ARTISAN bakery and restaurant Blanchflower in Altrincham has appointed Alex Shaw as its new Head Chef. Alex will be working alongside co-owners Phil and Clare Howells to devise a new all-day menu, with a focus on creating a casual dining experience in the evening.
He brings with him an impressive cv – Manchester Food and Drink Awards Chef of the Year 2015 while at Volta in West Didsbury, then head Chef at the award-winning Eagle and Child in Ramsbottom before working alongside Robert Owen Brown at the Hinchliffe Arms in West Yorkshire.
Earlier in his career he also enjoyed stints at The Wig and Pen in Sheffield and Nunsmere Hall in Cheshire and was pastry chef at The Old Vicarage Ridgeway when it received its first Michelin star.
Blanchflower launched in December 2017 and introduced an evening menu in February (Tom review).
Alex told us: “I met Phil last year and we hit it off immediately. We have the same outlook on food and while I wasn’t in a position to join the team last year, I’m looking forward to joining forces with Phil and Claire to create something really special at Blanchflower.
“The restaurant receives a lot of walk-up trade and the plan going forwards is to make the evening menu a lot more relaxed. Whether people want to come in early evening for a glass of wine and a light bite or whether they want to come down with a group of friends and spend all night with us, we will have an offering which caters for both and all in between. Our bakery is doing fantastically well during the day and the ambition is to create that same level of success in the evening.”
Craft production is integral to Blanchflower’s offering, with the kitchen and bakery working side by side supporting each other through the three different service periods. From baking their own bread, cakes and pastries, to curing salmon and beef, making their own bacon and sausages, fermenting and pickling their vegetables, there are very few items on the menu which have been sourced externally.
New dishes will include the likes of red mullet fillet, prawn cracker crust, sweet corn broth; chargrilled Cheshire asparagus, poached duck egg, orange butter, crispy sourdough crumbs and pork 'T-bone' white bean, sage, shallot and lemon casserole.
The menu will continue to offer snacks and a selection of sharing pllates and sides, before finishing with a selection of desserts, all made in-house.
Blanchflower, 12-14 Shaw's Rd, Altrincham WA14 1QU. 0161 929 6724.