JOLLY, burly and bearded with a red bandana for a hood. He even crafts his own Christmas pudding ice cream. James Taylor is Beastro’s not so secret Santa and the festive menu he has created with co-owner Richard Brown is a real gift.
We thought we’d get a Christmas lunch out of the way well before the big day and also avoid office parties, hence our visit to the Spinningfields indie eaterie with pigs in blankets, turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas pud on the agenda.
The blanketed pigs and trimmings were always going to involve Bobby’s Bangers, the sausage operation owned by James and wife Heather. Three chipolatas wrapped in proper bacon and served in a tangy home-made cranberry sauce for a fiver is a ‘Yule be welcome’ moment.
Both our starters proper were delicate treats. Cheshire Smokehouse provided the smoked salmon for an ethereal bombe with creme fraiche, lemon and dill (£7), while in-house smoked, maple glazed duck breast was in harmony with a duck liver parfait, accompanied by pickled carrot and shallot chutney (£6).
Christmas really arrived with the mains, £14.95 each with trimmings – slightly tough roasties, al dente root veg and surprisingly tasty broccoli. Norfolk Bronze Turkey had been stuffed with lemon and thyme and the slices were moist, with real depth of flavour. Honey roast ham was even better, complemented by a garlic and apricot jus.
After that, the only conclusion was a shared bowl of that Christmas pudding ice cream with ample white brandy sauce (£6).
Well, if ToM does go down the nut roast route in a plant-based Christmas dinner (it’s only a matter of time) at least we’ve experienced one of the best value, traditional festive menus in town. And no fellow diner sported a daft paper crown or coyly proffered a MeToo wary sprig of mistletoe.
Beastro, Irwell Square, Leftbank, Manchester, M3 3AG. 0161 327 0265.
