Smoked Gigha halibut, shrimp & Seaweed Sauce
Adam Ried at The French
It was pretty surreal for me to sit up at the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show 2019 and watch Adam Ried cook up a storm in front of a pretty hefty crowd full of people. He cooked something from his current menu which was a smoked bit of halibut (which he filleted in front of us) lightly smoked and pan-fried in lots of butter. This came with a sauce made from white wine, cream, seaweed with brown shrimps and trout roe for a bit of colour and a pop of flavour. It doesn’t come as a surprise that it was utterly delicious. – Kate Tighe
Smoked Cheshire Beef Hash
Mamucium
I love proper British food and I love it, even more, when it comes with a bit of theatre. This beef hash from Mamucium at Hotel Indigo covered both these bases as it came in this amazing dome which puffed out a bit of smoke when the waiter opened it. It was mint. The dish itself was amazing too – beautifully tender, full of flavour and juicy and all topped off with a runny poached egg. Top Marks – Ben Brown
Lady Ramsbottom
XLII
I returned to my old ends this week to sample one of Rammy’s finest cocktails in one of Rammy’s finest bars. XLII in the centre of Ramsbottom is where my extensive bar-tending career began. When I finally managed to escape from the town that The Guardian described as ‘a delight’ (accurate) Susan and the team at XLII (or Bar 42) created the cocktail in celebration. The now aptly named ‘Lady Ramsbottom’ is a delicate mix of gin, rhubarb and rosehip, lemon and cucumber, finished with a dash of Prosecco. Highly recommended. – India Morris
Half Roast Chicken
The Counter House
You guys are in for a serious treat this weekend as The Counter House are finally launching their amazing Sunday Roasts! Choose from beef, nut roast or the yummy half roast chicken which is beautifully blackened so it sits in that sweet spot in-between oven-roasted and BBQ. The roasts all come with a MASSIVE Yorkshire pudding, fluffy roast potatoes, carrots, savoy cabbage and plenty of gravy. – Ellie Edginton
Anjou Squab Pigeon
Wood
I had the pleasure of cooking with Mr Simon Wood from MasterChef fame this week. I don’t know if I proved myself a very good sous chef, but at least I tried my best and didn’t cut my thumb off with one of his colossal knives. We cooked a delicious Anjou Squab Pigeon with bacon bread sauce, bacon frazzle, Radicchio, endive and pigeon heart. It was delicious and you will be able to find it on the new menu which launches next week. Can you tell which one is mine? – Kate Tighe
Blueberry Hell Hot Sauce
BAB
There was a Hot Ones event at BAB this week and I was invited to go down to try 10 of the hottest hot sauces in the world. I obviously wasn’t looking too forward to it – mostly because each one would likely destroy my stomach (and my toilet bowl of course). I was actually pleasantly surprised by a few of the sauces though – especially this fruity Blueberry Hell Hot Sauce which comes in at around 250,000 Scoville Heat Units. Featuring some fantastic Carolina Reaper chillies, it also contains a ton of blueberries and blackberries so there’s always a lovely fruit kick alongside the heat. – Ben Brown
Hummus, Baba Ganoush and Muhammara
Jasmine
Middle Eastern food is one of my all-time favourites to eat and Jasmine is one of my favourite places to eat it. In case you haven’t heard of it, it is one of those unassuming restaurants which doesn’t look like much, but man are they cooking up a storm. Cheap and cheerful with a BYOB policy, Jasmine is the perfect place for a serious feast with friends. I went this week and I am always blown away by their freshly made dips with warm pita bread. The hummus was smooth and creamy, the Baba Ganoush smoky and fresh while the slightly spiced Muhammara with chunky bits of walnut was everything I needed and more. – Kate Tighe
