So, itâs a week since Manchester Food and Drink Festival finally came to an end for another year; the awards have been presented and the Spinningfields Pavilion has disappeared. So what happened? Which events were the real highlights of this yearâs festival? If you read Man Con youâd think nothing had gone right, but thatâs because they love to whinge, they canât help it. Sure, the weather wasnât always great, the grass got muddy and some events didnât happen as expected, but thatâs just Manchesterâ¦. So, without further ado, letâs take a brief look at the MFDF 2008 in our TOMâs festival reviewâ¦.
Dining with the Stars
A host of top names from the restaurant world came down to the festival this year to share their knowledge, prepare banquets and sign books for fans and food lovers a like. By far the most exciting of these was Michel Roux, the Godfather of the British restaurant scene, who came to the Taste Tipi to launch his new book âPastryâ and answer questions in a Q&A session presented by City Life editor, Neil Sowerby. Brasserie Chez Gerard served up a fantastic 3 course menu, and I think all who attended were more than impressed by Michelâs charm and finesse, making for a fabulous evening.
Fergus Henderson of the legendary London offal restaurant âSt Johnsâ and Manchester food hero, Robert Owen Brown, from the Angel, teamed up to host âAn Evening of Honest Food with a Decent Tipple.â A good night was had by all as they served up some of Fergusâ signature dishes, including Bone Marrow on Toast and Eccles Cakes with Lancashire Cheese!
Receiving a slightly less warm welcome, but hosting a wonderful evening never-the-less, was Observer food critic, Jay Rayner, renowned for his strong criticism of Manchesterâs dining venues! He spoke superbly about his career and his views on food, and shared his genuine thoughts about the cityâs restaurants, even praising Red Chilli and Tomâs Chop House in the process!
Finally, Michael Riemenschneider, the new head honcho at Juniper in Altrincham, could be seen flitting from venue to venue hosting events, giving demos and cooking food at every possible occasion. In the Taste Tipi he cooked for the launch of âIn The City â Liveâ music festival and held a grand banquet back at his own restaurant, to the delight of all who could attend.
Taste, Drink and Make Merry
Down at the Spinningfields Pavilion there were plenty of opportunities to try out a selection of local (and not so local) produce (mainly of the booze variety!)
Hanging Ditch held a couple of Wine Tasting Evenings during the course of the festival including one at the Taste Tipi. I managed to sample 42 different wines myself that evening; the following morning highlighted why the pros spit it outâ¦
Whisky connoisseurs, The Whisky Lounge, hosted a special tasting event pitting Ireland against Scotland in a battle of the malts. Guests were taken on an education of flavour, exploring the differences that give each whisky its unique and special character.
The Sherry Institute of Spain brought their wonderful Sherry tasting road show to Spinningfields, bringing to life a drink Iâd usually do anything to avoid! I always associated it with my Gran until this, but discovered how exciting and varies a drink Sherry actually is. This was a totally free event, so no surprise, the tent was packed the whole weekend!
Best of the Rest
There were so many events taking place at this yearâs MFDF that it was impossible to attend them all. So many restaurants, bars, cafes deserve a mention, but in this limited space we can name but a fewâ¦
Congratulations again to Jamie Stephenson, bar tender extraordinaire, who set a new world record by mixing every cocktail in the Diffords Guide in 3 hours 40 minutes and 53 seconds. Thatâs 400 drinks being made at the rate of 1 every 33 seconds, pretty impressive going. The crowd loved the drinks, but apologies if you were waiting a long time to get a cocktail; canât blame the bar tenders speed, so it must have been the waiter, who was me!
The first Greater Manchester Real Ale Festival celebrated the amazing array of beers being produced in the Manchester region. Eighteen brewers participated in the event run by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and were all entered into two competitions âBest Beer Brewed in Greater Manchesterâ and âThe Greater Manchester Peoples Pintâ. Pictsh Breweryâs âAlchemist Aleâ won the panels vote for Best Beer, while the People Pint was awarded to Bank Top brewery for their âPavilion Pale Aleâ. Not that my opinion counts, but I loved the Phoenix âSpotland Goldâ â great brewâ¦
Perhaps my favourite event of the entire festival (not that Iâm bias at all) was the CUP Cake Bake Off, which took place a CUP Café on Thomas St. Now yes, I was a judge, but, this really was a special event. Cake bakers from around the city came to enter their finest baked produce into categories for Best Tasting, Best Looking and Most Innovative, with the winning cakes becoming a regular product of CUP, with 10% profit going to the creator.
Gideon Conn â Live in the Tipi. There were several gigs held in the Taste Tipi, but Gideon Conn was by far the most magical. Thereâs nothing quite like an open fire for creating the perfect ambience and Gideonâs unique act and music made for a very special evening.
Finally, how can I talk about the best MFDF events and not mention the Nexus baking demo in the Learn Marquee? David Gale, who hosting Saturdayâs demos, was certainly not expecting the likes of Hayley Curbishly and Fabienne Camm to bring their distinct and flamboyant baking techniques to the kitchen theatre. In want was by far the most entertaining demonstration Iâve ever seen, the girls created a Cake Castle, and demolished the kitchen in the process: Not since the Blitz has Manchester seen such a mess created! But full credit to both Hayley and Fabienne, they both deserve a role on Blue Peter for their sheer charisma and talent for creating fun on grey days!