Cheese & more cheese at the Nantwich Show

Yesterday I had a cracking day out at the International Cheese Awards which runs alongside the Nantwich Show in Cheshire. I spent the whole day there, and in my excitement I blogged the story so far from inside the press tent before the winners had even been announced. Today I’m sharing some of my highlights from the day, as well as the winners.

There were 4,443 award entries, which meant that the cheese pavilion was literally packed full of cheese. There was something for everyone, whatever kind of cheese you liked it was there. It was also a great opportunity to try new cheeses that you might not have encountered before.

There were cheeses from 26 countries; goats cheese; sheeps cheese; cheese aimed at kids; cheese for cheese likers and cheese for cheese lovers, as well as some cheese and more cheese. It was a great opportunity to meet local producers and learn a little more about what they do. I’m a keen supporter of local food, low food miles and all that, and it’s great to support a huge industry like the diary industry which as well as some big names, it is full of small artisan producers creating cheesy masterpieces.

Lunch, which was the most incredible sight I’ve seen in a while, saw 1,100 people sit down to a delicious meal, which did include plenty of cheese. It was the largest dairy hospitality event in the UK. We were very privileged to see some excellent cheesemakers inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers.

International Cheese Awards — Induction into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers

It was shortly after lunch that the winners were announced. The Supreme Champion Cheese of 2014 was the Whole Blue Stilton from Colston Bassett. The best retailer was Waitrose, with Morrisons coming a close second. All the winners are on the International Cheese Awards website.

During the walk around it was nice to see some familiar faces from TV. On the day I spied chef Aldo Zilli, Sean Wilson and Charles Campion.

Although I wasn’t able to get to the show day today to meet James Martin, a chum kindly offered to ask him a few questions on my behalf (thanks Liz).

I wanted to know how to interest children in trying more interesting, adventurous cheeses. James suggested that mozzarella is a great cheese to start off with, then maybe move on to more interesting cheeses such as Lincolnshire Poacher and Ogleshield, both have a softer texture but are tasty and ideal for small children.

I’m trying to cook more with my pre-school aged son, so I wanted to know a tasty, easy cheese recipe to make with him which wasn’t the standard mac and cheese. James suggested a pan bagna, an easy layered sandwich made inside a crusty loaf, which is packed with attractive colours, is really easy to make, great for picnics and it’s delicious.

And yes, he is apparently even more handsome in real life.

It was a real privilege to be invited to the trade day at the International Cheese Awards, next year I hope to go to show day too. It’s a really interesting day out (especially if you go to the Nantwich Show as well) and you never know, you might discover something extra exciting to put on your cheese board.

The International Cheese Awards at the Nantwich Show 2014

Being a rosy cheeked, farm loving girl I’m no stranger to the joys of an agricultural show. I’ve been to a fair few of them across the UK and I always enjoy the judging of the farm animals, the WI tents, the cookery demonstrations and the sheep dogs herding ducks around an obstacle course. Of course, here in Cheshire we do things differently. Today I’m at the Nantwich Show and I’m enjoying the hubbub, tastes, smells and cheesy atmosphere of the International Cheese Awards.

This year is the 117th annual cheese awards and this dairy based festival of cheese is the biggest cheese show in the world. As I sit in the press tent typing this, 200 expert judges are sampling 4,443 entries across all the delicious categories. I had a quick tour before judging began, there is quite a bit of cheese here.

It’s an amazing show, today is trade day, but tomorrow (Wednesday) the cheese pavilion will throw open its doors to the public, so if you’re visiting the Nantwich Show then it’s well worth taking a turn around the pavilion. There are literally thousands of cheeses to try from 26 countries.

There are cheeses to suit all palates. My small boy would love the Bel cheese stand, they make Babybel, Laughing Cow and Boursin cheese (I adore Boursin). Next door were Billy Bear, famous for their teddy bear face shaped meat slices, they’re launching a cheddar cheese face in October. It’s such a fun stand and the Billy Bear people are so lovely, if you’re taking your little one it’s well worth visiting for a balloon and a photo with Billy himself.

I laid waste to the Isle of Man Creamery stand, falling head over heels in love with their cracked black pepper cheddar. Wyke Farms are offering a bargain cheese bundle of a range of their cheeses, plus butter and a cool bag for £10, that’s a cheesy bargain and great for families to plough through block after block of cheddar cheeses.

I then stumbled across Orsom Cheese, made a few miles away from the show ground, they make a range of four beautiful, soft handmade cheeses, vintage, soft, smoked, and blue. They’re mainly available in farm shops, but they’re well worth searching out.

There are literally thousands of cheeses I’ve not managed to get round to try yet, but rest assured I will do my best. If you’re coming along to the Nantwich Show on Wednesday 30th July, then your ticket will gain you entry to the pavilion. If you manage to time it just right you might be able to catch one of the celebrity chef demonstrations including the likes of James Martin, Will Holland, Sean Wilson and Jonathan Harrison.

For more information on the Nantwich Show or International Cheese Awards please do visit the website.

St Helen’s Farm Hamper of Goaty Goodness

A couple of weeks ago there was a knock at the door and a nice young man handed me a large box, a large box of goaty goodness from St Helen’s Farm.

I’d met some nice people from St Helen’s Farm at Blog On MOSI, I’d nibbled on their samples and expressed my deep affection for goats cheese. They told me how goats milk products had been shown to be better for people with eczema; my ears immediately pricked up, I have a variety of skin problems including eczema and psoriasis, as well as that deep, almost primal yearning for goats cheese I mentioned earlier.

The hamper arrived and was immediately set upon by the small boy. Clearly he was half starved, having not eaten for at least an hour, and was soon face first in one of the yoghurts, the lovely stuffed goat toy we were sent tucked under his arm.

The following night I made tagliatelle with goats cheese and courgettes using goats butter, goats milk and goats cheese from the hamper. It was utterly delicious, not at all too “goaty” and not a scrap was left on plates.

I know one of the common concerns about goats milk products is that they’ll taste of goat. We were sent skimmed, semi-skimmed and whole goats milk, I’m not a milk drinker but I tried it and it just tasted of milk. I used it in cooking and the boys had it in cereal. I’d happily give the St Helen’s farm goats milk fridge space again.

We tried the goats cheese and the mature goats cheese and they were predictably delicious. We tried this cheddar style cheese on toast, with tagliatelle (see above) and on a veggie burger. I love goats cheese and it hit the spot, the mature cheese was especially good with a hint of nuttiness.

The only thing I was less keen on was the goats butter, which I found absolutely fine to cook with, but I didn’t like it on its own on toast, though the boys had no complaints.

I was really glad to have been given the chance to try pretty much the full range of goaty goodness from St Helen’s Farm. I will definitely be buying their delicious cheddar style cheeses and creamy yoghurts again. I’m pleased that they’re so easy to cook with and so delicious to eat.

St Helen’s Farm products are available from all major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Waitrose and Co-op.

Disclaimer: St Helen’s Farm sent me the hamper to try free of charge, this has not had any impact on my opinion. All words and images are mine.

Recipe: Arroz al Horno – food from the Costa Blanca

I really love cooking and trying new things, but being a busy mum these days the things I cook need to be quick, easy and nutritious, not to mention kind to my purse. When I was asked by Villa Plus to recreate a recipe from the Costa Blanca, I quickly accepted the challenge.

I struggled to come up with a suitable dish which went with my “bung it all in a pan and enjoy your holiday while it cooks” mentality. I wanted something that I could quickly prepare and just leave to cook while I could get on with the business of relaxing. Eventually I came across a recipe for Arroz al Horno. A traditional dish from Valencia which literally means oven baked rice. It’s a popular dish and each town and each family seem to have their own variation of it.

I managed to find all of the ingredients in shops in Didsbury in Manchester; going to the butcher and the greengrocer and then a deli for the last few bits. All of the ingredients could be found much more easily on a sunny Spanish market, but my meal feeding 6 comes in at just £1.66 per head.

Ingredients: (to feed 6, or 4 very generously)

1 lb of diced lean pork
3 small morcilla sausages (if you can’t find then use chorizo)
1 whole garlic bulb
500g of paella or risotto rice
2 pints of stock (I used vegetable but you could use chicken or beef)
4 medium tomatoes
1 pepper (I used yellow, but red or orange would work)
1 tin of cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Olive oil (Spanish if you have it)
Pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper

Method: (Don’t panic, it’s easy)

Cut the morcilla into thick slices and pour two tablespoons (approx) of olive oil into a large frying pan. Fry the diced pork and morcilla until brown.
Slice up two tomatoes and cut the pepper into four or five thick slices and add to the pan. Throw in the whole garlic bulb.
Add the rice to the pan, the morcilla should be giving off some delicious oils by now, stir and let the rice soak up the oil. Tip in the tin of chickpeas. Add half the stock, a pinch of saffron and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Season generously with salt and pepper and transfer to a casserole dish. Add the remainder of the stock and stir.
Bake in the oven with the lid on for 20 minutes at 220 degrees. After 20 minutes give it a good stir and add more stock if required.
Artistically decorate your Arroz al Horno by pushing the garlic bulb in the middle, draping the pepper slices around it and topping with halves or the remaining two tomatoes. Put the lid back on and bake for a further 10 minutes.
Then remove the lid and drizzle with some more olive oil, bake for a further 10 minutes, remove from the oven and serve.

The garlic bulb? The cloves should be perfectly cooked after their time in the oven. If you like you can squeeze the garlic out and mash a clove or two through your Arroz al Horno, or they’d be delicious spread on crusty bread.

It was incredibly quick and easy to make and it went down an absolute storm. I made the Arroz al Horno with pork, but recipes from the Costa Blanca region also use chicken or rabbit, some top with sliced potatoes or use different vegetables, which is how it should be, true Spanish cuisine is about using the best ingredients you have available to you at the time.

Tatton Foodies Festival 2014

On what was possibly the worst weekend of the summer in terms of weather, the boys and I packed up and set off for the Tatton Foodies Festival. We were expecting Glastonbury like muddy scenes, but we were pleasantly surprised and the sun even came out for us.

If I were to describe the Foodies Festival, I’d say it was like a giant farmers market, with lots of street food stalls and beer tents as well as little stalls selling kitchenalia and other foodie items.

When we got there it was lunchtime and we were ravenous, so we quickly decided what we’d have for lunch. I had a veggie pad thai and hubs went for jerk chicken with rice and peas.

Me being me, I couldn’t resist a drinkie and I headed for the Martin Miller’s gin tent for a refreshing beverage. At just £5 for a double it would be rude not to, and they mixed me up a delicious little number with grapefruit and basil.

There were a great many treats to be had. I sampled a few gins, I especially liked the Warner-Edwards gin which is pretty new, quite special and something to look out for if you’re a bit of a gin bunny.

There was lots going on, masterclasses and demonstrations, massive queues for the goucho barbecue, good natured jostling to get the last portion of free ravioli (I never did get to try it, but it looked delicious) and hot, lava hot churros, I mean who can resist? Not this blogger!

If I’m honest I’m not sure I’m really keen on paying £12 per ticket, plus £5 parking to go to what is essentially a very big farmers market. Don’t get me wrong, we had a lovely time, but it wasn’t worth nearly £30 just to get there and get through the door.

Would we go back next year? Yes, absolutely. But only if I can get my paws on free tickets or if they drop the price considerably. It’s a lot of money for a family day out, especially when belts are being tightened.

Note: I paid for our tickets myself, this is just an account of a nice day out we had.

Review: Jack Daniel’s BBQ Hot & Spicy Sauces

I was asked to try out a couple of the new limited edition Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauces; the Jack Daniel’s Extra Hot Habanero and the Jack Daniel’s Hot Pepper Steak Sauce. I decided to celebrate a sunny weekend by having a barbecue at home with friends and family.

I don’t know about your home town but where I live in Manchester, a decent percentage of new restaurants opening are serving American style barbecue; food inspired by programmes like Man V Food and Diners, Drive ins & Dives. It’s tempting, especially during the summer barbecue season to try to recreate some of those Deep South tastes at home.

We picked up some ribeye steaks from our local butchers, and marinaded them in the Jack Daniel’s Hot Pepper Steak Sauce for an hour or so before they went on the barbecue. The sauce is blended with jalapeño peppers and is supposed to be a sweet but spicy sauce. We tried it before the steak was cooked and it was both very sweet and very spicy.

Once the steaks were cooked to perfection the boys rigorously taste tested both the sauce (and steaks). The husband loved the sauce and said the barbecue had burnt off a lot of the heat and helped enhance the smokey sweetness of the sauce, my Dad who had the second steak, found it a bit on the hot side for him, but both steaks were polished off quickly and efficiently.

Review: Jack Daniel's BBQ Hot & Spicy Sauces

I rather brazenly drizzled a large amount of the Jack Daniel’s Extra Hot Habanero sauce on my veggie burger. It was a bold move given the spice level, but I managed to eat it and enjoy it. Yes, it was most definitely at the hottest end of my tolerance scale, but I still enjoyed the smokey undertones and the hint of barbecue sweetness in the sauce.

These sauces are not for the faint hearted. They make a fairly large range of Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauces, and some aren’t face meltingly hot. Some are spicy, some are sweet and some are smokey; so it’s worth having a look and seeing what might float your boat if you’re after buying a barbecue sauce. The Jack Daniel’s Smooth Original Barbecue sauce and the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze have both been a standard condiment in our fridge. I tend to smother almost anything with them, but they are for those who don’t want a sauce that will blow their head off.

Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauces are available from most major supermarkets. More information is available on their website.

Disclaimer: I was sent the two bottles of Jack Daniel’s barbecue sauce for review purposes. All images and opinions are my own.

Tagliatelle with Goats Cheese & Courgettes

Yesterday, we received a lovely hamper from St Helen’s Farm. A lovely goaty hamper, which I will blog about properly at a later date. Right now we’ve got a fridge full of goats cheese, milk, butter and yoghurt and largely empty cupboards. The boys were due home and I had to think quickly about what to feed them. So I made this, tagliatelle with goats cheese sauce, courgettes and roasted cherry tomatoes. It took no more than 30 minutes to throw together and everyone cleaned their plates.

I’m a bit rubbish at weighing and measuring, I’m a dollop of this and a dash of that kind of girl, so I’ve tried my best to recreate the recipe for goaty goodness below.

Ingredients: (feeds around four people)

Tagliatelle – I use two nests of tagliatelle per person
One medium courgette per person
One punnet of cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons of St Helen’s Farm Goats butter
Seasoning – salt, pepper & dried chilli flakes

For the sauce
40g St Helen’s Farm Goats butter
20g plain flour
425ml St Helen’s Farm Goats milk (I used skimmed)
120g St Helen’s Farm Mature Goats Cheese, grated
Seasoning – salt, pepper & dried chilli flakes

Method:
Slice the courgettes, melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté until they start to go soft. Meanwhile halve the tomatoes and place on an oven tray and season a little, roast for 15 minutes (check regularly) at 220c. Once the courgettes have taken on some colour and are starting to soften, transfer to an oven proof dish and put in the oven, but keep an eye on them.

While the courgettes and tomatoes are cooking, cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet.

In another pan melt the butter and add the flour, stir vigorously, then start to slowly add the milk, adding a little at a time and beating to ensure the sauce is smooth. Once all the milk has been added, season to taste and add the grated goats cheese and stir until melted.

Drain the pasta and combine with the sauce, add in most of the courgettes and stir. Serve on warmed plates, garnish with the remaining courgette slices and a pile of the unctuous roasted tomatoes.

Simple and delicious. This is going to be a family favourite this summer I think.

I didn’t quite have enough pasta in the cupboard so my picture looks a little on the saucy side.

Disclaimer: I was sent a free hamper of goaty goodies by St Helen’s Farm to try and see what I thought, that review will follow, but the clean plates mean my family genuinely loved it.

Jamie’s Italian Manchester – Review

One of the worst things about coming home from holiday is returning to the old routine and having nothing in particular to look forward to. Thankfully as we sped (at no more than 70mph) down the motorway towards home, we knew we’d soon have a meal at Jamie’s Italian in Manchester to look forward to.

We arrived at Jamie’s and we were quickly shown to our table. Jamie’s Italian is in the old Midland Bank building on King Street. It’s an impressive and beautiful building, built in the 1930’s, they’ve retained as many original features as is practical, and it’s a real treat for lovers of architecture.

We ordered some drinks while we perused the menu. I went for an Aperol Spritz and my husband opted for a Bellini Spritz, and both were refreshing after a bus journey on a warm summer evening. To drink with our meal we ordered a bottle of Jamie’s Italian Rosso Sicilian Red, it is delivered to the restaurant in Tetra Pak cartons and decanted when required. It’s a very acceptable, medium red which went well with our food and was very quaffable.

We argued over what to choose from the fairly extensive menu (with surprisingly few veggie options), but to start we plumped for the Italian Nachos to share and I had the grilled asparagus bruschetta, while himself had the crispy king prawns.

The Italian Nachos were interesting, made with pasta instead of tortillas they had a similar texture but somehow missed the spot. They came with the usual accompaniments, they were piled high and when we dived in half of them fell on the floor, we really wanted to love them, but we merely liked them.

My bruschetta was delicious, the asparagus was beautifully grilled, bursting with flavour and served on top of creamy mozzarella, for me it needed a good twist of pepper, but it was otherwise perfect. Himself was visually wowed by the crispy king prawns; the prawns were plump and juicy and served with a piquant tomato, basil and garlic sauce. The prawns were wrapped in crispy angel-hair pasta and this is where the dish fell down, it was visually impressive, but it made it difficult and fiddly to eat, especially for a lad who doesn’t like to fiddle, he just likes to eat and enjoy his food.

Moving on to the mains; being veggie I opted for the honeycomb cannelloni trio which was aubergine and sun-dried tomato, pumpkin, ricotta and spinach cannelloni with the usual tomato and béchamel sauces. It was an enjoyable dish. The pasta was excellent, just the right thickness and cooked perfectly. I loved the pumpkin and the ricotta and spinach cannelloni, both were well made and very tasty. The aubergine and sun-dried tomato I liked a bit less, it was the blandest flavour of the three. I would have it again, but it did feel a bit too much of a wintery dish for a summer evening.

Husband went for the signature porcetta which was British pork belly with fennel crackling and chestnut mushrooms. He also ordered sides of “funky chips” and courgette fritti. He loved the porcetta, which you could’ve cut with a spoon, the crispy crackling brought a cheeky smile to his face and he clearly enjoyed every mouthful.

He kindly (he had no choice) shared his sides with me, we proclaimed the courgette fritti a wild success, though the deep fried pickles the courgettes were served with were actually red hot chillies, which rendered them pretty inedible, but I’d happily eat a number of plates of the courgette. The “funky chips” were a bit of a let down, the chips themselves were crispy, and served with garlic and parsley, I thought these would be off the hook, but they needed a really good dose of seasoning and we ended up leaving half of them.

On to dessert, which we barely had room for, so we shared a generous portion of tiramisu. The Jamie’s Italian version is slightly non-standard, given it’s been sexed up with some orange flavours. I love tiramisu, it is my all time favourite pud. I loved this version, light and creamy, it didn’t have the massive coffee hit of other tiramisu, but I enjoyed the citrusy summery flavours of the orange. It was a hit!

As a vegetarian I did feel the menu was a bit lacking, with only two mains to choose from I think in this day and age that’s really quite poor, especially in an Italian restaurant.

All in all it was a bit of a mixed evening. The service was spot on, informal and informative. The food was good, sometimes great; occasionally a bit disappointing, especially given the pedigree of the restaurant. I liked the relaxed vibe and it’s the kind of place I’d happily come back to with a group of friends on a night out. Good, but not quite great.

Disclaimer: We were invited guests of Jamie’s Italian Manchester. We paid for our drinks and service, but the food was complimentary. This, as you can see, has not swayed my opinions.

New Summer Menu at Gusto Cheadle Hulme

A little while ago I sampled the delights of Gusto Didsbury, the food was nothing short of delicious and a cracking evening was had by all. I was therefore excited to be invited to Gusto Cheadle to try some dishes from their new summer menu.

Being one of those vegetarian types I took along my trusty sidekick and eager carnivore chum Bob, who had the difficult task of eating all the meaty and fishy things. A tough job, but someone’s got to do it!

Due to a mix up we arrived two hours early, but nevertheless we were made to feel welcome. We shared a bottle of the Banchetto Rosso, a light, easy-drinking red and nibbled at a couple of new dishes from the menu. It was a not unpleasant way to while away an afternoon.

First up we tried the fried Pecorino cheese with tomato chutney. Two thick wedges of Percorino in a fine polenta crust, served with a good dollop of lovely tomato chutney and some dressed leaves. It was a hearty starter, Bob felt it a was a little dry, but I enjoyed it and thought it made a nice alternative to halloumi.

We shared a small portion of the hand made artichoke tortellini with sautéed mushrooms with parsley and butter. This dish divided us, we both loved the tortellini and enjoyed the mushrooms, but I felt the sauce was too salty and overpowering, whereas Bob thought it was just “well seasoned”.

Thankfully before we devoured the entire menu by ourselves, the others arrived and we could begin the tasting proper. We began by having a selection of starters wafted in front of us. We tried the Bresaola with home pickled mushrooms and rocket; Home cured salmon tartare and quails egg; Crisp baby gem and Speck ham with tonnato sauce; Cannellini bean dip with cucumber and baby leaf salad with fennel crispbread and Bruschetta with avocado and tomato.

All were popular; I particularly loved the Bruschetta with avocado which was simple but beautiful. Good ingredients treated with respect. Bob was very fond of the salmon tartare. I thought the cannellini dip was lovely, very light very summery, like hummus but light on the garlic.

Moving on to the new main courses on offer at Gusto we sampled the Saffron risotto with a white crab salad; Home cured salmon, shaved fennel, orange, radish and radicchio with a crème fraiche dressing; Baked fillet of seabass with roasted pepperonata, drizzled with lemon purée; and Roast lamb rump on a courgette, aubergine and tomato galette with a salsa verde dressing.

There wasn’t a lot of veggie types like me to sample, but I managed to gobble down some of the excellent saffron risotto. Bob loved the seabass, it being perfectly cooked and the roasted pepperonata offering a welcome zingy hit to the dish. His personal favourite was the lamb rump, which came out perfectly pink and as soft as butter.

Next up, as if we had room (but we somehow managed) were the desserts. One of my favourite things about Gusto is their puddings are by no means a menu afterthought. They’ve created some new summery puds, we tried the Gusto Bellini – a peach and Prosecco jelly with a Prosecco foam. This was a light and fruity end to the meal, the Prosecco jelly being an excellent palate cleanser and the fruit helping to fool you into thinking it was an almost healthy option.

My personal favourite was the Italian Mess. A Gusto twist on the famous Eton Mess. A light berry meringue, filled with vanilla chantilly cream, raspberry coulis and topped with summer berries. It looked and tasted like perfection on a plate. My only grumble was I dislike the leafy stalks being left on my strawberries, but otherwise this was as perfect a pudding as I’m likely to find.

There were some real gems on the new Gusto menu, some I’m literally salivating at the thought of trying again, and try again I will.

Disclaimer: We were invited guests of Gusto Cheadle and we were not asked to pay for our food or drink. These are my honest opinions of what we ate on the day.

The Stoker’s Arms – Didsbury

We were invited guests of The Stokers Arms and were not asked to pay for our food.

Note: The Stokers Arms closed in 2021.

Today was a very Good Friday (see what I did there). Not only did I manage a 9am lie in, but I also got to amble over to The Stoker’s Arms in Didsbury for their soft opening. I went with my chum Liz, aka Things To Do In Manchester and I was pretty keen to check out the latest Didsbury opening.

It’s where O’Neills used to be, but they’ve completely ripped out the old faux-Irish interior and replaced it with a lovely, eclectic mix of comfy furniture and they’ve brightened the whole place up. The bar is pretty huge and looks like it’ll be able to cope when it’s three deep on a Saturday night.

But we really went to try the food. At first glance there didn’t seem to be much on for vegetarians, but I was told that there would be plenty coming up in the next few weeks as the menu evolves. We ordered a round of G&Ts and gave the menu a proper once over.

I ordered the soup of the day, which on this day was a tomato and red pepper, served with a warm wedge of bread and a pat of salty butter. Liz went for the salt and pepper squid. I loved my soup, it was hearty and robust and had I been in the comfort of my own home I probably would have licked the bowl clean. Liz enjoyed her squid, which was perfectly cooked but she thought could do with a bit more punch in the seasoning.

I ordered the vegetarian gnocchi, but it turned out there was none left in the kitchen, so I went for the as yet not mentioned on the menu, lentil and bean burger, served with coleslaw and fries. Liz had the pork and chorizo burger topped with extra pulled pork, which again came with fries.

I’m often really disappointed with veggie burgers, they can be really bland, but this was lovely, full of lentils and with a gentle tickle of spice, I’d very cheerfully order it again, in fact my mouth is watering while I’m typing this…always a good sign.

We’d both consumed two hearty courses, so naturally we decided to have pudding. We decided to share a salted caramel and chocolate tart, which came with a dollop of clotted cream. It was amazing. I have a serious salted caramel habit and this was a particularly fine example. The top of the tart was scattered with salt crystals and it was unctuous and just divine. It’s worth visiting just to have that tart.

The food was really good value. They do a three course fixed price menu which is a bargain at just £11. It’s not shonky pub-grub either. I couldn’t find any mention of scampi and chips!

They have a decent list of gins and whiskeys and a good range of draught and bottled beers and ciders. I reckon The Stoker’s Arms will be finding its way onto my list of preferred local watering holes.

The Stoker’s Arms is located at 655-657 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, M20 6RA

Disclaimer: We were invited guests of The Stoker’s Arms and we weren’t asked to pay for any of our food or drink. However, these are as ever my honest thoughts and opinions.