Festival Planning

It is going to happen. The first planning meeting took place yesterday 3rd May. Discussion about jute shopping bags - similar to last year's. Another Alternative Awards Ceremony which is the hightlight of the festival for the participating owners and workers - a time for drinking, food and prizes after a lot of work. Ideas for a one day market in the big car park in the centre of Chorlton. This would be a good one if it comes off - food stalls, local growers, an event to bring it all together. Another meeting is planned for Tuesday 17th May. So far no themes have emerged and we don't know who is in or not.

For something with a bit of humour visit Animals in their own fluids. Label creations from Sam in south Manchester.

Spring is here

No indication as yet if there will be another Chorlton Fringe Food and Drink Festival in October 2005. But we thought it was time to revive the website, just in case. Updates are coming but we're not promising it will be immediately.

Beth Knowles of Unicorn Grocery and an organiser of the Chorlton Fringe Festival has started a monthly column about food / seasonality in the South Manchester Reporter. We'll publish it on the web.

New eats no prizes

Tonic - a cocktail bar and restaurant is taking Christmas bookings even though the builders and decorators are still in on site. Situated on Beech Road, used to be Sasso, before that Primavera, opposite Lead Station. You must have it fixed in your geography after all those clues.

Croma is not due to open until end of first quarter 2005. Corner of Manchester Road and Wilmslow Road, used to be Coupe furniture shop, opposite the new build flats next to the Lloyds. You must have it fixed in your geography after all those clues.

The BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming awards didn't get to Manchester. Unicorn was on the shortlist of four to be best local retailer who has made a difference to there community. Pipped at post by a bakery in Otley.

Story :-

Sheila Dillon and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reveal the winners of the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards 2004, presented at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

Shortlisted for the first award, for Best Food Producer, were Renhurst Farm in East Sussex, Roskilly's of Tregallast Barton in Cornwall and The Gotto Family pubs in London. The winner is Roskilly's for their delicious ice-cream. Sheila visits the Roskilly's farm in Cornwall. Toby Roskilly and Philip Tanswell collect their award.

Finalists for the award for Best 'Dinner Lady' were Anne Brodie from GeorgeStephensonHigh School in Tyne and Wear, Ron McKenzie from Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS and Ian Woodhouse from Stoke-on-Trent Civic Centre. Joint winners are Ian Woodhouse and Ron McKenzie. Sheila and judge Dr Margaret Rayman travel to Stoke and to Darlington to meet them both.

The award for Best Takeaway is presented by nutritionist Vicki Edgson aka 'Miss Chiplash' in BBC1's Fat Nation:The Big Challenge. Finalists were Adam's Fish and Chips on St Martin's, Isles of Scilly; Juice Moose in Exeter and The Seaforth Chippy in Ullapool. The winner is Harry Macrae of The Seaforth Chippy.

Finalists for Best Local Retailer were Bondgate Bakery in Otley, West Yorkshire, Unicorn Grocery in Chorlton, Manchester, Low Sizergh Barn in Kendal, Cumbria, and William Lloyd Williams & Son in Machynlleth, Powys. The winner is Bondgate Bakery. Sheila and judge Robert Clark visit Bondgate Bakery and meet owners Sally Hinchcliffe and Steve Taylor.

The shortlist for the Best National/Regional Retailer was ASDA, Stokes Plc and Waitrose. The winner is ASDA. Sheila and Robert Clark visit Local Sourcing Manager Karen Todd at the Morley Store near Leeds.

The Farming Today award for Farmer of the Year had a shortlist of: The Food Animal Initiative in Wytham in Oxfordshire, Sheepdrove Organic Farm in Lambourn, Berkshire, and Riverford Organic Vegetables, Buckfastleigh in Devon. Riverford triumphed, and owner Guy Watson collected the award. Judge Sir Don Curry explains why he was a worthy winner.

The BBC Food Personality of the Year is Rick Stein, who presented the award for Best Food Campaigner/Educator. The finalists were West Dorset Food and Land Trust, Glasgow First Foods, and Mike Smylie aka 'Kipperman'. The award goes to 'Kipperman' who cooks kippers for Sheila at his home in Bristol.

The Derek Cooper Award goes to journalist and author Joanna Blythman.

Too much

Fancy a "Mashed Potato Soda" with your regular fries. You have to take off your baseball hat to these concoctions Mashed potatoes, green beans — in a bottle?

Streetsmart

It's a charity and basically you get a £1 added to your restaurant bill. Full of food and half cut on wine you'll go along with this as someone who can't afford fancy prices will benefit. It's only a quid a table.
Participating restaurants

Weekly Spots

One from BBC - Manchester and it's this Friday 29th October - concerned that this locally made pastry (most of them come from Ardwick) is disappearing.
National Eccles Cake Day

A review of The Hillary Step reprinted (can it be called reprinted if it's put on the web?) from local CAMRA magazine "What's Doing"

New TV Food Programme next week Full On Food BBC Two TV 2000h BST. A food programme not a cooking for entertainment show, but it looks smug, bourgeois London media from here. Not prejudiced, oh...

New Shop Iran

A nice interesting little food store has opened opposite Chorlton Bus Station. It's been open two weeks now, but I was too busy in traffic to notice. It's painted bright yellow and has some greengrocery outside. In an Iranian theme, one of the world's best cuisine, with a side line in video and CD's (not in English) and a selection of heavenly sweets - give me halva and baklava for just desserts. But it's in a bad position. Many ventures on this side of the road have faltered - the last two on this site lasting barely six months.

Did I buy anything? Yes, some flat leaf parsley, Sour Cherry syrup, and an apple fruit leather. Not my typical grocery selection. But I'll be back just as soon as I've trawled the online recipes. Get adventurous - buy something you've never ever tried before.

Entertainment - Busted

The Hillary Step and The Bar get a sequence of photos, 91 photos at ManchesterOnline - Entertainment - Busted. You can click on a photo and vote for something. People are actually canvassing for votes, believe I got an email to vote for one snap and so did 50 other people looking at the cc: list.

Refurb

Little restaurant on Beech Road. Started life as Primavera and it was good, very good but that's nearly 10 years ago now. Sell on, new owner and eventually it becomes Sasso, good but patchy, depends who was chefing. Now more new owners, it's not working, close for a refurb. Expectations are it will concentrate more on selling drink and less on quality of food. That's the success of the Lead Station across the road. Amazing those microwaves. How can you tell everything is prepared before hand and then heated to order? Easy - just ask if you can vary your choice from the menu. A simple feat not possible when it was frozen last Monday.

Chorlton gets some glitz

At the main Manchester Food and Drink awards ceremony - a glitzy, tickets are not cheap event several Chorlton establishments picked up awards.

Best Food And Drink Retail Outlet: The Barbakan Delicatessen.
Best Provision For Vegetarians: Unicorn Grocery.
Greens, West Didsbury won the City Life Restaurant Of The Year !!
ManchesterOnline

Now it's all over, we'll be doing a revamp of the site - to include a Diary of food and drink related events - local and not so global. Preview

Suprise CD

One of the suprises of the awards night was a free CD given away to those who wanted one. Recorded by Chantelle and a few friends three versions of "40 ways to Feed Your Lover". Everybody does different mixes don't they. Below is a one minute extract.
Song for the Chorlton Fringe Food and Drink Festival 2004

It's over for another year

Awards ceremony and everyone, well nearly everyone got a prize. Which was go up on the little stage at Iguana and collect a hand thrown plate. Unfortunately the full list of winners is available just right now. However remember that Diamond Dogs won best cup of coffee in Chorlton which took everyone by suprise. No suprises for best chippy - Beech Road Chip Shop. Most courteous service went to the manager of the Marble Beer House. After that the alcohol took control.
List of winners.

Nearly over

Apple Day at Unicorn and award ceremony at Iguana in the evening at that will be this years Chorlton Fringe over. Hope to carry this site on throughout the year with local food news, photos and other ramblings. Thanks to all the people who voted online, as well as using the few ballot boxes in shops. The jute shopping bags will become collecters items - only 500 made. Told them to make a 1,000 but would they listen.

Tampopo (Albert Square, Trafford Centre, Leeds and London SW10) are doing a Phuket Vegetarian Festival Menu £11.95. A choice from four starters and seven mains. 14th thru 22nd October 2004. Open 7 days a week from 1200 - 2300 (1200 - 2200 Sunday). I saw the menu in Chorlton Wholefoods (their head office is next door) and it looks good enough to mention it, or better still go and eat.