’ve changed our bartenders’ use of straws too.

“Generally, a bartender will use a couple of straws to taste every cocktail before they serve it then throw them away. That means the consumption of bartenders’ straws is huge compared to guests so we changed that process a while ago and brought in a blanket rule of giving bartenders metal straws for tasting.” www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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Families

Bite-sized fun Brighten up your little sunshine’s day with this weather-themed dining set from Danish design favourites Flying Tiger. The Weather Forecast set includes placemat £1, cutlery set £5, cup £1, and plate £2. From uk.flyingtiger. com

Eat your dinner off the king of the jungle with this fun lion set (£15) from Rex London, formerly dotcomgiftshop, now at www. rexlondon.com

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Fab children’s tableware for spring

Peter Rabbit Children’s Melamine Dining Set £22.99 at Dobbies. To explore the range, call into the store or see www.dobbies. com

Enjoy your food on the move with these light bright snack boxes (£8) from Paperchase at www. paperchase. co.uk

The goodtaste guide to:

100 A

inspiring women

s the food and drink industry in Merseyside continues to thrive, maybe it’s time we reclaim the phrase “a woman’s place is in the kitchen”. Often a male-dominated sector, the women featured in this list demonstrate how, particularly in our region, women are really leading the way in food and drink.

Dining is at the heart of culture, and Merseyside’s food and drink scene has experienced an incredible surge in recent years and it continues to show no signs of slowing down. We’re home to award-winning chefs boasting innovative and diverse menus of global cuisine, signature dishes and local favourites alike, as well as specialists in the business of brilliant booze.

As we mark 100 years of women being granted the right to vote in the UK, it’s important to build on the legacy of the brave and historic women who went before us by shining a spotlight on the trailblazers and the innovators of today who are breaking barriers and paving the way for more women to follow in their footsteps.

At The Women’s Organisation, we wholeheartedly welcome this celebratory list of women that tells the tales of the incredible entrepreneurs, activists and dreamers who, through their passion for food and drink, are creating jobs, shaping communities and redefining the way we eat and drink in Merseyside.

So, read on for a look at the women who are having a transformative impact on the culinary industry as we know it, and let your tastebuds salivate at what Merseyside has to offer when it comes to fantastic food and drink.

The Women’s Organisation

Julie O’Grady

Lucy Antal

Julie founded Ladies That Beer after noticing a lack of women at beer festivals.

She decided to form a group to encourage women to try beer, learn about beer, and to help empower them when they were out drinking to feel comfortable and confident choosing a beer whether sitting on their own or in a group.

They hold monthly socials, bottle shares and education events across the city, and sometimes beyond. They have also brewed their own beer.

Julie also co-owns Neptune Brewery based in Maghull.

Food lover, maker of preserves and writer Lucy makes jams, chutneys, curds and marmalades, bakes her own sourdough bread and makes a lot of cakes, some as a volunteer for Free Cakes for Kids Liverpool.

She sells award-winning preserves under the name Grab Your Spoon at Lark Lane farmer’s market and through the Liverpool Cheese Company.

She’s also the project manager for the Regional Food Economy NW for Feedback, an environmental charity that campaigns to end food waste and volunteers for the Alexandra Rose Voucher project in Liverpool.

Jeni Wadkin and Natalie Hardman Friends and business partners Jeni and Natalie opened Siren within the Women’s Organisation building, offering home-made food and fresh coffee.

They regularly get involved with events in the area from the Makers Markets to social networking with The Baltic Schmooze.

They also offer parties, weddings and events, as well as business lunches and conferences.

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

27

Claire Lara

Masterchef The Professionals winner Claire has cooked for the Queen, as well as running restaurants in Merseyside and North Wales. The busy mum of two is currently working in Spring’s Spa in Ruthin, offering a seven course tasting menu once a month, as well as working alongside husband Marc at The Archer in Astley, and private dining commissions.

Collette Poole

Quality and service are at the heart of everything they do at Salt House Tapas, Hanover Street Social, Salt House Bacaro and the soon to open Rocket and Ruby’s. Collette’s impeccable sense of style and eye for detail ensure that the sites always look fabulous, as well as serving excellent food and making sure every guest feels welcome. Together with husband Jonathan and business partner Paddy, Collette makes sure standards are always sky high and that guests come back time and again.

Margaret Campbell

Margaret has inspired those around her to volunteer with her and set up West Kirby Farmers’ Market.

She is keen that all have access to good fresh local food. She has been running the market for four years and in that time has spent all her efforts to raise the profile of the producers and the market.

She spent several years before then striving to create the market and pulling together resources to make it happen.

Elaine Clarke Recognised as a powerhouse within the hospitality industry, CEO of Baa Bar Limited, Elaine’s influence on shaping Liverpool’s nightlife is tangible.

At the age of 23, Elaine took the reins of her auntie’s business, city institution Cafe Tabac, which has traded successfully from its Bold Street home now for over 40 years.

Approached in the early 1990s by entrepreneurs Tom Bloxham and Jonathan Falkingham, she then went on to join Baa Bar Group, launching the flagship Fleet Street venue as a pioneer within the sector.

The mid-1990s saw a second bar complex open in Concert Square with Rococomodo. In its present incarnation of Modo, it makes up part of healthy portfolio of brands and venues owned and operated by Elaine, which still includes Cafe Tabac, as well as three Baa Bars and acclaimed Hope Street bar and restaurant Frederiks. Elaine is also part owner of Baltic Triangle venue Camp and Furnace.

Jackie Buxton

Jackie is one of Liverpool’s best known landladies, at the helm of the White Star in Button Street, one of the Cavern Quarter’s most famous pubs and a former haunt of the Beatles. Jackie was instrumental in helping set up the early incarnation of the Mathew Street Festival alongside other publicans and her late husband Alfie.

Gail Bellew and Jane Patton

The backbone of the front of house operation at the city’s Bacchus Taverna, Gail’s exchanges with long-standing friend and restaurant owner Diamantis Vagianos are the stuff of legend … especially on a busy night. Di’s partner Jane manages to find time outside a successful career in property to help steer the good ship Bacchus.

28

Denise Harris Founder and managing director of SK Events, Denise has organised the annual

Liverpool Food and Drink Festival in Sefton Park for the past 10 years.

She has introduced some of the country’s top chefs to the city, including Marco Pierre White, James Martin, John Torode, Gino D’Acampo, Tom Kerridge, Gizzi Erskine and Yottam Ottolenghi.

Both Marco and Gino went on to open restaurants in the city following their appearances at Liverpool Food and Drink Festival.

Showcasing the best of the city’s talented local chefs, regional producers and food and drink experts, Liverpool Food and Drink Festival has become a firm favourite on the city’s events calendar, attracting more than 50,000 visitors every year.

Nisha Katona Barrister turned chef and now writer and TV presenter too, Nisha is a curry evangelist and food lover who puts her heart into every project.

The first Mowgli restaurant opened in Liverpool in late 2014, blowing away the critics and forming legions of fans.

The simple dishes of a Mowgli menu are a million miles away from the curry stereotype, with fenugreek-kissed fries, masala wraps, and delicious chat bombs.

Nisha now has two Liverpool Mowglis, as well as one in Manchester, Birmingham and Oxford, with more following soon.

She regularly appears on television and radio as a restaurant, food and business expert and her third recipe book is out now.

Kate Hughes Kate launched Free State Kitchen five years ago when she swapped her career in events for the chance to follow her dream of running her own restaurant.

She continues to lead the way in the city’s burger revolution with its contemporary twist on American classics. Before coming a restaurateur, Kate was a sponsorship and sales manager in the events industry.

Fran Lloyd

Anne-Louise Bouffard-Roupe

Fran Lloyd is landlady of one of Liverpool city centre’s most popular pubs, the Beehive on Paradise Street, a must for regulars and tourists alike that has the feel of a local and the grandeur of an old-fashioned city gin palace.

Anne-Louise is co-founder of French patisserie-boulangerie Artisane, which launched in Childwall in 2016 before opening a second shop with a café on Liverpool’s Bold Street last year.

Before launching Artisane, Anne-Louise spent more than 10 years working in the events industry, where she played a key role in many of the city’s top events including Liverpool Food and Drink Festival.

Carol Ross

Landlady Carol and her family before her have run the Roscoe Head for 30 years. This year, her pub won its 45th consecutive entry into the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Only five other pubs in the UK share that accolade.

Gemma McGowan

Bala Croman Bala owns The Chocolate Cellar and makes artisan chocolates for sale online, at farmers’ markets and through selected retailers, including Claremont Farm, Greens of Oxton, Stollies and Ness Gardens.

Multi-award winning, hers was recently Small Awards best multichannel business, and she’s a small business champion for Small Business Saturday. She’s been producer of the year at Liverpool Food and Drink Awards and now shares her skills with workshops across Merseyside. A passionate food lover, and a champion of other people’s businesses, she a food champion in every sense.

Jessica Doyle As a graduate of London’s Central St Martin’s, Jessica always had her sights

on a creative career. It took a placement with the Biennial in Liverpool to broker an unlikely introduction to what’s become Jessica Doyle’s real passion: bread.

She went from being head baker at Homebaked Anfield to owning her own bakery, The Wild Loaf, after a course at Liverpool community college.

She started out doing wholesale on her own, supplying city centre restaurants including The Pen Factory and 60 Hope Street, before opening a bakery and shop on Hardman Street.

Having been in the trade for more than 18 years, Gemma McGowan was the driving force behind the excellent Kemp’s bistro in the Isla Gladstone Conservatory in Stanley Park and is director of hospitality training academy Hestia.

Lisa Baker

Lisa and her husband Craig keep standards high at the Hillbark Hotel and Spa in Frankby, The Leverhulme Hotel in Port Sunlight and Haigh Hall in Wigan. With a real focus on food and drink, they have a real focus on local, seasonal produce in their restaurants.

Laura King

Dawn Di Bella With a superb eye for detail and a real passion for food, Dawn ensures that every guest at Da Piero is greeted with the warmest of welcomes.

The multi award-winning Sicilian restaurant is a labour of love for the Di Bella family, Dawn and her chef husband Piero and son Alan.

For the last 12 years they have run their beautiful Irby restaurant, winning high praise from the likes of the Guardian, Good Food Guide and Michelin Guide.

Piero and Alan’s cooking is a huge draw, but credit must go too to Dawn’s knowledge and skill front of house, making every guest feel like a long lost friend and explaining the menus with such passion and love she makes it look easy.

In her third year as landlady of the Caledonia, Laura fought off potential closure by the brewery after mobilising a huge community campaign. Five years on, she has carved out for the Catharine Street favourite a niche as the city’s only vegan food pub and a reputation as an excellent live music venue.

Mary Walton

The driving force behind Windsor’s Fruit Liqueurs in Burton, and a regular at farmers markets’ across Wirral, Mary makes homemade liqueurs, with superb damson gin and rhubarb vodka, hand-crafted using a traditional infusion method containing local and seasonal real fruit and no artificial flavouring or colouring. It’ll blow your socks off.

Denise Pendleton

Denise runs The Gluten Free Pie Company, and is a regular at farmers’ markets. Her products fill a real need for people with dairy and wheat allergies, but also to the growing number of people making a cruelty free choices.

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Caroline Hill

The owner of Caz’s Kitchen in Waterloo’s St John’s Road., Caroline received the first Special Judges’ Award in the latest Merseyside Independent Business Awards, organised by Liverpool law firm Morecrofts.

Michelle FouliaConstantinou

Having previously owned Roses Tea Rooms in Heswall, Michelle now runs Cyprus Mezze, a popular pop-up restaurant, with partner Andreas.

Jane Fern

Owner of Chilli Gourmet, Jane makes artisan chilli sauces, chutneys and relishes from her base in Heswall, with finest local ingredients and homegrown exotic chilli peppers.

Katy Elliot Nearly 20 years ago, Katy had two small children at nursery. She found that the quality of the food they were being offered during the day was not as good as they were getting at home.

It sparked an idea in Katy’s mind and The Nursery Kitchen was born – she was on a one woman mission to create and produce a range of delicious, homecooked meals using the freshest local produce for babies and toddlers and to be supplied to nurseries.

The Nursery Kitchen now feeds over 20,000 mouths a week and delivers to day nurseries throughout the UK.

Cathy is soon to celebrate Panoramic 34’s tenth birthday, one of Britain’s highest restaurants, with views across the city and beyond.

Cathy took over running the restaurant six years ago, and is currently in the process of opening a bistro in Oxton, one of Wirral’s best-loved foodie destinations.

Filter + Fox’s Charlotte is a rising star - she recently won the Tennessee Calling, runs Babetenders where women take over a bar and promotes women in the bar industry.

Now sales manager at Revolution De Cuba on the Albert Dock, Gwen previously worked for Graffiti Spirits. She’s well known in the city as a hugely talented all round organiser and promoter, is a ball of positivity and is a great asset to any brand.

Sara Fleming

Assistant General Manager at Santa Maluco, Sara Fleming win praise across the industry as a professional and inspirational manager, who knows her stuff and is supportive, ensuring the highest of standards from staff and the best quality for customers

Kate Keyes

Kate is the general manager at Restaurant Bar and Grill, an excellent leader at one of the busiest hospitality sites in the city.

Tessa Swerdlow

Tessa was a well known face at Red Door, before moving to Mahiki Manchester and is now working freelance as a consultant in the hospitality sector.

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Head chef at Bold Street Maray at just 21 years old, Liv creates the kind of menus that have guests coming back time and again.

Cathy Frost

Charlotte Coyle

Gwen Prior

Liv Alarcon

Ceri Newton Award-winning baker Ceri sells evenly cakes, bakes and lunch favourites from Gorge’Us Tea Rooms in Spital, Wirral.

Beautifully fluffy Victoria sponges sit alongside superb lavender scones and delicious traybake and sandwiches in her stunning vintage-inspired shop.

She also supplies cafes and coffee shops across Merseyside, and everything is home-made, using the best local ingredients

Jen Perry Jen set up Room Forty, a mobile afternoon tea emporium and baking school, where she makes, bakes, delivers

Kim Sowah Coffee & Fandisha offers a fresh addition to Liverpool’s growing appetite for artisan and specialist coffee.

Sourced entirely from local and cooperative farms in Ethiopia, the Brick Street coffee shop takes inspiration from the traditional ways of an Ethiopian coffee ceremony: serving their coffee alongside complimentary baskets or bowls of spiced popcorn, known as fandisha.

It was opened by nutrition specialist Kim who teamed up with childhood friend and interior designer Keeley McKenzie to create a coffee shop inspired by her partner’s Ethiopian roots.

Sarah Lovelock

Kay and Sanya Wadud Kay and her daughter Sanya have come a long way from working as a police officer and a solicitor to launching Perfect Samosa.

The concept is simple – to create fresh seasonal, locally sourced samosas, all completely handmade and hand-finished with distinctive toppings for each flavour.

They have attended more than 1,200 events, artisan markets and food festivals over the past two years, have been crowned BBC Good Food Show Champions, and are now expanding to artisan farm shops.

and serves all the afternoon teas herself on her now vast collection of vintage bone china.

Last year she served over 600 afternoon teas including catering at the Pankhurst Trust’s Centenary Celebration.

Her White Delight bread won Silver in the Tiptree World Bread Awards and the Room Forty Mobile Baking School runs classes in Warrington, Grappenhall, Lymm, Rainford and Mossley Hill.

shop was selected as one of the top 15 cheese shops in Britain by the Times newspaper.

Last year they opened a second branch in Warrington Market, which is going from strength to strength.

A passionate foodie, Candice established the popular Liverpool food haven Delifonseca in 2006.

Now a multi-award winning independent eatery and deli, it currently operates across two sites in Stanley Street and Brunswick Quay.

Helen Harry

As owner of Country Mile Kitchen, Helen runs a food subscription service providing bread, soups and preserves delivered by hand on a vintage bicycle. All her food is seasonal and sourced locally where possible. A trained teacher, Helen also runs inspirational baking classes.

Saira Ashford

Saira runs The Little Cottage Cakery, where she bakes amazing cakes for any occasion with dedication and attention to detail. She is self-taught, and works with her customer’s ideas to create unique and bespoke designs.

She has built up a loyal clientele in and around Rainford.

Joanna Jones

Elaine Kinsella

Candice Fonseca

Sarah opened Lovelock’s Coffee Shop in the Old Haymarket almost two years ago, selling great coffee and home-made food, catering for meat eaters, vegans, vegetarians and the gluten intolerant.

Elaine is the co-owner and co-founder of Lunya. Originally an educational psychologist, Elaine ploughed everything she had into making Lunya the success it is today, overseeing the development of front of house operations and the strategic direction of the company.

She has also played an important part in ensuring Lunya has lots of women in senior management positions. Lunya’s considerable success is very much down to Elaine’s contribution, working in partnership with husband Peter.

Joanna left a successful career in TV and film to open her own restaurant in New Brighton. Blackberry Grove has become a favourite with customers and critics, with steady stream of award nominations and wins.

Gabby Holmes and Natalie Crean

The Real Junk Food Project in Everton Brow aims to tackle the issue of food waste by saving surplus food waste and using it to create delicious and nutritious meals. It was created

by Gabby and Natalie to serve food on a “Pay As You Feel” basis - time, talents and donations are warmly accepted in return for a cooked meal.

Emma Purchase

Vickie Anderson Liverpool’s only specialist cheese shop, the Liverpool Cheese Company, was established in 2006 in an old grade IIlisted dairy in Woolton Village.

Owners Vickie and Ian are passionate about cheese and offer over 200 different cheeses so that everyone can share that passion.

They produce bespoke wedding “cakes” made entirely of cheese and run cheese schools across the city. Last year the

Daniela Tucci Daniela is 21 years of age and has already won Merseyside North West Young Chef of the Year.

The first female in the history of the competition to take the title, The Art School’s pastry chef has twice made the final for Young Chef of the Year. Daniela is extremely talented and has an old head on young shoulders.

The creator of Sweet Pea & Little Wolf in Wirral, Emma has a delicious range of bespoke herbal tea, iced tea and flowering tea, and a range of mugs and sweet quirky little infusers to take with you on your adventures.

Alison Lockett-Burke

Alison opened Onion deli on Aigburth Road after leaving a career as a teacher. She then opened the trendy cafe-bar The Baltic Social where she launched the Punk Afternoon Tea. She most recently opened Hus on Tithebarn Street, a cafe full of hygge loveliness.

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Cakehole started when Clare became vegan, but still wanted to be able to enjoy baking and eating cakes.

She began to bake for Maguire’s Pizza Bar, where she was working at the time, and when demand increased, friend Louise joined to help out with the baking.

The pair are currently setting up a new kitchen in the Baltic Triangle.

Natalie Haywood Natalie began her journey in 2007, running a tea shop in Static Gallery, Liverpool, with a passion to bring quality loose-leaf tea to the city in an intimate and creative space.

Leaf soon moved to Parliament Street, before ultimately finding its home in Bold Street, picking up many accolades along the way.

Over the years they have expanded into The Garden at FACT, Oh Me Oh My, Leaf in Manchester and the newest member of the family - One Fine Day on Old Hall Street. The sites continue to bring Natalie’s passion for great quality food and drink, music and good times to life.

Sally-Anne Watkiss Treasurer at Homebaked Cooperative Bakery in Anfield, Sally spent 25 years as accountant at a FTSE 100 Finanical Services Company.

In 2013 she left full time work and started volunteering with social businesses.

She joined Homebaked just as the bakery opened and has helped grow it to be the successful community business it is today.

with its agile approach to providing PR services to food, drink and hospitality businesses.

Chapman Poole looks after consumer PR for many of Huyton-based Halewood Wines & Spirits’ brands including Liverpool Gin, Whitley Neill Gin, Marylebone Gin, The City of London Distillery and Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer.

Rosaria Crolla Together with partner Maurizio Pelligrini, Rosaria opened The Italian Club in 2007.

The restaurant has been celebrated by the likes of Giles Coren in The Times and Olive magazine which have featured it in their top 10 Italian restaurants in the UK. Together they have also opened The Italian Club Fish and The Italian Club Bakery.

Kasia Psiuk As head of marketing at Bistro Qui? Kasia’s role involves everything from supervising social media and online presence to sales strategies, reservations and events, websites and customer feedback.

She joined team in Bistro Pierre as a waitress in 2005, a month after arriving in the UK, On her 30th birthday she was awarded with Outstanding Customer Service in Liverpool Region, by Visit Liverpool.

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Jane Clare Popular wine columnist Jane – aka One Foot in the Grapes – is now sharing her love of wine with the rest of us.

Wine lover Jane, a former editor of The Wirral News, is now running tastings and events across Merseyside and beyond.

She’s also Good Taste’s very own wine columnist.

Clare Gabbott and Louise Williams

Agatha Chapman-Poole

Cakehole Vegan Bakery makes amazing cakes that just happen to be vegan, for individual orders, wholesale and events.

Former journalist and BBC TV presenter, Agatha runs Chapman Poole, a PR agency which has disrupted the agency market

Danielle Youds GM at the award-winning Delifonseca on Stanley Street, providing great food and wine to the world.

Wedding planner and self-confessed cookbook hoarder, Danielle has organised numerous catering events at the Stanley Street site.

Lavinia Cooke General manager at Delifonseca Dockside, Lavinia has a real passion for food and drink, as well as excellent customer service.

Joanne Tune

Chutney Street Food in Oxton is a haven of authentic Indian cuisine.

Joanne dreamed of opening up her own restaurant, and combining her background in stunning interior design with her passion for authentic Indian food.

Tam Jade Williams

Maria Panayiotis

Mrs Danvers’ Cafe is a haven of fine food and drink based in the beautiful Port of Liverpool Building. Maria serves up delicious home cooking and heavenly afternoon teas under the watchful eye of Daphne Du Maurier’s scariest character.

Helen Harry

Tam is marketing and brand manager at Pub Invest group, one of the largest operators of bars and night clubs in the region, with more than 30 brands in its portfolio. Tam keeps standards high and puts the customer at the heart of everything she does.

Founder of the Country Mile Kitchen in Rainford, Helen delivers home made bread, soups and preserves on her vintage bicycle. She uses only local produce and runs bakery classes to share her skills.

Susana Simoes and Lynn Jeffries

PR guru Carolyn looks after some of the top food and drink establishments in the city, including Hilton, PIMA and The Exchange, Gusto Albert Dock, Gusto Heswall, Alchemist, Club House, Smugglers Cove, Olive, Red Door and The Florist.

Susana is from Portugal’s Silver Coast and Lynn hails from Liverpool. Both have a passion for good food and wine and wanted to champion the quality produce available from smaller artisan suppliers in Portugal when they opened Deli 1386.

Get there early to enjoy the best pastel del data this side of Lisbon.

Carolyn Hughes

Squash Nutrition

Award-winning baker and founder of Squidges, Katie (aka Squidge) started baking at the tender age of five. After the birth of her son in 2011, her passion for baking really came to the forefront, and she now runs an award winning baking company in Wirral.

Special mention must go to Squash, a female-led organisation made up of codirectors Clare Owens and Becky Vipond, chair of the board is Kim Johnson, projects lead is Lisa Agatha, horticulture lead is Jackie Swanson, food ops manager Gina Tsang and chef Poppy Huyton.

Their new food space opens in May on Windsor Street.

Michaela Vérité

Katie Kenwright

Katie Kenny

Together with her chef husband Marc, Michaela runs a tight ship at the brilliant Bistrot Vérité in Birkdale Village. They have modelled it on a traditional French bistro. Multi-award winning, and deservedly so, Michaela welcomes every guest with warmth and expertise.

Gabriella, Nina and Lindsay Margiotta

The name above the door may be Vincent’s, but Cucina Di Vincenzo in Woolton Village is a real family affair, with his wife Lindsay welcoming visitors and daughters Gabriella and Nina as pastry chef and general manager.

Laura Worthington

Founder of Laura’s Little Bakery, Laura supplies restaurants, cafes, shops and bars across the city, including Filter & Fox, Berry & Rye, The Jacaranda, as well as corporate clients.

Rhian Jones

As marketing and communications manager at Maray, Rhian keeps a watchful eye over the 47 cover Bold Street site and 74 cover restaurant on Allerton Road, bringing a piece of the Marais district to Liverpool.

Together with husband Lawrence, Katie oversees Signature Living, with a portfolio of hotels and restaurants across the city.

Jackie Davies

Jackie runs a tight ship front of house at the excellent Julian’s restaurant in Hoylake, with friendly and knowledgeable service.

Jill Corfield

Jill’s Cookshop is a haven of beautiful kitchenware in Hoylake, well stocked and with a warm welcome.

Lou Hardy

Lou and her husband Matt set up Hardy’s Events and Catering with a shared passion for great food. They cater weddings, events and festivals around the country.

Anne Lev

Ann started making cheesecakes at home in 1972, and more than 40 years on she still runs Dafna’s Cheesecake Factory on Smithdown Road.

Jen Peterson

Jen runs Hard Times & Misery in

Maryland Street and a new site in Crosby, as well making coastal inspired gin for The Crosby Elixir Co.

Carol Wilson

Food writer and cookery consultant Carol a member of the Guild of Food Writers and restaurant inspector who has written a series of recipe books as well as judging the Slow Food Awards.

Annabel Little

Annabel imports specially-selected wines from Italy for her company Love Lane Wines.

Ema Wilkes

Ema set up Neo Community Café & Catering in Leasowe offering healthy, nutritious food at a reasonable price as well as job and training opportunities.

They also collect surplus food from supermarkets and distribute it to those who need it most. They gave away nearly 800 free meals in just the first three weeks of last year’s summer school holidays.

Ellie Ruddy

After graduating in Food and Consumer Studies, Ellie set up The Mixing Bowl, specialising in special events and bespoke baking.

Kate Johnson

Kate runs Gallery Cocoa, making bespoke handmade chocolates and treats. She has won a number of awards for her produce and entrepreneurship.

Sarah Byrne

As well as running front of house for husband Aiden’s restaurants over the years, Sarah is also a key part of the family’s Church Green pub in Lymm.

Kate Meehan

‘Cocktail Kate’ is well known as a bar manager for Furnival’s Well and a Gin Guardian for the Gin Journey. What she doesn’t know about your favourite tipple isn’t worth knowing.

Natalie Murray and Rhonda Davies

Natalie and Rhonda set up The Bagelry in Chinatown, a dog-friendly, familyfriendly cafe producing excellent New York style bagels and a tasty homecooked menu.

Laura Leonard-Byrne

As marketing manager at Aloft Liverpool and NYL Restaurant & Bar, Laura keeps standards high, delivering the best in customer service and building partnerships with organisations across the city. www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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There’s something truly relaxing about travelling by train. Where the car brings its inevitable stresses – the traffic, the battle for a parking space, finding exact change for the meter and racing back before it runs out – trains are a chance to sit back and enjoy the ride. Best of all, the region has a brilliant collection of great places for all the family to buy local produce, all accessible by train. Here are some of our favourites, all close to train stations…

The goodtaste foodie rail trail Claremont Farm

Nearest station: Spital Claremont has been farmed by the Pimbleys since 1906.

The family grow and sell their own fruit and vegetables and champion local produce in an award-winning farm shop and cafe in the heart of the Wirral countryside.

A 20-minute or so walk from Spital station, it’s a haven of local produce, seasonal foods and family activities.

In the spring and into summer they offer homegrown asparagus and strawberries, and the shop is laden with fruit and vegetables from the farm and surrounding region.

They have a fantastic network of local producers, farmers, gamekeepers and artisans that supply the farm shop, celebrating the depth and variety of what’s on our doorstep.

Claremont Farm, Old Clatterbridge Road, Bebington, Wirral, CH63 4JB, 0151 334 1133, www.claremontfarm.co.uk

West Kirby Farmers’ Market Nearest station: West Kirby

On the fourth Saturday of every month, St Andrew’s Church in West Kirby is a bustling food hub, perfect for all the family. The market offers a range of unique local producers, with a maximum of two in any category.

A five-minute walk from West Kirby station, there’s plenty of meat and veggie options, cheeses and yogurts, vegetables, fish, breads, patisserie, fruit and fruit juices, honey, peanut butters and preserves, patés, cakes, olives, coffee, chocolates, beers, pies, eggs and even speciality smoked foods.

Stallholders are friendly and knowledgeable, and everything is grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed locally, and sold either by the producer or someone directly involved with production. There’s a cafe there too.

West Kirby Farmers’ Market, St Andrew’s Church Hall, Graham Road, West Kirby CH48 5DN, www. westkirbyfarmersmarket.co.uk

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The Makers’ Market

Nearest station: Liverpool Central If you love unique art, quirky modern craft or up-cycled kitchenware, the Liverpool Makers Market in Hope Street is well worth a visit.

There’s also a great range of food and drink on offer, with homemade pates from Truly Scrummy, artisan pesto from Hemmingways, traditional curry sauce and samosas from Really Indian, vegan and gluten-free goodies from Free From, doorstop-sized brownies from Treats Bakeshop and beautifully creamy butter from Saddleworth Butter.

It’s a 15-minute walk from Liverpool Central Station, admittedly uphill, but at least the return journey is much easier, especially welcome when laden with bags of produce. Running on the third Sunday of every month, from 11am to 4pm, it’s a chance to stroll around the Georgian Quarter, find out the origins of your food, meet the maker, feast your eyes upon some goodies and fill those shopping bags whilst indulging in some good conversations with the traders. Recent events have had more than 80 traders, as well as live music from DJ Stutter And Twitch.

The Makers’ Market, Hope Street, Liverpool, L8 7PE www.themakersmarket.co.uk/markets/hope-street-liverpool

Lark Lane Farmers’ Market Nearest station: St Michaels

With stalls packed full of artisan loaves, local cheeses, spicy condiments, muddy vegetables, hearty pies, pastries and sponges, plus being able to sample produce before you buy, Lark Lane Farmers’ Market attracts food lovers from across south Liverpool.

A 10-minute stroll from St Michaels, it runs from 9am to 2pm on the fourth Saturday of each month. As with all of Liverpool Council’s farmers’ markets, traders must come from a 30-mile radius, so you are supporting your local community as well as buying fresh, first class produce.

In many cases, by cutting out most of the middlemen, they are able to keep prices competitive with – or sometimes lower than – those found in the big supermarkets.

Lark Lane Farmers’ Market, Lark Lane, Liverpool, L17 8UP www.liverpool.gov.uk/leisure-parks-and-events/ markets/farmers-markets

Merseyrail has regular services to 67 stations across Merseyside, providing affordable travel for all the family.

There’s unlimited off-peak travel after 09.30am on weekdays and anytime on weekends and bank holidays with a Day Saver or a Family Ticket.

The Family Ticket is valid for up to two adults and three children (aged 5 – 15).

Plan your journey at merseyrail.org or download the app.

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See local Arriva buses as they move along their routes, so you know when yours will be at your bus stop.

Save your favourite places and trips for an easy shortcut to the places you need.

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Tell the app where you want to travel from or let it default to where you are now and it will tell you bus times for the next hour.

This will take you through to the App Store to download our m-tickets app. Buy and save our great value tickets on your mobile.

Find out more about our great value Saver Tickets, receive service updates, get the latest news on our services and much more.

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TR ACK YO U R B US WITH O UR A PP

food news

Two cities, two top food festivals F

delights from a whole host of themed areas, which will ood lovers across the north west are in for a treat as include a huge producers’ market, a gin garden, a craft beer two spectacular food and drink festivals prepare to zone and a healthy living area. descend on the region’s parks.

Families can also enjoy a raft of interactive activities with a A brand new event, Manchester Eats, is set to transform mini chef cookery school, crafts, birds that city’s Heaton Park into a food of prey and a vintage fairground. lovers’ paradise from 7 - 8 July, There will also be live acoustic music while Liverpool Food and Drink from local bands.

Festival returns to Sefton Park Denise Harris, Event Director for for its eleventh year from 15 - 16 both Manchester Eats and Liverpool September.

Food and Drink Festival, said: Preparations are in full swing “Transforming Sefton Park into a for the inaugural Manchester food and drink haven over the last 10 Eats, which is set to bring together years has been a huge honour and we some of the city’s most popular are massively excited about launching restaurants and bars as well as top Manchester Eats at Heaton Park this international street food stalls, for a summer. true celebration of food and drink.

“There will be a real mix of The line-up for the Liverpool delicious food and drink on offer at Food and Drink Festival is yet both events and visitors will also have to be revealed but the event has the opportunity to see some of the previously attracted the likes of The most popular celebrity chefs in the Hairy Bikers, Gino D’Acampo, Tom country.

Kerridge, Yotam Ottolenghi, Marco “While there will be some Pierre White, Gizzi Erskine, Simon The Hairy Bikers were at last similarities between both events, with Rimmer and Nisha Katona. year’s festival in Sefton Park demos, masterclasses, producers’ As well as celebrity chefs, visitors markets and family fun, they will can expect the usual giant feast in each have their own individual look and feel. I’m sure both Sefton Park with the city’s top food and drink experts serving Manchester Eats and Liverpool Food and Drink Festival will up tasty treats throughout the weekend. be a big hit with food lovers from across the region.”

SK Events, the company behind both food and drink festivals, is guaranteeing an entertaining programme For tickets and information, visit: of demos and masterclasses at each event with special www.liverpoolfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk and appearances from top celebrity chefs. Both festivals will give www.manchestereats.co.uk visitors the opportunity to sample and buy some delicious www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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feature

food of love Lou and Matt Hardy cater for couples’ unique tastes on their big day... with the help of a VW Camper Van

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feature

Weddings with goodtaste

W

eddings are traditonally all about the dress, or the flowers, or the venue. But for an increasing number of couples, it’s all about the food and drink.

People who eat out regularly and know their food tend to want more than a cookie cutter, off-the-peg menu of soup, chicken and cheesecake.

A growing number are looking for menus which reflect their personal tastes, rather than whatever happens to be easiest for a banqueting kitchen to produce.

Husband and wife team Lou and Matt Hardy (pictured) run Hardy’s Events and Catering, specialising in bespoke menus for special occasions, which can be served from the Big Dub of Love, a 1979 converted VW Camper, or in a more traditional style.

“We believe that brides and grooms should get the food they love on their wedding day, and not something which they’ve had to choose off a sample package menu,” explains Lou, from Oxton.

“We love planning parties and events, and the more weddings we have had the privilege to be part of, the more we know we can help make the food element so exciting.

“It doesn’t need to follow tradition or typically ‘wedding food’. It’s your day… your way!”

Lou and Matt start with a face- to-face consultation with couples, where they find out the practical details, but also the food they love to eat.

“This really helps us get to know them and the general vibe of their day, and most importantly we want to know what food they love.

“We aim to build their menu around this. Matt then designs their menu and we invite our couples for a food tasting.

They watch Matt cook their meal - a bit like a chef’s table - and we can discuss the food and the day with me. Every client is different, and thats what makes it so interesting. We get a lot of people asking for food which has special importance to them - say a meal they experienced on a memorable holiday or the first food they ate together. There really is a wide spectrum.”

Matt and Lou started out with Hardy’s Kitchen in West Kirby in 2014, and the weddings grew from there.

“We’ve loved growing the outside catering and street food side, being

able to work closely with people and creating gorgeous menus which are special to them,” says Lou. “It’s incredibly rewarding.”

Their outside catering has become so successful that they sold the cafe to focus on working on events. They’ve catered weddings and events all over the country, and are now preferred suppliers for some of the region’s coolest venues.

“We’ve been to some amazing venues and some that we would not have known ever existed - Coniston Coppermines, Lingholm Estate in Portinscale, Constellations in Liverpool….all of these are so different in style, which is what we love,” says Lou. “We also are lucky to cater at weddings held at family homes, which is always really special.”

So is it much more expensive to choose a bespoke menu than a venue’s regular set menu?

“Doing it DIY could actually be cheaper if you are creative and ultimately you’ll get the caterer, bar, entertainment, florist and venue dressed in the way you want, not what the venue leads you to choose,” explains Lou. “Plus some venues will charge a lot for

booze and, if not, a huge corkage, so if you can provide your own that’s often a big saving.”

Is it really possible to get married without chicken and chair covers?

“Yes, of course,” laughs Lou. “But there’s some lovely things you can do with chicken. We’ve done Greek, Italian, Indian and Spanish inspired menus, and the Great British Classics as well - it should reflect the couple, we believe.”

If you two were to get married again, what would be on your menu?

Lou says: “I love the sharing type meals where everyone gets stuck in together.

The social element of this type of food I love. Matt’s choice would be salt and pepper fillet steak, with garlic and chilli hassleback potatoes, mange-tout and asparagus.”

What one piece of advice would you give to anyone starting planning their wedding?

“Be creative! Anything is possible, and being open minded about how your day could be, you can create something really unique to you…let your personality shine through.” www.hardyscatering.co.uk

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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which menu Find your favourite dish

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diary

Three MasterChefs for the price of one

Gary Maclean, Anton Piotrowski and Steven Edwards

Three MasterChef: The Professionals winners teamed up at Röski on Rodney Street for a feast to remember.

Anton Piotrowski, Steven Edwards and Gary Maclean shared the kitchen at the Liverpool restaurant, giving diners an eight-course meal with two snacks to start, then two courses cooked by each of the chefs.

Anton was crowned MasterChef: The Professionals champion in 2012 and has previously held the position of head chef at the Treby Arms in Devon, gaining it a Michelin star, before opening Röski in November 2017.

Steven is head chef at Hove seafront restaurant etch. and won the show in 2013.

Gary, who won in 2016, is now a senior lecturer at the City of Glasgow College, following his passion for mentoring other young chefs and creative cooking.

Smooth as Silk Silk Rd has opened the doors of its new city centre restaurant with a launch party to showcase its extensive menu.

After enjoying success with its Heswall site, Silk Rd has now moved into Beetham Plaza, Liverpool, on the site of the former Hudson House, Home and Simply Heathcotes restaurants.

The menu takes inspiration from the Silk Rd trail, which spans three continents from the Pacific to the Mediterranean.

ON AIR goes live More than 300 people from the music and media industries attended the launch of ON AIR, the new world-class music venue and cocktail bar in Cains Brewery Village. Opened by the team behind the massively popular Ghetto Golf – Danny Bolger and Kip Piper – and chart-topping musician Ethan Allen, pictured left, it offers speciality cocktails, beers, wines and spirits as well as street food from Apocalypse Cow. Headliner and former Zutons singer Dave McCabe took to the stage with his new band Silent K, with support from up and coming Liverpool bands The Cheap Thrills and The Ambition, right.

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Perfect for: The budding chef

Foodie gifts for Father’s Day

Sharp-thinking Australian knife brand Füri is now available in the UK. With celebrity chef fans including Nigella Lawson and Kylie Kwong, they make impressive kit, whether your dad is a passionate home cook or professional chef sweating it out in a bustling kitchen. The seamless construction means food and dirt cannot get trapped and all its knives are made with superior, high-grade Japanese stainless steel.

Find out more at furiglobal.com/ Emporium Cookshop and Harts of Stur

Perfect for: The grumpy dad Wirral writer Ross McGinnes created a twitter account called We Want Plates in response to the trend for restaurants to serve food in outlandish receptacles.

The account quickly gained 140,000 followers, who searched the country, spotting crimes against plates.

The book by the same name, We Want Plates (£8.99), features some of the worst offenders, from mini benches, slates, jam jars, shoes, tennis rackets, fish bowls and even in barbed wire.

Perfect for: The English wine lover British wine is going from strength to strength. Give your dad a great British British wine from Bolney Estate, a family run vineyard that began with three acres in 1972.

Bolney Lychgate White (£14.99) is a fruity, zesty blend of Reichensteiner, Schonburger and Wurzer grapes and has citrus, white blossom and jasmine aromas with green pepper, apple and apricot.

Perfect for: The stylish dad Up the style stakes this Father’s Day and treat your Dad to a bottle of Haig Club accessorised with a limited-edition hipflask, produced in partnership with David Beckham.

Presented in a striking gift set, the blue bottle of Haig Club is paired with a stylish copper hipflask.

A classic Scotch with a contemporary twist, it has a blend of butterscotch and toffee notes ideal for complementing cocktails or simply on the rocks.

Limited-edition Haig Club gift set with copper hipflask is available from most major UK supermarkets including Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s, RRP £45

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Perfect for: The football fan There’s no better place than the Shankly Hotel for footballmad Dads on Father’s Day. The Bastion restaurant, festooned with sporting memorabilia from Bill Shankly’s glittering reign at Anfield, will be serving up its delicious Sunday roast with all the trimmings.

More information at shanklyhotel.com or 0151 909 5924

Perfect for: The world food lover Ever wondered why you love Italian food so much? Can’t get enough of French wine?

Living DNA can tell you the story of your family ancestry in amazing detail, stretching back thousands of years – all from a simple mouth swab.

It breaks down your ancestry at a regional level, covering 80 worldwide regions including 21 in the UK. You can even journey back in time to see where your family were at different points in history.

Living DNA costs £99 (+ P&P) from www.livingdna.com

Perfect for: The Welsh dad Welsh and proud, Aber Falls offers handcrafted whiskys, gins and liqueurs, using sustainably sourced ingredients and Welsh-inspired botanicals, including the famous Anglesey Sea Salt from Halen Môn.

The first of its kind in North Wales for more than 100 years, the distillery has launched its first range of hand-crafted, premium flavoured gins and liqueurs, including Orange Marmalade and Rhubarb & Ginger gin, and Salted Toffee, Violet and Coffee, and Dark Chocolate liqueurs.

The distillery is located at the foot of the Aber Falls waterfall, in the picturesque village of Abergwyngregyn, meaning it’s never in short supply of one of the key distilling ingredients.

Find out more at www.aberfallsdistillery.com

Perfect for: The adventurous dad Want to treat your dad like a god this Father’s Day? Freya, the world’s first birch spirit, was inspired by the Norse god of love and life.

It’s being served in the coolest London bars, and is now available by the bottle, or on the menu at the Chester Grosvenor.

For details see www.freyaspirit.com

Perfect for: The gadget lover Does your dad love a good gadget? No kitchen is complete without AnySharp Pro, which restores the bluntest of knives back to full working condition.

AnySharp Pro is available online from Amazon in a range of colours from £16.59

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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THE ULTIMATE GIN EXPERIENCE WITH UNLIMITED TASTINGS

7-9 SEPTEMBER 2018 EXHIBITIONCENTRELIVERPOOL.COM/GIN THEGINTOMYTONIC.COM 44

Drink

Jane Clare enjoys the finest New Zealand has to offer Everybody has “ooooh” moments in their life they’ll always remember.

For me, I was in Marlborough in New Zealand, sipping delicious wines all day as I was swept along from one experience to another. I could bore people with holiday snaps but luckily for you my enthusiasm is more useful. Here’s four wines I enjoyed that day.

Nautilus Estate Cuvee NV: I shared brunch and fizz with Méthode Marlborough, a group of producers who champion sparkling wines made in the traditional way (just like champagne).

I loved that in this region known more for sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, there are stunning sparklers with classic nutty, rich, biscuity notes. Nautilus (around £23 at slurp. co.uk, nywines. co.uk) was one of the nine I tried.

Hashtag delicious!

Then I moved on to a tasting of 60 sauvignon blanc wines ….

Greywacke Wild Sauvignon Blanc: I love, love, love this sauvignon blanc (look in Majestic, around £29 – several local independents, also Greywacke wine). The

word “wild” indicates that natural yeasts on the grape skins and in the winery kicked off the fermentation.

This creates a weave of flavours: dried herbs, peach, custard and pears. Then I jumped on a boat to sweep across the Marlborough Sounds ….

Giesen Sauvignon Blanc 2016: Our boat was hosted by Giesen Wines and Marcel Giesen (one of the three Giesen wine producer brothers) cooked us whitebait as the breeze whipped and the scenery flashed by.

He’d caught the silvery slithers that morning and whipped in egg to make little patties and served on simple white bread and butter.

I sipped this wine (Majestic, £9.99) alongside and its zesty tropical notes were fantastic with the fishy morsels. The boat

dropped us off at a cove ….

Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2015: On the balcony of a bach (New Zealand beach home) at Anakiwa in Queen Charlotte Sound we tried 30 pinot noir wines. I said it was an amazing day!!

The famous Cloudy Bay winery had greeted us with a wine reception the day before this adventure began and so it was a treat to taste their wine and others amid the awesome views.

The wine has subtle notes of spice, red fruits and roses. Find it widely, including Oddbins, for around £29.

The most perfect day.

Ever.

Thanks to my hosts in Marlborough: New Zealand Wines (www.nzwine.com, @nzwine) and Wine Marlborough (www. wine-marlborough.co.nz, @winemarlborough)

Wine writer and journalist Jane Clare has partnered with pubs and restaurants to run wine-tasting events. Jane can plan private parties for birthdays, charities and sports clubs in Merseyside. She co-hosts a pop-up wine bar every Thursday night at Dace in Crosby. Contact Jane on social media via One Foot in the Grapes. www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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Drink

A drinks service is offering wines from undiscovered producers, without the traditional merchant mark-up.

The Wine Beagle was set up by Jamie Collins in 2015 on the back of a decade in the London wine trade spent sampling, selling and sourcing wine.

If you have a nose for fine wine and want to impress with the latest grape at a dinner party, but don’t want the hassle of having to trawl the shelves for something special, then the Jamie will do it for you.

He says: “After 15 years in the wine trade with time spent at Majestic and more latterly as a buyer at an online merchant, I was inspired to launch the Wine

These Patrón Silver and Patrón XO Cafe 50ml bottles offer a taste of ultra-premium tequila in a miniature package.

From The Whisky Exchange, £4.95 - £6.95.

Good Taste Tip: The perfect mini Easter gift for those who like something stronger than chocolate

Beagle as I fundamentally believe that many wine lovers are stuck in a rut with their usual tipple and often stick to what they know.

“But there are so many wonderful undiscovered wines out there, I wanted to bring these to the dining room tables in Merseyside.

“The focus is on small wineries from the lesser known, up-andcoming European regions producing hand-crafted, interesting wines at very good prices.

“You’ll find no mass-produced, homogenised supermarket wines here, nor the wildly expensive offerings of the world’s most famous estates.”

Find out more at www.thewinebeagle.com

Sailor Jerry has launched a new limited-edition bottle design celebrating the legacy of Norman ‘Sailor Jerry’ Collins. Inspired by Jerry’s bold, badass and colourful tattoo designs, the bottle features a glossblack wrap and two pieces from Jerry’s iconic artwork; the eagle and the rose.

The limited-edition bottle is available while stocks last. Available at all major supermarkets, £20.29 Good Taste tip: Try it with ginger beer and a squeeze of lime for a spiced Dark and Stormy

Billed as ‘the smoothest amber spirit under the Sun’, Metaxa is made by diluting an aged cask-strength brandy with muscat wine and flavouring it with botanicals including anise and rose petals. It tastes like Greek holidays, with fragrant notes of toasted oak wood, fruits and spices, and flavours of spicy herbs, coffee and chocolate. It’s £30 at www.waitrose.com.

Good Taste tip: It’s on the menu at many Greek restaurants in Liverpool, and also at the Refinery on Hope Street

British Cassis uses a unique technique which draws on classic winemaking in order to capture the intensity of the freshly picked British blackcurrants. Once the blackcurrant juice has fermented naturally with champagne yeast, it is blended with a little vodka to fortify and sweeten in order to accentuate the rich, fruity flavours.

It’s perfect in cocktails and sparkling wines – especially English sparkling – but also a great addition to a cheese course too. The 500 ml bottle is available nationwide at Waitrose and Majestic at £19.99.

Good Taste tip: Try it as wedding favours in its 50ml format from www.whiteherondrinks.co.uk

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Drink

Red wine for spring: Combining fantastic quality with a creative flair, the Tempus Two Cabernet Sauvignon is a good choice for your Easter roast dinner. The wine has a delightful dark berry aroma with cherry and chocolate flavours and a subtle earthy oak character to finish. Pair with meaty dishes.

RRP £7.99, www. waitrose.com

Japanese whisky lovers are in for a treat with with the launch of Hibiki Japanese Harmony, the latest bottle from the award-winning House of Suntory.

Significantly cheaper than their aged varieties, it is a delicately balanced, smooth and subtly sweet blended whisky.

It’s presented in an intricate 24-faceted bottle - symbolising the 24 seasons in the traditional Japanese calendar.

Available from the Whisky Exchange £65.55

White wine for spring: The Pinnacle range represents Nepenthe’s finest and a must-have for those with a taste for premium white wines. This wine offers delicious tropical and grassy flavours, with a richness that comes from being aged in French oak and making it a great match for oily fish and sushi.

RRP £19.99, www.Amazon. co.uk

The world’s only active father/son distiller partnership, Jimmy and Eddie Russell, make authentic American bourbon in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.

Jimmy’s legacy is the iconic Wild Turkey 101 at 50.5% abv, a recipe that has remained resolutely unchanged since prohibition times.

Thanks to its bold and spicy flavour and high rye content, it preserves the full bourbon flavour in the classic Old Fashioned Cocktail. It’s £31.95 at The Whisky Exchange.

Good Taste tip: It’s on the drinks menu at Berry and Rye and Button Street Smokehouse

Good Taste tip: Offer hot to your whisky-loving friends and see if they can work out where it’s from

On trend: Mermaid Tears vodka is a sparkly spirit made from premium French grain spirit “blended with the glistening tears of a Mermaid shoal”. Give the chunky bottle a swirl and, just like a Mermaid’s tail whipping up the sea floor, a glittery haze will begin to disperse throughout this dreamy, ocean-blue vodka.

Then, of course, there’s the Unicorn Tears Pink Gin. It possesses the same subtly-sweet taste, and signature iridescent shimmer, but with a splash of fuschia.

Bottled in a cute miniature that holds a hearty double measure – perfect to slip in your handbag and guzzle on the go. Mermaid Tears £39.99 and Unicorn Tears £8.99

www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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travel

REAL MADRID T

he Spanish capital has always been famous for its grand couture, football, monarchy and being the economic centre of the country. Yet more recently it has become a strong European gastronomic destination for locals and visitors alike.

The capital city has never had the cool reputation of its boho Catalan rival and although Spain’s capital city does not boast the skyline or statement attraction such as the Eiffel Tower or Colosseum, it more than makes up for with its gourmet offering and charm.

Now rivalling New York for the number of restaurants per head, Madrid’s options are vast and varied, from authentic Spanish cuisine to some of the most pioneering eateries in new age fine dining.

Madrid is distinguished by its ‘barrios’, with a characteristic charm in each quarter.

Salamanca is saluted for its high-end fashion brands, and nightlife. Stroll along the ‘Golden Mile’ and ebb and flow through the streets in its grid-like design.

Stumble across Platea Madrid (Calle de Goya, 5-7) in an old movie theatre. A striking and nostalgic venue, it is now turned into a gourmet market which certainly puts the theatre into food.

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The menus offer typical Spanish dishes but you will also find Mexican, Italian, Peruvian and Japanese food, and there are offerings from Michelin star restaurateurs such as Paco Roncero.

Madrid is also home to the oldest continuously serving restaurant in the world, Sobrino de Botín (Calle de los Cuchilleros 17).

‘Cochinillo asado’ or roasted suckling pig are the specialities and it has even been mentioned by Ernest Hemingway.

Opened in 1725 it still houses the original 18th century oven.

These authentic Spanish restaurants carry the history, charm and culture of Spain’s heritage.

Located in Huertas, the truly Spanish El Rincon de Esteban (Calle Santa Catalina 3) is another firm favourite with the locals. The service here is warm and friendly.

The neighbourhood is committed to celebrating its rich heritage: Calle Huertas itself is inlaid with quotes from celebrated authors and Mr Esteban certainly celebrates his famous past guests, the walls are lined with past famous diners.

Overlooking Plaza de Santa Ana is the ME Hotel (Plaza de Santa Ana, 14), a perfect spot for an early evening

aperitivo. It is potentially one of the most fashion-conscious venues in the city, yet, the vibe is laidback. This can sometimes translate into the service but the restaurant menu is strong with a mixture of modern tapas and an impressive wine list in a minimalist Scandi-designed lounge and restaurant.

The rooftop at the ME is also one of the go-to spots for cocktails in the city with fine views over the city.

Hotel Urban (Carrera de S. Jerónimo), situated right in the heart of the city and in walking distance to many of Madrid’s top destinations, has a fresh and contemporary feel.

Restaurant CEBO (Carrera de S. Jerónimo, 34) is located on the ground floor of the hotel and is home to a Michelin star. A sensory and Instagramfriendly experience, the 17-course taster menu is diverse and boundary breaking.

Food experiences are at the forefront of everyone’s mind now, yet food markets have long been a staple part of continental Europe. Located near the Plaza Mayor, San Miguel Market (Plaza de San Miguel) is one of the best and dates back to 1916.

Each vendor is specialised and this gives the market a strong artisan feel.

Extremely popular with tourists, try to

travel

How to eat the Madrid way DESAYANO 8am - 11am Every day Madrid’s residents start the day off with a desayuno, or breakfast, which may be either sweet or savoury. Some eat it first thing in the morning while others do so as late as after 10am. Although coffee is the main breakfast staple, hot chocolate and churros is also a favourite.

ALMUERZO 11am – 1pm Just as Mediterranean diet guidelines recommend, in Spain it is customary to eat five times a day, which is actually a very healthy approach. The snack normally eaten mid-morning is known as el almuerzo, although this term is also sometimes used to refer to lunch.

Here’s a tip: stopping to have a bite to eat at around 12 noon is the best way to adapt to Spain’s meal times, as well as the perfect opportunity to try the classic pincho de tortilla or bocata de calamares.

APERITIVO 1pm – 2pm To whet their appetites before they sit down to lunch, particularly at weekends, the Spanish gather at bars for a small draught beer, vermouth, wine or sherry. The drinks are typically served along with a tapa or a pincho.

It’s also a great opportunity to order a portion of patatas bravas (potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), caracoles (escargot) or croquetas (croquettes). visit during the week and not in holiday season (I visited on King’s Day!) to experience the variety it has to offer.

HanSO Café (Calle pez, 200), located in the hip Malasana district, is part of the flat white revolution which seems now to have reached Spanish shores. A hip coffee shop serving some of the best caffeine and cortados in the city.

When in Madrid you best get used to going to bed post 4am if out partying and for something truly memorable step on down to the legendary, dimly lit basement piano bar Toni2’s (Calle Almirante, 9).

People typically spend hours here.

A grand piano takes centre stage and people of all ages and conditions gather to rest their gin and tonics and sing well into the evening... or morning.

Words by Matt Farrell Bar owner and restauranteur, co-founder of Graffiti Spirits Group. graffitispirits group.com Instagram: @fazmangoes

COMIDA 2pm – 4pm In Spain the largest meal of the day is eaten between 2pm and 4pm. It’s customary to sit down to a leisurely comida, or lunch, enjoying a bit of conversation before finishing off with a coffee.

MERIENDA 4pm – 8pm Throughout the afternoon groups of friends meet in cafés for something to eat and drink, where the conversation flows for hours upon end. It’s a casual gathering in which sweet treats play a leading role.

Madrid’s confectionery changes from month to month, so you can guess what time of the year it is in the city just by taking a peek at the windows of its pastry shops.

CENA 9pm – 11pm Given that people normally eat a large hot meal in the afternoon, dinner is usually light and is eaten around 9pm. Very often a couple of glasses of wine and a few bites to eat are enough to satisfy the average Madrilenian’s hunger. However, it’s also quite common to meet up with friends for dinner at one of the huge variety of restaurants the city has to offer.

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On the menu at the Storyhouse

T

he Storyhouse arts complex in Chester has an impressive summer programme, with A Little Night Music, Swallows and Amazons and The Crucible.

The season opens on May 6 with Stephen Sondheim’s multi award-winning A Little Night Music, featuring the classic Send in the Clowns. It will run until Sunday July 8. Opening on June 1, Arthur Ransome’s classic children’s tale of adventure and the great outdoors, Swallows and Amazons, has been re-imagined for Chester.

Completing Storyhouse’s season is Arthur Miller’s shattering tale of the Salem witch trials, The Crucible, from June 15 until July 7.

A theatre, library, cinema and eastern Mediterranean restaurant, the centre produces work for its own stage for half the year and welcomes touring shows for the other half.

The productions will be performed by Storyhouse’s rep company of 31 actors, the largest outside the National Theatre and the RSC. Also performing are eight musicians, a community chorus of 15 and two actors from Storyhouse and the University of Chester’s MA Drama Programme.

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Storyhouse artistic director Alex Clifton says: “Our company of over 50 performers will present a season full of joy, passion and delight which definitely offers something for everyone.

“A Little Night Music is one of the greatest musicals of the twentieth century and will make for a gorgeous night out. Swallows and Amazons lit up my childhood and captures the best and wildest bits of all our school holidays.

“The Crucible is a political thriller that follows on brilliantly from our exhilarating production of Julius Caesar last summer.”

While you’re there don’t miss the centre’s excellent restaurant, The Kitchen, serving a variety of pre and post-theatre dishes.

Find out more and book at www.storyhouse.com

5 May - 8 July

1 June - 26 august

storyhouse.com #madebystoryhouse 15 June - 7 July www.goodtastemagazines.co.uk

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