MAYBE it was our own fault in wrecking the non-stick surface but our Breville toastie maker was long ago consigned to the the back of the store cupboard at ToM Towers, caked with burnt cheese gunk.
Yet the heart still misses a beat at the prospect of a toasted sandwich. Yoke it together with the chance to revisit one of the great regional art collections and surely Manchester Art Gallery are on to winner with their major cafe revamp. Especially having head-hunted the services of acclaimed chef Mary Ellen McTague, whose cuisine has always married an artistic sensibility to a commitment to her North West roots. Notably at Aumbry, her hugely acclaimed Prestwich restaurant now subsumed by Solita
Hence at the newly reopened Gallery Cafe the ‘Return of the Toastie', boosted by a phalanx of gleaming new toastie machines in the vast basement kitchen, supplied gratis by Royton-based Breville once word of the menu had reached them via social media (for geeks, the brand originated in Australia and the toasters are assembled in China).
At a preview meal in the airy, green dining room the arrival of a vast heap of toasties oozing black pudding, melted Lancashire Bomber and Tunworth cheeses, spring onion and truffle, with a tart tub of rhubarb chutney on the side, acted as a kind of mission statement.
But it was the warm-up dish, a dense potage of celeriac puree, truffle and wild garlic that really nailed the ethos of the new place as a rebuff to corporate catering. Formerly tendered by the council, it’s now operated through the gallery’s charitable trust as an in-house business, with all profits going into the gallery.
McTague is free then to choose her suppliers, most of whom are local: from Manchester Veg People to Second City Coffee. Meat, milk, eggs, flour and herbs come from Gazegill Organics near Gisburn while cheese is from the remarkable Courtyard Dairy in Settle, suppliers to Michelin-starred Forest Side and L’Enclume.
Outside the Gallery a Victorian herb and veg garden is underway, which the team will hope to find as fertile as a Pre-Raphaelite canvas. Certainly the 10-strong kitchen team have a busy schedule, baking on-site their own bread and a host of treats including Eccles cakes, cinnamon buns and a McTague classic, her treacle tart. At the preview the Eccles cake was a particular revelation, paired with blue cheese.
Even the salt beef is home cured, making a great Reuben-style sandwich with pickles mustard and Old Winchester cheese. Cooked dishes may include hake with cockle broth and eventually a full English breakfast.
The menu for the moment is governed by the cafe adhering to Gallery hours (10am-5pm daily) with a late-night opening until 9pm on Thursdays.
One legacy of Mary-Ellen’s recent career trajectory is the café’s pay-as-you-feel kids’ menu, taking inspiration from McTague’s other role as director of the Real Junk Food Project, which intercepts food that would otherwise go to waste and serves it up as tasty meals on a PAYF basis. Similarly to Real Junk Food, the Gallery Café will also work with local charity Back on Track, offering work placements to disadvantaged people and the chance to earn a hospitality NVQ.
“They both have a similar ethos: community-focused, accessible and affordable,” says McTague. “Just like the gallery itself, which is free entry and a real source of civic pride.”
The Gallery Café, Mosley Street, M2 3JL. 0161 235 8888. 10am-5pm daily (until 9pm Thursdays),