THE final weekend of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival is you last chance to savour the teeming delights of the Festival Hub in Albert Square with once again acclaimed chefs taking centre stage.
On Saturday, September 19 from 1pm in the Live Cookery Theatre there are four fascinating chef demos on offer with two different takes on Spanish food from Iberica’s Cesar Garcia and El Gato Negro’s Simon Shaw (picture of Simon courtesy of Joby Catto at Anti-Limited), Cantonese cuisine from maestro Harry Yeung, and the modern British cuisine of Volta’s Alex Shaw, who is on the Chef of the Year shortlist in Monday’s Manchester Food And Drink Awards (check here for full list of nominees).
1pm César García – Iberica The Spanish restaurant chain’s latest outpost has been wowing customers in Spinningfields since it opened in March. Instrumental in its success has been group head chef César García, who has profited from his seven years working alongside Michelin-starred exec chef Nacho Manzano. Like Nacho he relentlessly pursues a belief that only the finest Spanish produce should be used in creating Ibérica’s menu, allowing their flavours and textures to take central stage.
3pm Harry Yeung – Yang Sing Harry began his kitchen apprenticeship in Hong Kong at the age of 13, travelled to classically training as a dim sum, roast and wok master chef before joining the family business in Manchester as executive chef and making it one of the most celebrated Cantonese restaurants in Britain. It earned him the MBE in 2004 and, now in his sixties, he shows no sign of slowing down while overseeing the ever-evolving Yang Sing menus, cookery school and spin-off businesses.
5pm Alex Shaw – Volta Volta is making quite a name for itself out in West Didsbury, due in no little part to head chef Shaw and his cannily-crafted small plates, lauded by the likes of The Guardian’s Marina O’Loughlin. Previously he worked at the Michelin-starred The Old Vicarage outside Sheffield and The Wigan and Pen in that city plus at the Royal Box at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
7pm Simon Shaw – El Gato Negro Yorkshireman Simon is a highly experienced restaurateur with over 35 years of experience, most notably as executive head chef at Harvey Nichols, before opening his own highly successful restaurant El Gato Negro Tapas in 2005, after 10 successful years in London. It was at the time visits to the Basque Country and Catalonia inspired his ‘conversion’ to Iberian cuisine and contemporary take on it – honed to perfection at the Michelin-rated El Gato, in the Pennine hamlet of Ripponden, which is relocating to King Street in Manchester later this year.
PLEASE BRING FOOD TO MUSTARD TREE’S ‘EMPTY PANTRY’ AT ALBERT SQUARE
THE MFDF is committed to ethical social projects. All week until Friday, September 18 a quartet of the city’s best chefs (pictured above) have been cooking bespoke banquet lunches at the Ancoats HQ of Mustard Tree, using food donated to this homeless charity. Now all over the closing weekend the Mustard Tree are running the ‘Empty Pantry’ at the Albert Square hub over the weekend of 18-20 Sept, encouraging folk to bring non-perishable food to stock a charity store. Find out more about Mustard Tree’s work in organising training courses, job clubs, counselling, and volunteering opportunities at http://www.mustardtree.org.uk.
GREEN GROWS THE CITY THIS SUNDAY
A FURTHER ethical priority for the MFDF sustainable food sourcing in the city. Hence the fascinating Green Grows The City free event from noon at the Festival Hub.
This exciting collaboration between organic co-op Manchester Veg People and the Moss Cider Project offers a hands-on, grow-your-own, make-your-own experience to festival-goers.The Veg people are bringing their own produce to a special market at the Hub, along with local restaurant partners they supply, Bistro 1847 and Urban Cookhouse, to provide cooking demos.
Moss Cider founders Dan and Joe will unveil their plans to source lost, hidden and rescued fruits from green spaces across Greater Manchester. One and all can have a go on their bike-powered apple crusher and traditional apple press – and even buy a bottle of their collaborative juice made especially for the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. If you have apples ripe and ready to be pressed on the day email [email protected].
Hulme Garden Centre is selling its home-grown herbs and other edible delights, while treating MFDF customers to shots of their herbal infusion tea. Kids can have a go at mint root cutting.
DON”T MISS THE FUNGI FUN IN ALBERT SQUARE
THIS final weekend gives Hub-goers a final chance to visit one of MFDF’s most intriguing collaborations – with the Biospheric Studio. Do a tour of the hyperlocal, specialised mushroom farm created in Albert Square. Learn about the Studio’s five year plan for fungi production from its CEO and head designer. Taste the produce, too, of course.
That’s if you have not already overdosed on the Hub’s delicious street food while working your way through the 100 Greatest Manchester Beers and listening to some great live music from the likes of Lucy Hope (Sunday lunchtime, pictured below) and Thea Gilmore (Sunday, teatime).
