IS there no end to the cheesiness of contemporary Manchester? At the cheese connoisseurs’ end of the market we’ve got leading UK expert Ned Palmer hosting a tasting at New Market Dairy, Altrincham, on Friday, February 28 while Manchester Wine School is hosting a wine and cheese tasting in the Castlefield Hotel on Friday, March 13. and on Thursday 19th Lunya will give you the chance to sample 12 of their cheeses in their Barton Arcade, Deansgate premises.
Meanwhile, Honest Burgers have a special five-cheese Fondue Burger on the menu until March 2 and NQ grilled specialists Northern Soul has converted their original Church Street base into a New York-style deli where alongside the grab and go pastrami and pepperoni you can get their classic Soul ham and cheese toastie fix.
Still the truckling summit of all this dairymania has to be Six by Nico’s latest themed tasting menu, The Alps, which established base camp at the Spring Gardens restaurant on Tuesday, February 18 and will run until Sunday, March 28 (and then be replaced by a different on for the next ix weeks, such is the popular template).
It’s the first time all six of Nico Simeone’s Six By Nico outlets have run the same six course menu simultaneously. With a theme honouring Europe’s snow-capped mountain regions cheese, especially the melted variety, plays a major role.
The new menu starts with a Swiss raclette cheese fondue with crispy pig’s head and quince, followed by ‘salmon on the Rhine’ with pumpkin, horseradish emulsion, and apple and dill dressing. Tartiflette, an artery-hardening Alpine stalwart made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions, is given a twist with barbecued broccoli and pickled walnut.
Next up a sort of cheese break with a risotto du crozets from the Savoie that includes past hen of the woods mushroom, rich truffle and pesto bianco. Chicken and pork farcon, featuring further spuds, comes with hispi cabbage, sauerkraut ketchup and meat sauce.
Finally for pud it’s snowballs – coconut and pistachio parfait with passion fruit caramel and chargrilled pineapple.
There’s also an extra snacks add-on option, including more cheese in the form of Taleggio and Emmental.
The Alps menu at Six by Nico, Spring Gardens, M2 2BQ (0161 832 1815) costs from £29 per person, with the option to add a drinks pairing for an additional £26. A vegetarian menu is available.