The Wizard Inn

Long before the WAGs arrived in Alderley Edge there were Wizards, or so the local legends tell. King Arthur and his men are said to lie sleeping below the local sandstone cliffs protected by Merlin the Magician. However, it was not footballer’s wives or supernatural sorcerers that I sought on my recent visit – but the hearty seasonal splendour that has won the The Wizard Inn a Michelin ‘Bib Gourmand’ for over ten years!

The Wizard is a traditional pub in leafy Nether Alderley, just a couple of minutes from the main shopping street of Alderley Edge and just along from the Alderley Edge Hotel Restaurant (see here). The area is popular with walkers, cyclists and horsey folk; the neighbouring Wizard Tea Rooms catering for those with especially muddy feet and particularly wet dogs.

Housed in a quaint white painted building that dates back over 200 years, the pub with its low, beamed ceilings, heavy rustic furniture and open fires couldn’t be more full of character. The walls are adorned with an abundance of pictures; purposefully placed artfully askew?

Despite its age the Wizard is well lit, the leaded windows and French doors opening onto the gardens and surrounding Wizard Wood. Over the road, ponies wait patiently to be petted by passing children, out for the day for their family’s fix of country good air. My parents, who were visiting from Spain, really loved the ‘Britishness’ of the place, which is something that they miss in their rural setting. 

The menu serves a mix of traditional British pub favourites and Mediterranean influenced dishes; the ‘Salad of warm Chorizo, sun dried tomatoes & olives with red pepper pesto’ and the ‘Wizard Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Chilli & Lime Houmous & Sour Cream’ being two such examples. Closer to home, ‘Cheshire Pork T-Bone’, ‘Rod Spence Ribeye’ and ‘Greaves of Upholland Beef & Wholegrain Mustard Bangers’ speak of their commitment to quality local produce.

Unable to resist the temptation of a triple cooked chip, I chose the Wizard Fish & Chips. Quirkily served on-board a board the day’s ‘Market Fish’ happened to be haddock – it was well cooked with a crunchy golden batter. The ‘Homemade Tartare Sauce’ and ‘Minted Mushy Peas’ were perfect accompaniments. The ‘Triple Cooked Beef Dripping Chips’ did not disappoint, although I would’ve liked a few more!

As suspected, the chips that came with the fish were simply not enough to satisfy my greedy gut, so when I noticed Posh Chips on the menu I could not, not try them! So what makes a chip ‘Posh’? Try triple cooking them in beef dripping and then topping with White Truffle and Parmesan! Yes… they were as good as they sound!

We also ordered a Fish Platter. Which the menu states includes King Prawn Cocktail, Peppered Mackerel Pate, Loch Tay Rainbow Trout, Crevettes, Cod Fish Fingers, Celeriac Slaw & Multi Seeded Bloomer – it’s only now looking at the photo that I notice our platter lacked the promised Cod Fish Finger! Not to worry, it wasn’t missed at the time. Everything was fresh and tasty - my favourite being the deliciously peppery mackerel paté.

To go with our fish we also ordered the Butcher’s Platter, complete with Rustic Ham Rillette, Sandhams Smoked Lancashire Cheese, Lancashire Air Dried Ham, Potted Beef Featherblade, Deep Fried Soft Hen’s Egg, Crackling, Piccalilli, Spiced Pear Chutney, Warm Bread & Biscuits. Again, everything on the board was high quality and well prepared.

For me, the best parts of the Butcher’s Platter were the ‘Deep Fried Soft Hen’s Egg’ and the ‘Piccalilli’ - the soft buttery yolk perfectly encased in a crunchy breadcrumb shell; the piquant piccalilli probably the best I have tasted!

A magnificent meal and a wonderful place to have so locally – I can’t believe we have not been before! Made all the better by the excellent value for money as recognised by the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award.

To summarise my views on The Wizard, one word - “Magical!”

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Planet Pavilion Café by The Modern Caterer at Jodrell Bank

During the summer my wife and I spent two weeks visiting my parents in Spain. This week my parents came to stay with us and to keep them entertained we planned a few days out (and a lot of great meals.) When my dad said that he wanted to visit the nearby Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics I took the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and check out the newly opened Planet Pavilion Café.

The Planet Pavilion along with the Gallery Café at the Whitworth Art Gallery (see here), Gabriel’s Grocery and the IABF, is an outpost of The Modern Caterer. Started in 2005 by chef Peter Booth, a onetime winner of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival’s ‘Food Hero of The Year’ award, the Modern Caterer has developed a reputation for wholesome, healthy, seasonal, sustainable and tasty food. 

Personally, I’d like to get on with telling you what I ate but in case you are interested (Whatever launches yer rocket!), here’s a little bit of information about Jodrell Bank. Home to the Grade I listed landmark 'The Lovell Telescope', Jodrell Bank has been the site of an observatory since 1945. It is the third largest steerable radio telescope in the world and is named after the station’s founder, Sir Bernard Lovell.

The telescope became fully operational in 1957 and coincided with the USSR’s launch of Sputnik 1 - the world’s first artificial satellite. At the time it was the only device capable of tracking Sputnik’s progress. In 1966 it also tracked the unmanned moon lander Luna 9 and listened in on its transmission of photographs from the moon's surface, which were subsequently given to the British press and ‘published before the Soviets themselves had made the photos public’ – they can’t have been pleased!

As well as tracking satellites and probes, the Jodrell Bank telescopes help the likes of Professor Brian Cox to study ‘things’ such as pulsars, quasars and neutron stars – you can tell that I learned “loads!” Actually, I learnt more than I am letting on; the Space Pavilion was full of interesting interactive exhibits and videos, answering many questions about the Universe. The children who were visiting on the day certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The café itself, housed in the Planet Pavilion with great views of the Lovell Telescope was also a great place to learn as well as lunch. One wall of the café displays the time on Earth, Venus, Mars and Jupiter and also tells of Jodrell Atomic, Local Sidereal and even how time works in Black Holes – not many cafés do that!

Most people would find the views of the grounds and imposing telescope to be the most interesting part of a visit but for me the views of the chalk boards displaying the menu and daily specials were more my thing. Dishes such as ‘Potted Cheshire Pork, English Apple Jelly and 100% Rye Bread’ sounding much ‘hotter’ than the surface of the sun!

We had arrived at the 10am opening time, so instead of the pork I decided to go for the Full English Breakfast and a Pot of Tea. The tea was served in a funky retro enameled teapot (with Fairtrade sugar.) The staff were all very friendly.

My ‘Full English’ featured, in alphabetical order: Bacon, Beans, Black Pudding, Chips, Egg, Sausage, Toast and Tomato. Everything was of a good quality, lightly cooked and not at all greasy. The award winning Barbakan Delicatessen provided the bread. It’s a long time since I have eaten a large cooked breakfast like this – I had forgotten how good dunking a crisp fluffy chip into a deliciously runny yolk could be!

So what did I learn? I learnt the history of the impressive Lovell Telescope; I learnt that the Universe is expanding and I learnt that the Pavilion Café does excellent cooked breakfasts!

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The Longridge Restaurant

‘Paul Heathcote MBE regains two Michelin Stars at his flagship Longridge Restaurant’ – this is a headline that myself, fellow North West foodies and I am sure Paul, would love to see!

Having trained and worked at some of the countries’ best restaurants, namely Sharrow Bay, The Connaught and for twelve years at Le Manoir aux Quats’ Saisons Paul returned to his native Lancashire to open The Longridge in 1990. Just two years later he was awarded his first Michelin star his second following soon after.

The Longridge Reception displaying Paul's Books, Cateys and AA Awards.

The Longridge kept the two stars for four years and last held a star in 2006. These years marked the golden years for Heathcote. Throughout his hugely successful career Paul has published two best selling books, taught children about healthy eating, opened (and closed) a number of restaurants and won a plethora of awards and accolades, including Egon Ronay Chef of the Year and three Cateys! His crowning glory, receiving his MBE from Buckingham Place in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

In his quest to regain Michelin star status, Paul’s ambitions are reflected through his Head Chef appointments. Since the talented Chris Bell (who you may recognise from TV’s Great British Menu) left earlier this year to return to his native Northern Ireland, Heathcote has appointed Hywel Griffith to run his prized kitchen.

Hywel, fresh from working at Michelin-starred Ynyshir Hall Hotel in Wales, is another young chef aiming to make his mark on The Longridge and give the guide’s judges what they are looking for; most notably: 1) quality of ingredients; 2) skill in their preparation and the combination of flavours; 3) level of creativity; 4) value for money and 5) consistency of culinary standards.

When my wife and I eat somewhere that is ‘striving to gain’ (or regain) a star, it is natural for us to make comparisons with the starred places in which we have eaten. The ultimate question being, ‘Do we think they deserve one?’ Of course, despite having eaten at a number of one, two and three starred establishments around the world, we are far from, as the inspectors are reputed to be, ‘hotel school graduates with at least five years' experience in the restaurant or hotel industry.’

Nor have we received ‘six months' training and work with an experienced inspector before going it alone.’ By many standards we eat out a lot (typically two or three times a week) but Michelin inspectors are said to evaluate 240 restaurants a year! However, like I say, qualified or not, it’s natural to make comparisons and subsequently I’ll pass comment on each dish from our recent meal of The Longridge’s Gourmet Dinner Menu, using Michelin’s five criteria.

After a horrendous journey in which we encountered two seperate  traffic jams, we arrived (after ‘phoning ahead to inform the restaurant) an hour late. We were warmly welcomed and began to relax with an aperitif and some olive and macadamia nut nibbles in The Longridge’s comfortable reception area.  First impressions were certainly very positive, the décor charmingly fusing the old and the new; the restaurant’s ‘blue plaque’ outlines some of its history.

Of all the criteria, I assume the most subjective has to be the ‘level of creativity’ and then to a lesser extent the ‘combination of flavours’. Of course it’s also difficult to comment on ‘consistency’ after one visit. The easiest of the criteria is probably ‘value for money’ and I feel that The Longridge certainly offers that, especially with the regular offers that can be accessed through the website when you sign up to become a ‘Friend of Paul’.

An amuse bouche featuring a Parmesan Marshmallow with Roasted Hazelnut and a delightful little Goat’s Cheese Fritter in a crisp golden crumb. Both cheeses can have a strong flavour but here they were not overpowering; although perhaps Michelin inspectors would expect a greater punch from the listed flavours? (Michelin star quality? – I think so.)

After the  amuse, we went though to the dining room and were seated in a spacious round table in the corner of the room. The décor here similarly mixed modern and period features with exposed brickwork and beams were contrasted with modern lighting and comfortable chairs upholstered in neutral tones or studded black leather banquettes. The room was a little cold, but this building does date from 1808 (with hindsight perhaps we should have asked to be moved away from the window.)

The starter of Cauliflower soup with Parmesan and parsley oil arrived in modish espresso cups. I like to add a sprinkling of parsley to cauliflower cheese and this soup was a tasty variation on proven flavour combinations; the Parmesan crisps adding a pleasing texture. (Michelin star quality? – Yes.)

The next dish was the best of the evening for me, Seared fillet of turbot with Jerusalem artichoke soup, tea infused egg, apple and truffle oil. With regard to Michelin’s first criteria, the quality of ingredients, you cannot get much better than a beautifully cooked fillet of in season Turbot, ‘the king of all sea fish’. The Jerusalem artichoke soup, also making the most of the season’s best, was very good; the tea smoked egg imparting a subtle smokiness. Then, to top it all, slices of heavenly autumn truffle - a surprise treat, trumping the listed truffle oil. (Michelin star quality? – Most definitely!)

Wild mushrooms are at their best this time of year and the cep (or porcini) is one of the best wild mushrooms. The thin slices of mushroom used in The Longridge’s Cèpe Risotto tasted firm and fresh. The risotto had a good creamy texture but for my taste it was a little under seasoned but salt and pepper was provided on the table. (Michelin star quality? – Just.)

Seared and braised mallard, Alsace braised cabbage, artichoke, swede and juniper jus was main course offering. Good seasonality of ingredients and each component was cooked well enough. However, for me, it lacked a little depth of flavour and also creativity. The duck itself was disappointing. (Michelin star quality? – Not for me.)

The Cheeses Selection, served with walnut and raisin bread and honey featured seven quality cheeses. I do prefer to choose my own cheeses from a trolley or ‘cheese chariot’ and many of the Michelin rated restaurants do it this way. However, this was a decent selection with good cheeses of their type - the Celtic Promise, Roquefort, Vacherin Mont d’Or and Perl Wen, all noteworthy. (Michelin star quality? – Maybe.)

The pre-dessert of Vanilla cream and chocolate cappuccino sounded good on paper. In reality I found the vanilla a little lacking in flavour and the chocolate ‘cappuccino’ also underperformed. Overall, it reminded me of something that you might find in a little plastic pot from a supermarket and put into a kid’s lunchbox. (Michelin star quality? – Not on your nelly.)

Our dessert of Gianduja Délice, goat’s cheese ice cream and celery jelly also failed to delight. I got the impression that the menu had been criticised for being dated so someone in their wisdom has tried to jazz up a dull délice with some cocoa nibs, a halfhearted goat’s cheese ice cream and a bizarre celery jelly. (Michelin star quality? – Not these days.)

To follow, instead of Coffee, I selected a Green Tea, which was served with some pleasing Petit Fours - a Dark Chocolate Truffle, a White Chocolate Chip Cookie and a Strawberry Jelly. (Michelin star quality? – Why not?)

Like I say, I’m not really qualified to judge but my views do seem to agree with Michelin’s, in that they have not yet returned the restaurant’s star status. I sincerely hope that I’ll be reading that headline soon and I’m sure that the one person who knows better than me what The Longridge needs to do to win back a star is Paul Heathcote MBE.

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The Fat Duck at Aumbry

“Remember how things used to be? Why can't they be like that any more? Because, no matter how much you may claim to hanker for a repeat, things have moved on. When we pine for the past, we confuse the experience we had with the events that triggered it. Imagine being hungry and dreaming of a dinner you ate some years ago. You don't want THAT dinner. Even if there's any left, it has long since rotted! You want something similar, freshly cooked. If it is new, though, it will be different. Be inspired by the past, but don't be a slave to it.” – I don’t generally read my horoscope, but this is what Jonathan Cainer had to say about me (and one in twelve other people) this week. Naturally, with it being about food, I took note.

For me, ‘THAT dinner’ would be the meal I ate, just over a year ago, at The Fat Duck. When telling people about my meal there, I usually start by saying that, once I had secured a booking, I was a little apprehensive about going; knowing that I had built it up so much and had such high expectations, I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to them… it surpassed them! I also tell people that eating there is a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience and that they should do their upmost to secure a table. That ‘once in a lifetime’ experience is one I have since dreamed of repeating – and haven’t even got close to in any other restaurant, even those with a similar three Michelin stars.

Having not yet had the opportunity to return to the Fat Duck to repeat THAT meal, imagine my delight when I learnt that instead, The Fat Duck would be coming to me! (Well, at least to my hometown of Manchester.)

Mary-Ellen McTague and her husband Laurence Tottingham of Aumbry worked at Heston Blumenthal’s multi-award winning winning Bray bastion for four years - and as part of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival managed to reunite a select ‘paddling’ of Duck alumni as well as Jonny Lake (the current Head Chef) and James ‘Jocky’ Petrie (Head of Creative Development) to cook a ten course charity banquet in aid of the worthy cause, Hospitality Action & the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

A 'paddling' of Fat Duck chefs (& sponsor Franco from  www.chromaknices.co.uk)

The other former Ducks gracing Aumbry’s quaint little restaurant tucked away on a quiet side street in the village of Prestwich were later confirmed as James Lowe of the London based culinary trailblazers The Young Turks and Heston’s former sous chef Emily Watson, recently celebrating another year as a holder of a Michelin Bib Gourmand at her Oxfordshire Inn, the Kingham Plough.

Aside from having the opportunity to eat Emily’s and James’ food for the first time the most exciting promise was that Jonny and Jocky would be creating dishes from the current Fat Duck menu. Would it be the Licorice Poached Salmon? Snail Porridge? Sound of the Sea, complete with iPod and conch shell? The Alice in Wonderland inspired Mock Turtle Soup? What about the desserts… The ‘BFG’? or perhaps Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop? I have eaten them all before and despite what my “stars” said I would happily eat them all again, and again, and again!

Guests lucky enough to have secured the hottest ticket in town were instructed to arrive at 7pm. Upon arrival we were ushered into Aumbry’s retro lounge where a free flow of Deutz Champagne and tasty appetisers got the party started. There was a palpable excitement in the air which was elevated further when the evening’s menu was revealed - the answers to my questions? The Sound of the Sea and Sweet Shop… get in!

Aumbry's refined Bread & Dripping

Served along with their freshly baked Homemade Breads with Beef Dripping and creamy Salted and Nut Brown Butters, the first two dishes were to be cooked by Mary-Ellen and Laurence, two Aumbry favourites:

Aumbry's Pork Pate

The Pork Paté with subtly Pickled Cucumber and a fragrant spherification of Jasmine & Honey - a wonderful amuse bouche served on their customary vintage tableware.

Aumbry's Home Smoked Mackerel

Followed by their amazing Home Smoked Mackerel with Poached Rhubarb & Mustard Cream – superbly subtle smoking.

Emily Watkins of The Kingham Plough

Next up came the first of the ‘guest chef’ dishes, Emily Watkins’ Ballotine of Partridge with Pickled Quince, Partridge Consommé & Quince Brioche. The Partridge meat was as flavoursome as any I have had and the richness of the consommé and parfait on the terrine were balanced beautifully by the quince garnishes. Very accomplished cooking. 

Emily Watkins' Ballotine of Partridge

The next course was James Lowe’s Raw Hereford Rib with oyster & wild watercress - a deceptively simple dish with phenomenal flavour, stunningly and colourfully presented with wild watercress and peppery rocket flowers. The well-hung raw beef served in a small dice (as opposed to minced) had bite and good flavour, helped by the fact that it was not direct from a chiller. Delightfully crunchy breadcrumbs, fried in dripping provided texture and the pickled elderberries added acidity and a further tart burst of zinginess when they popped in the mouth. The oyster emulsion was sensational, inventive and ingenious – most importantly, it tasted great!

James Lowe's Raw Hereford Rib

The visiting chefs had given up their time to travel, cook, be reunited with and support their friends at Aumbry. Throughout the evening it was pleasing to see them helping out prepping, plating up, tasting and asking questions about each others’ dishes. Chefs at the top of their game, who despite training and working at some of the world’s best restaurants still have passion, hunger and humility. Between some of the courses I made my way into the kitchen to watch these masters of their craft at work. There were no big egos and every one of them was happy to answer questions, share experiences and their love of food.

James Lowe, Jocky & Laurence plate up the Raw Hereford Rib

Of all the chefs, I probably spoke to James Lowe the most - a gourmet go-getter with a glittering future; who, along with his fellow Young Turks, has a refreshing philosophy to food and ‘restaurants’ in general. As well as the Fat Duck, he has also worked at Noma, WD-50, the River Café and spent close to fours years as the Head Chef at St. John Bread & Wine. Each of these places having clearly influenced his food. James was telling me about their plans to open a three-month long extended ‘pop-up’ at The Ten Bells, pub in Spitalfields (famous for its Jack the Ripper connection) in London’s increasingly modish East End. With the menus changing weekly, reservations may be hard to come by. If you’re hearing this news here first, keep an ear to the ground so that you don’t miss out… you’ll be treated to amazing food by an inspiring talent.

Head Chef of The Fat Duck, Jonny Lake with 'Sound of the Sea'

'Sound of the Sea'

Up next, the dish I had been waiting for, the Sound of the Sea. Jonny Lake, the Canadian Head Chef at The Fat Duck was overseeing this dish’s creation (for the first time outside Bray), although all hands were on deck to help. Presented on a handsomely crafted wooden podium with a glass plate set above a seabed of sand; the dish itself consists of a sashimi of succulent seafood, served with a selection of seaweeds, edible sand, miso and a foamy breaking wave.  Exquisite!

(At The Fat Duck) I thought it was a gimmick too.

Then I plugged in & tasted it!

Drifting away...

Many people I’ve spoken to about this dish believe that listening to an iPod, nestled in a shell, playing the sound of crashing waves and cawing gulls is nothing more than a gimmick. In fact, Heston worked with Oxford University to experiment with how sound can enhance the sense of taste. Stating, "We ate an oyster while listening to the sea and it tasted stronger and saltier than when we ate it while listening to barnyard noises, for example." That definitelty sounds like a fun thing to study! The real test for me is watching the change in diners reactions: when at the Fat Duck I noticed that people would laugh and joke upon being presented with the shells (as the photos of me prove!) but as the food arrives slowly a change and calm invariably comes over them as they ‘get into it’ – the same thing happened here, as you can see with my fellow guest Ray and Franco.

The MFDF 2011 Best Chefs in Manchester

Slow Cooked Herdwick Lamb

Mary-Ellen and Laurence had a tough act to follow… but Manchester’s ‘Chef(s) of the Year’ at this year’s Food and Drink Festival had an ace up their (rolled up) sleeves -  their Slow Cooked Herdwick Lamb may not have had the theatrical elements and Apple gadgetry of the previous course but what it lacked in this area, it more than made up for in depth of flavour. The rich pearl barley topped with a disc of Maderia gelée was stunning. The cauliflower, smoked shallot and crispy shallots adding further flavour and great textures.

Grapefruit Possett

Aumbry’s popular pre-dessert, the Grapefruit Posset with celery granita & sherbet went down well, as usual.

Hesketh Bank Strawberries

The Hesketh Bank Strawberries from nearby Preston were the stars of the impactful dessert. Tiny meringues, frosted rose petals, dots of peppery sauce and a rose water panna cotta completed the dish.

You don't get this in The Fat Duck - hand delivered by James 'Jocky' Petrie

'Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop'

All good things come to an end and the meal ended with all good things – namely, The Fat Duck’s ‘Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop’.  Served in an olde fashioned sweetie shop style pink and white striped bag, containing an Aerated Chocolate with Mandarin Jelly; Coconut Baccy (coconut infused with black Cavendish tobacco) Apple Pie Caramel (with an edible wrapper) and Queen of Hearts (white chocolate with fruit compote.) What made this course all the more special is that it was hand delivered by one of it’s creators, former pastry chef and now head of creative development, James ‘Jocky’ Petrie. James stayed at our table for quite some time, answering questions and generally schmoozing – a real character and a great guy.

A jocular Jocky

Sadly, I didn’t get to eat mine as I decided to take them home for my wife to ease my guilt about leaving her at home, missing out on the most wonderful of meals and evenings.

The charitable chefs

The meal may have been over but the evening still had not finished. First, the chefs came out to the dining room to our rapturous applause. Each chef was introduced to the diners and thanked by Mary-Ellen; they then drew the charity raffle. One lucky diner won a fantastic type 301 F.A. Porsche Japanese Chef’s Knife donated by Franco, one of the evening’s sponsors. Another won an overnight stay and meal at Emily’s Kingham Plough. More importantly, I won ‘Sunday Lunch for Two’ at Aumbry.

So there we have it… I feel like at any moment, I could awaken from some Alice in Wonderland style Fat Duck fantasy to the words, “And then I woke up and it was all a dream…”

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