Food & Drink
The hidden gem in Heaton Moor serving up extra special steak and chips that takes 45 days to make
The chips alone take three days and nights to perfect…
There’s a hidden gem in Heaton Moor that’s claiming to have the ‘best chips in the North West.’
A very bold claim, I know.
But James Hulme isn’t messing around – the owner and head chef of The Moor, James trained under the critically acclaimed celebrity chef Marco Pierre White before landing himself in the kitchen at Quaglino’s in St. James in London.
He then came back up to Manchester to open the popular Spinningfields spot 20 Stories and, more recently, the lesser known The Moor in the Stockport suburb of Heaton Moor, just a stones-throw away from Manchester’s city centre.
The menus at The Moor are ever changing, and James’ ‘no waste’ approach to cooking is evident. But, perhaps most prominently, James’ menus are known and beloved for their high quality and locally sourced produce.
Take the steak, for example. James exclusively sources retired dairy cows from a farm just outside Buxton for his beef – traditionally used in Basque cooking, chefs tend to use retired dairy cows based on the fact that once their time in the milking industry is over, they’re put out to pasture to fatten up and relax, a cushty lifestyle that adds to the maturity and marbling of the meat.
Once in the restaurant, the steak is cooked over charcoal made from the fell trees from the same farm in which the cow once grazed – that’s either heartwarming or eerie, I’ll let you decide.
The steak is aged for a minimum of forty days and absolutely nothing on the meat goes to waste; the fat is used for cooking the chips, the bones for stock and the trimmings go to make the sauces.
The fish is also sustainably sourced from local fisherman, who deliver whatever comes in on the boat on the same morning the order is placed, as is the locally sourced vegetables.
But let’s discuss the real star of the show – those three-day long cooked chips.
Now, The Moor don’t hold back when it comes to the humble chip – their first step is to thinly slice their potatoes so that they’re paper-thin, and then mix them with the melted beef fat from the ribs and a sprinkling of thyme. Then, they’re baked in the oven until soft.
The slices are then pressed together overnight until they’re as compact as possible and sliced into the chunky chip shape we all know and love. And last but not least, they’re then deep fried to order, leaving them crispy on the outside and wonderfully fluffy on the inside.
Though it is worth mentioning that the chips only come as a side with the rib steak, and can’t be ordered individually. Though is that really a bad thing?
The menu offers a whole host of luxurious options, including a mangalitza pork belly, the beef tartare, and the Dashi-cured chalk stream trout. There is both a lunch menu and a dinner menu, as well as a Sunday roast menu on, you guessed it, Sundays.
The restaurant is now open and taking bookings – check out the full menu and get yourself a reservation here.
Food & Drink
Manchester has a new Indian bottomless brunch with fizz and cocktails like mango mimosas
The Indian bottomless brunch combo we never knew we needed is here
Big news in the foodie world: Mancunians can now feast upon an Indian Delhi brunch with bottomless cocktails and fizz.
The Delhi House Cafe, located in the Corn Exchange, is marking its first birthday this week and, to celebrate, has launched its brand new bottomless brunch offer.
Available every Thursday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, guests can choose one starter, one main and then receive ninety glorious minutes of bottomless booze for just £31.95 per person.
On the drinks front, diners will get the choice of fizz, lager or some of Delhi House Cafe’s notoriously impressive cocktails, such as their Spiced Bloody Mary, Mango Mimosa and Rose Sangria.
And their food menu boasts an equally impressive selection: For starters, there is a choice of Dahi Poori; a popular street food snack of puffed puri shells filled with a mint and tamarind yoghurt, A.A.C; a tasty fried avocado and potato dish, and Moong Dall Ladoo; sweet lentil fritters served with radish and a tamarind yoghurt.
And as for mains? Diners will be able to choose from one of five dishes from Delhi House Cafe’s menu, including their famous ‘Not My Burger’; a tandoori chicken tikka naan sandwich served with chips, salad and homemade curry mayo, Creamed Chicken or Achari Paneer Kathi Rolls; rolled in a crispy paratha and served with salad and chips, or the Masala Chicken Scrambled Eggs served with hash browns and a toasted bun.
This epic brunch menu launches TODAY, so make sure to get down to try it out for yourself.
For bookings and more information, visit the Delhi House Cafe website here.
Food & Drink
Recreate the iconic school dinner cake at home with this simple recipe
The best pudding in the world is making a comeback
Remember those really tasty and sugary puddings dished up during school dinners? You know, the one’s you’d get before Jamie Oliver had stuck his nose in?
Well, there’s a new recipe that will enable you to recreate the iconic vanilla sponge cake from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Rekindling those childhood memories, Instagram baker @cakeontherun recently shared her recipe for a vanilla traybake, complete with icing and sprinkles on top.
@cakeontherun / Instagram
The recipe for Laura’s vanilla cake tray bake uses no eggs, so a vegan version can easily be made using dairy-free milk. So, what are the rest of the ingredients?
All you’ll need is 400g self raising flour (or all purpose flour with 1 tsp extra baking powder, or gluten free flour), 250g caster sugar, 200g margarine, 200g vanilla or plain yoghurt, 200ml milk, 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract, 1 tbsp baking powder, a splash of lemon juice, 400g powdered icing sugar, a splash of cold water and sprinkles for the icing.
The method is straight forward, too: Firstly, you’ll need to pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4 before creaming the margarine and sugar together in a large bowl. Then, you’ll need to sift in the flour and add all of the other ingredients.
Mix together until combined – though be careful not to over mix! Once this has been done, line a baking dish with parchment paper and bake for thirty minutes (or when the top is golden and the sponge is cooked in the middle.)
@cakeontherun / Instagram
Then, remove the cake from the tin and paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. You can then make the icing sugar by slowly adding water to the powder in a deep bowl. When it’s runny and the cake is cooled, pour over the top and then scatter sprinkles. Then, you can cut into chunks and serve with custard to live out your primary school dream.
Other fun twists you can try is coconut (using coconut milk and desiccated coconut instead of dairy and sprinkles), almond (with almond milk and almond slices) and lemon.
Make sure to follow Laura’s Instagram page for more baking inspiration.
Food & Drink
Manchester kebab joint launches seafood kebab with deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus
If you’re wanting one of the best kebabs in Manchester, look no further…
BAB, the Northern Quarter gourmet kebab joint after all our hearts, has launched its new menu and as you’d expect, it has some incredible new kebabs up for grabs.
BAB’s August menu boasts a number of new additions to its famous mezze dishes, including a Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread with a feta and mozzarella dip for £6.50, Prawn Saganaki,£7, Octopus Terrine, £8.50, and Moussaka Croquettes filled with spicy minced lamb, aubergine and feta cheese, £6.50.
But, perhaps most excitingly, the new menu has brought with it a seafood version of their massively popular Mixed Kebab.
The new Seafood Mixed Kebab, priced at £15, features deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus, alongside a staple kebab shop salad, a creamy coriander and lime dressing and BAB’s special sauce.
It joins the OG Mixed Kebab, which comes topped with lamb adana, aleppo chicken and a portion of cheesy chips, all costing £14.50.
Also new on the menu is a vegan King Oyster & Mixed Mushroom Shawarma for £10, Octopus with a butternut squash tarragon puree, priced at £13.50, and a Chickpea Shawarma with huge fried halloumi chips, costing £10.50.
You can still also get BAB’s famous Flat Iron Steak Kebab, their Greek Fries and the always popular Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings, and they’ve even added a Cookie Skillet (£6) that perfect for sharing, and a Pistachio Frangipani (£5.50) to the desserts.
For bookings, the full menu and more information, visit BAB’s website and official Instagram page.
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