British

Despite the fact that approximately half of my family are from Yorkshire, and in the words of my Mother I am in fact ‘50% Yorkshire’ myself, I don’t spend as much time there as I should. Leeds is obviously a great city but the county has so much more to offer, particularly along the coast. Just a few months ago I …

Nobody divides the opinion of Manchester’s foodies quite like Living Ventures. They’re an obvious target due to their huge success and I guess it’s easy to hate them as many bloggers seem to, I’ve been guilty of it myself at times. But while many of their places are clearly not for me I can’t help but admire their relentlessness and also the …

It’s fair to say i’m not a particularly green-fingered person, my attempts at gardening basically amounts to trying (and usually failing) to keep potted herbs alive for longer than a week. So when I was invited to a ‘Summer Evening’ at Woodford Park Garden Centre I must admit I wasn’t particularly interested at first. However,  they got my attention with …

Whilst I certainly don’t consider myself a regular theatre goer I have been to The Lowry at Salford Quays a couple of times. Besides an enjoyable meal at nearby Damson i’d always eaten in Manchester before the show as the only other options in the area are uninspiring chain restaurants. Or so I thought. I was genuinely surprised when contacted by Mike, the food manager at …

I was asked by the people behind the Britain’s Best Bites website to plan my own foodie road trip around some of the ‘must-try’ food producers in the North West. The Parkers Arms immediately came to mind and became the focal point of the entire trip. Set in the beautiful Ribble Valley, chef Stosie Madi serves stunning food and is …

A few weeks ago I was invited to try Manchester’s hottest new pub/restaurant ‘Beef & Pudding’ during its soft launch period. I liked it so much I returned the following day to eat my way through some more of the intriguing menu. Starting with a glass of Prosecco and a tin of giant, juicy Gordal olives. The ‘Starters’ are perhaps …

It’s not everyday you get given a car and petrol for the day to go and visit some of the best restaurants and food producers in the region. But that’s what happened after I was contacted on behalf of Europcar and asked to take part in their #BritainsBestBites campaign which aims to promote great local producers. Britain’s Best Bites is …

I like beef and love puddings (both the sweet and savoury kind), so when I heard of a new restaurant in Manchester named ‘Beef & Pudding’ I was naturally excited. You can imagine my disappointment then when I learned that rather than being due to a menu consisting of only beef and pudding dishes the name is actually a reference …

As 2013 draws to a close and I begin to reflect on my culinary adventures over the past 12 months one of the undoubted highlights was the discovery of The Parkers Arms in the Ribble Valley. My first visit back in March remains one of the most memorable and enjoyable meals this year and I now consider it a firm …

I always loved Christmas as a child and it’s not changed much as i’ve grown up, although the reasons have. These days I prefer giving presents to receiving them but the bit I love the most is the food. I adore everything about Christmas food; turkey, pigs in blankets, Christmas spices, eggnog, chestnuts, cranberries etc and yes, even sprouts. So …

I loved my first Gastroclub experience at the Mark Addy in June where it returned from a year long break. I’d planned on attending more events but for various reasons hadn’t made it to any since. So when I heard about the return to the Mark Addy for the Gastroclub Christmas dinner I jumped at the chance and snapped up …

Given how far I travel to eat I was genuinely excited when I realised the winner of ‘Food Pub Of The Year’ at the Manchester Food & Drink Festival awards is just 15 minutes down the road. The Shoulder Of Mutton is located in Holcombe, a tiny village just outside Ramsbottom. From the outside it looks like a good, old …

I recently made Stosie Madi, head chef of the Parkers Arms blush when I said her ‘Good Friday Fish Fest‘ was one of the highlights of my year. It’s true though, despite eating out around 50 times since, including several fine-dining restaurants – some with 2 Michelin stars – Stosie’s food is still some of the most memorable. Being the …

Last week Manchester was transformed into a garden city with tress, flowers and even a forrest transported to the city centre streets. It was all in aid of ‘Dig The City’ festival, an event aimed at encouraging us to ‘grow our own’. With such an interest in food I’m probably their target audience but as somebody who’s barely managed to …

TheGastroClub is a group of Manchester food lovers started by Katie Brunt in 2010. I followed it’s progress closely during the early months, almost joining on many occasions. Although i’d often already eaten at the places they visited I love that they ask the restaurants and chefs to offer menus which aren’t available to the general public and containing innovative …