Manchester Food and Drink Festival picked up very early on to the cult of the celebrity chef.
Whilst the Festival focus had to be on highlighting our own Mancunian chefs, we knew that to maximise profile there would have to be big names associated with it.
Over the years these have included Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Madhur Jaffrey, Nigella, Nadiya Hussain, the great Fergus Henderson, John Torrode, Thomasina Myers, The Hairy Bikers and many more. We have attracted major rock stars such as Bill Wyman promoting his Sticky Fingers chain and Noddy Holder (who loves the Gala Dinner.)
Phil Jones at MFDF 2017 Gala Dinner
We have had stars of stage and screen presenting our Awards including Suranne Jones, Sally Lindsay, John Thompson and John Cooper Clarke. Special mention to Tony Wilson for his Gala Dinner keynote speech at the Town Hall broadcast live on BBC Radio Manchester. Tony sat down afterwards and said, "was that alright?" Fine I said except it's going out live to 20,000 listeners on BBC Radio Manchester. He’d used the F word at least 20 times "I’m so F***ing proud of this great F***ing city" etc…It was passed off as ‘it's too late now’ by the BBC. On reflection, it was very funny and typical of Wilson.
Chef Paul Heathcote
The very first celeb we engaged was 'dear old' Sir Clement Freud, who attended the inaugural Gala Dinner at the then groundbreaking Heathcote’s. Paul Heathcote was one of our first supporters. He was as near a celeb chef as Manchester had in the late 90s and opened a lot of doors for the Festival in those early days.
Sir Clement was at the time better known for his droll ‘Just a Minute’ persona than as a chef. He had been one of the first people to stand in front of a camera and cook, so when a last-minute deal to engage him as the guest speaker arose we took it.
I met him at The Midland Hotel to discuss the content of his speech; how as a great city we need a world class hospitality industry, that kind of thing.
He talked about how well he had eaten here over the years, referencing places that had long ago been forgotten and some not even inside the Greater Manchester boundaries. We had an event that worked but all that was missing were awards to give away at it.
That’s why we decided to stick our necks out and launch the MFDF Awards and the Gala Dinner in 1997. 25 years later, they’re still the ones the public rely on. Over the years we have nominated over 1500 different places in Greater Manchester and boosted every single one of their businesses.
Who else has helped us over the years?
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Fearnley-Whittingstall has attended twice. The first year plugging one of his early books, he presented a live cookery school at The Bridgewater Hall. He wanted a temporary kitchen and specialist knives to create his own take on a Lancashire stew in front of an audience of 1200 people.
All was going well with Hugh providing a witty running commentary until his commis pointed out they hadn't turned the massive pan full of spuds on which caused an unnecessary delay to the show. Eventually the potatoes were deemed edible and Hugh began serving the stew to the ever dwindling audience - many of whom were dashing for last transports home.
Next day in the box of our kit we had loaned to HFW there were no knives.
We checked with the HFW team if they had been mistakenly taken by them. No. We did a thorough search of The Bridgewater before forking out a large sum to have the lost knives replaced. About eight months later I was watching HFW on the TV creating a feast for his fellow villagers using some very similar knives to our lost ones...
Hugh also took time during his stay to help judge the now legendary Manchester Tart competition with Paul Heathcote and myself. I vigorously tucked into 32 entries which gave me an alarming stomach ache. The seasoned pros were far more restrained, and I learnt something that afternoon.
John Torode was superb; lovely guy, highly professional and very willing to participate. We had a sponsorship deal with Metrolink where John would promote the new lines out towards Oldham and sing the praises of the service. He also took time to attend various dinners, discuss his work with students and generally be a fund of information for all who wanted a share of him. He did an absolutely astonishing job of getting MFDF coverage everywhere that year.
Thomasina Miers was incredible in her enthusiasm for bringing her street food concepts to a semi-derelict railway arch near Piccadilly. She turned up with a full team and cooked for 150 people, who dined and drank plenty of Tommi’s best recipes in candlelight, serenaded for a while by the fantastic Rowetta.
What a night that was - unforgettable, even if there was a lot of mess afterwards.
Thomasina was very famously mentored by Clarissa Dickson Wright, who during her three day visit to MFDF was charming, full of zest and enthusiasm for the Festival, although not at all happy to have her picture taken or discuss her life with anyone who asked.
Fergus Henderson is our friend. He used to come to MFDF just because he loved being here. Also, he could hang out with his chums from the Happy Mondays. Whenever we asked he turned up, speaking at The Awards dinner, judging produce, chef demoing or just wandering around engaging with folk. Fergus is a top bloke and if you're in The Smoke make sure you try one of his places.
The Hairy Bikers were fun, if ill researched. After much discussion with their producer, it was decided they would host the Gala Dinner and Awards. They arrived for rehearsal and despite being sent the synopsis some time previously they hadn't really grasped the enormity of their tasks.
Si is a massive music fan and a decent drummer. Noddy Holder was on our table and they couldn't get over it - especially when Noddy admitted he was a fan of theirs. Also in attendance was Smiths drummer Mike Joyce. It was a dream ticket for the Bikers’ and they briefly forgot about the main thrust of their jobs, the Awards ceremony. They just about got away with it. Somewhat knackered and stressed they sat down after The Best Restaurant Award and said 'we won't be doing that again'.
Nigella Lawson really was The Queen of Chefs. Serene with a PA, a stylist and PR in attendance. We had been asked to send a list of suggested places for her to visit. She selected a whistle stop tour of the city centre including a quick bite at Harvey Nicks and the sadly missed Love Saves The Day on Tib Street.
She was running late, and her driver was double parked on the narrow road. There had been discussions as to a photo op with her, myself and Chris & Becky Joyce from LSTD but this was not to be. Instead of the leisurely stroll round the shop we had hoped for, she literally ran in, stood by the door, had a quick glance around, whispered ‘lovely’ and was off to the next city with her goodie bag of cheese and deli wares.
Nadiya Hussain was another full spirited chef. Exactly as you would expect. She did a well-attended chef demo and brief talk in Albert Square. Ignored her PRs advice on several issues and went full on to impress with her wonderful cooking and personality. It was some time after her Bake Off success and she was unaffected by its sudden fame. We have tried to get her to return but schedules so far have not allowed. She is a fantastic example of what can be achieved in the hospitality world with a mixture of ability, personality and ambition
Chef 'No Shows' have been fun.
The best was Gordon 'Fking' Ramsay. He was down for a Sunday afternoon cook off of chefs v critics at his mate Heathcote’s place. Around 2pm Paul called me. Gordon wasn't making it. His father in law had been taken ill in Scotland and he had to ‘deal with it’. What can you do but crack on with the show even without the headliner?
It was still a rip-roaring success, with Heathcote taking over the Ramsay role of screaming at Journos to "get a fking move on" and such like. One journalist confided in me a week later that he was still in a state of shock.
Anyway, guess who got his pic in the gossip columns falling out of some Soho dive at 4am on the night he was supposed to be dealing with his father in law's illness…?
Madhur Jaffrey was a different kind of no show, she was due to host a curry dinner at Shimla Pinks near the courts (which closed back in 2010) and was due to oversee the prep at around 4pm. At about 5pm I got a message to say she was stuck in traffic, as I did again at 6 and 7pm. Poor Madhur was stuck in the worst traffic gridlock Manchester had had for years.
She eventually arrived at about 8.45pm tired but up to the job. Although most people's plates were empty by then, she received a standing ovation as she walked through the door from a very appreciative capacity crowd. She sent a lovely apology letter a few days later wishing us luck with ‘what is obviously a great festival’. Praise accepted Madhur, thanks.
One more I have to mention is Loyd Grossman, better known these days as a maker of Bolognese sauces which I'm sure has allowed him to put his feet up.
We had organised a conference for foodies and the hospitality trade with panels, live performances etc away from MFDF. Loyd was booked as the Chair of a panel and also to play a gig at the end of the sessions with his band The New Forbidden. Poor old Loyd was the victim of cancelled trains out of Euston which meant he had to go via Sheffield. When he eventually arrived there were only about 20 people left but he played a full gig as if there were 200. People were invited up on the stage to sing with him. It was great fun and a magnificent rock show. They were booked on a train back at 8pm and literally finished the gig and ran to their waiting cab outside. Proper troupers.
There have been so many more "celeb chefs" and personalities at MFDF. Special mention to our home-grown talents Robert Owen Brown, Andrew Nutter (come back soon?) and Adam Reid, all of whom have gone above and beyond for MFDF over its 25 years.
Many thanks to all the dozens more chefs, too many to list here, who have helped out over so many years of The Manchester Food and Drink Festival. We salute you all.
The 25th Manchester Food and Drink Festival will take place between 15th-26th September 2022. Visit foodanddrinkfestival.com