Eight good things I ate and drank in January 2024

Fondue, ramen and Sunday roast for a nippy monh

I went to the Manchester Food and Drink Awards this week for the fourth year running (excluding the pandemic blip). I went alone and I was a bit anxious beforehand. I couldn’t figure out why until I realised that it was my first time attending as an independent agent rather than part of a big media company.

Something really lovely happened. One after another of my favourite people in the Manchester hospitality food scene, operators, owners, bartenders, sommeliers, chefs, FOH staff, other writers and social media pros including ex-colleagues, the awards’ presenters, festival founders and on and on came to say hello. I danced around the room hugging and smiling and chatting to what felt like an endless stream of beautiful, warm, talented people. I felt so at home and happy and among my people. I’m not the most confident person, and it was a hugely needed boost now that I spend a lot of time working alone.

I didn’t get a preview of the winners and even the category I judged had gone down to a public vote from the two nominees that were neck and neck winners from our mystery visits. So, I was as delighted by that result as everyone in the room. I whooped and cheered and shed a couple of sneaky tears as I saw businesses and people I love collect their awards. I’m a fan girl above all. Many of us agreed that it was the best MFDF ever. The venue New Century was perfect. The food was great. People made funny and daft and emotional speeches and there was a real sense of solidarity and love in the room. All the nominees are winners in my eyes. I am so, so happy to be a part of this celebration of Manchester’s incredible food and drink scene.

I’ve eaten out as much as possible in lean, mean January. These winter months are so tough for operators and so many places have announced closure this month, it’s devastating. Manchester’s Finest made a video about the struggles hospitality is facing and the campaign to get the government to cut VAT to help prevent more closures. You should take the time to watch it and sign the petition if you haven’t yet done so.

Here are the best things I ate in January 2024:

Roasted Jerusalem artichoke, wild mushroom, pickled pear, chestnut, treviso at Another Hand (£18)

Quick confession, this wasn’t in Jan but during crimbo limbo and I didn’t have anywhere to put it last year as I didn’t do a Dec best dishes. Another Hand is one of Manchester’s best-kept restaurant secrets and I reckon this hip, quirky little place quite enjoys its hidden away status. Owner/co-head chef Julian is a bit of a maverick and he always sneaks in a dish that leaves me scratching my head among all the belters. On this occasion, he spooked me with tiny purple garlic flowers on an otherwise stunning green tea pannacotta. Why why whyyyyy! But I won’t dwell on that because everything else was amazing and I sort of see this as all part of the fun.

I visited with my friend and fellow writer Louise Rhind Tutt so naturally, we ordered a big meaty lamb dish and a few other things besides this. But this Jerusalem artichoke and Treviso radicchio dish is everything I dream of on a plate. There is no flavour like the knobbly, fart-inducing Jerusalem artichoke, almost like a savoury caramel in pureed and crunchy praline-esque form here. I would have bitter leaves as a bouquet so the elegant maroon and cream radicchio made all my senses sizzle. Chiffon-thin slices of pickled pear provided the requisite sweet acidity to bring it all together. I think I might send the above picture to my nail artist for colour inspo later this year.

Cheshire smoked duck, pickled walnut at Linden Stores, Knutsford (Part of a £40 six-course tasting menu)

There are a few great tasting menu restaurants a mere train hop away from Manchester. OK Knutsford takes 40 mins and there is only one train an hour so some forward planning is required but it feels like another planet compared to my grimy city life. You could hear a tie pin drop on its sleepy main road when we visited midweek to check out Linden Stores, the newest dining spot in town. As far as I can gather, there is nothing remotely like this in Knutsford which has a lot of places for dressed-up dining but nothing emulating the kind of things going on in the city.

Linden Stores originated in London before moving to another part of Cheshire and has finally found its forever home here. Everyone I know who’s been has raved about it and I too was a big fan of the whole experience. Friendly and professional staff who really know the menu and wines, cute decor that works with the original features while managing to look crisp and modern, and a menu that has shades of Higher Ground, Erst and Glossop’s Hyssop about it while managing to have very much its own character. A hearty scallop course, a pristine venison main and a snack of pickled mussels and fennel all hit the spot but our favourite was this simple plate of smoked duck served with both pickled and natural walnuts, peppery watercress and sharp Lancaster cheese. A low-intervention wine list keeps things bang on trend.

(This was an invited PR visit with no promise of coverage).

Groseran risotto at ARCO x Tast (part of an £80 five-course tasting menu)

Sometimes looks aren’t everything, so let’s move on to the deep, intense flavour packed into this unassuming risotto. That flavour comes from Groseran, a hard Polish goat’s cheese that the ARCO team brought over from their native Gdansk for this special event at our Mancunian Catalan gem Tast. Both Tast and ARCO are overseen by the highly skilled Paco Perez who has five Michelin stars across his restaurants in Spain, and Paco brought tiny green peas from Catalonia to add sweet pops of flavour to the intensity. Matched very cleverly with a super light Grenache, this was a masterclass in simplicity at the centre of a balanced, confident menu peppered with unfamiliar ingredients and clever techniques. Tast hosts special events like this all the time and they are well worth looking out for.

Tantanmen at New Wave Ramen (£16)

Alongside some happy hour skewers at £4 for two sticks, this was a deeply satisfying dinner for under £20. I’ve been meaning to get to New Wave for a while and got tired of waiting for my pal Neil Sowerby to book our long-promised date so I went with my handsome and hilarious significant other Giz instead. I always go spicy and this was not the sinus-clearing blow-your-head-off kind (I’m looking at you House of Fu) but just spicy enough, tempered by the fattiness of ground lamb soboro. All the flavour you could possibly want in the world is here in one deep bowl of happiness and it has to be said that the noodles themselves are the best around.

Chickpea, spinach and egg at The Beeswing (£6.50)

In case you missed the news, one of my favourite places to drink wine in Manchester, The Beeswing, now has added Baratxuri running the kitchen. I’m all over that dynamic duo and I was pleased to be invited to check out the menu when it launched earlier this month. We tried more or less everything on it, and yes that cod is lovely and the tortilla perfectly gooey but my favourite dish is this little shallow pan of garlicky chickpeas, wilted spinach and gently cooked egg whose yolk you break and stir in to create an unctuous golden sauce. Very pocket-friendly prices too.

Swiss Fondue Set at The Sparrows (£19.50 serves two)

Dreadful photo, I know. The low-lit Sparrows doesn’t lend itself to crisp phone photography and a dish of fondue isn’t the most photogenic thing in the world. Not being the skiing holiday type, I don’t recall ever having eaten fondue in a restaurant before so when I saw it on the menu at possibly Manchester’s most comfort foodie yet outrageously romantic restaurant, it was a no-brainer. I guess fondue too is comfort and romance in one. Somehow dipping things on sticks into bubbling molten cheese feels a bit kinky to me. But maybe that’s just middle age for you.

Lamb koftë and cumin cream, The Molly House (£7)

Years ago, I used to live and work in the gay village and I spent a lot of time in the Molly House, my favourite off-Canal Street boozer. The quality of drinks in this part of Manchester has improved since the days of exclusively day glo shots and £1 pints but The Molly House was always a cut above in terms of quality and it still stands up to the stiffer competition. The beer here is top and the small wine list impressive with an unexpected selection of bottles including Andalucian Moscat, Georgian Saperavi and Blaufrankish from Burgenland, Austria. We shared a bottle of Spanish Mencia and worked our way through the updated tapas menu which includes Moroccan-style pistachio briouat and the Iranian soup Ash Reshteh. Our favourite tapa was these little lamb koftë with cumin cream and mango-cardamom gel. The service here is very good too.

32-day dry-aged sirloin, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, braised red cabbage, carrot and swede, parsnips, greens and gravy at 10 Tib Lane (£20)

We started a year in which we have pledged to travel more by going to another country - Wales - on New Year’s Day. After a few hours of breathing in bracing sea air and racking up the steps along Prestatyn beach, we stepped off the train back to Manchester famished. 10 Tib Lane to the rescue with its famous Sunday roast. I couldn’t fault the perfectly cooked beef, frilly crisp Yorkie and glossy gravy but extra points for super silky, nutmeg-infused carrot and swede mash and a side dish of cauli cheese. A great start to 2024 and a reminder to eat more roast dinners.