I NEVER quite believed in Mike Jennings as Chef of Neighbourhood in Spinningfields. After his appointment back in May he made all the right,enthusiastic noises in an exclusive interview for Taste of Manchester, but with his pedigre we thought he deserved better. There wasn’t an office sweep but realising the menu hadn’t moved on with the refurb we couldn’t see the former Grenache chef/proprietor lasting long.
And so it proved. Now he has been appointed head chef at Bacchus restaurant in Prestbury, Cheshire. OK, that village is where Wayne Rooney and other football luminaries live, supposedly a target audience for the likes of Neighbourhood, but there’s also a traditional spend on fine dining in the area (Bacchus boss Jon Rebecchi also ownes perennial favpourite 39 Steps in Styal).
For Jennings returning swiftly to the stove is “unfinished business. Grenache, in less fashionable Walkden, won a host of plaudits, including two AA Rosettes, a Michelin mention and a Good Food Guide ‘Best Restaurant’ award. But the 11 table site was too small for expansion and there was no investment in sight so it was forced to close earlier this year, leaving Jenning and partner Karen Deveney ‘heartbroken’.
Bacchus promises Jennings’ modern take on British and European classics, honed under Gary Rhodes, Nigel Haworth and, most influentially, Shaun Rankin on Jersey. A seasonal menu with no “no gadgets & gimmicks”.
Rebecchi tells us: “It’s a great appointment for Bacchus and Mike. Bacchus has been a very busy local restaurant and with Mike joining the team we can really push the restaurant to the next level. I am full of excitement and aim to bring some accolades to the already popular venue."
The menu will include Jenning’s signature dish grilled mackerel with pickled beetroot, goat’s cheese, orange and watercress salad as well as rump of Cheshire lamb with samphire and tomato with crushed peas and a gingerbread tiramisu.
Without the pressures of running his own business Jennings will surely blossom.
Bacchus, The Village, Prestbury, Macclesfield, SK10 4DG. 01625 820009.