ALBERT Square has hosted some momentous celebrations, so it seemed appropriate for Manchester Food and Drink Festival to mark its landmark 20th anniversary by gathering together on the site of its annual hub the biggest names in the region’s burgeoning food and drink scene.
The ‘Class of 2017’ line-up on the steps of the Albert Memorial featured figures who go back to that first groundbreaking event back in 1998 and others who have made their mark more recently as the city has boomed as a gastronomic destination.
The MFDF has contributed enormously to this remarkable up-turn over the past two decades and this year’s special anniversary edition (from Thursday, September 28 to October 9) promises to be the most exciting yet. Details will be announced from March onwards.
The festival will culminate in the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on October 9. The most prestigious food and drink awards in the city, they celebrate the very best food and drink establishments across Greater Manchester in a variety of categories.
Festival Director, Phil Jones, who founded and staged the first MFDF in 1998 commented: “We started the Festival as a way to showcase the talent that we had here in Manchester and the North West, at a time when we were certainly not recognised as a gastronomic city, even by residents of nearby towns and cities never mind London or beyond!
"Twenty years on and Manchester is now an international tourist destination with a dining and drinking scene to match. This year’s Festival will be a tribute to the hundreds of chefs, restaurateurs, operators, producers and personalities who have made that happen.
“We’re creating the 20th anniversary festival in collaboration with the biggest, most exciting food community we’ve ever had and the event will feature people and places who have been around from the beginning to the newest faces on the scene. The programme will blend nostalgia with innovation – expect very special things!”
The‘Class of 2017’ (check out their credentials) was assembled to reflect the diverse talent that makes up the fantastic local food scene. The photographed participants have been chosen to reflect 20 years of MFDF ranging from those who have been involved since the Festival’s first outing in 1998 to some of the newest on the scene.
During her time at Aumbry Mary-Ellen McTague won two Chef of the Year and two Restaurant of the Year awards, bringing unprecedented culinary acclaim to then unsung Prestwich. At the shoot she told us: “Winning the awards when we had just started out made a huge contribution to our success. I’ve still got the awards in my living room. I’m actually going home to dust them now – along with the rest of the place!”
Simon Shaw is a more recent winner. El Gato Negro, where he is chef/patron, scooped Best Newcomer in the 2016 Awards, one of several accolades it received but, according to Shaw: “This was the most important of them all for us, recognition by people you respect.”
All operators who think they deserve a place on the Festival stage are encouraged to join in the celebrations. Interested parties should email [email protected].
The line-up: (from left, back row) Simon Shaw, Adam Reid, Joe Botham, Luke Cowdrey, Mary-Ellen McTague, Claire Kelsey; (middle row) George Bergier, Andrew Nutter, Ross Mackenzie, David Fox, Robert Owen Brown, David Gale; (front row) Harry Yeung, John Slattery, Nacho Linares, Phil Jones, John Thompson, Jane Dowler, Kate Goodman, Paul Jones.
THE FIGURES FOR FESTIVAL NUMBER 20 TO BEAT
In 2016 The Festival Hub attracted over 100,000 visitors to the Square over the 11 days it was open… and during that time…
23,000 pints of beer were drunk.
5,000 glasses of wine were quaffed.
849 pop up restaurant plates devoured.
7,000 gin and tonics were served up from a range of 15 gins and the whole selection of Fever-Tree mixers (approximately 90 possible combinations of G&T). This equates to around 50,000 cubes of ice and over 500 lemons, limes and other fruit for garnish.
£3,000 raised for Action Against Hunger
3,000 hot dogs munched.
12,000 churros chomped and 150kg of chocolate dipped.
Elsewhere in the city the Festival staged more successful events than ever before. 84 events and offers were staged with a record number of those selling out.