Northwest Food News – December 2013

See out December by keeping warm and drinking. This month, themes are: Berlin, pirates, and the 1930s. Yo, ho, ho and eine flasche of rum, dollface

Feature by Jamie Faulkner | 09 Dec 2013

The festive season is something of a double-edged sword for food lovers. At one end of the spectrum, there’s the possibility of impressing friends and family with a year of accumulated cooking techniques; at the other, there’s the issue that most restaurants go to pot at this time of year as they put all of their efforts into Christmas menus and decorations, and their overworked kitchen staff develop murderous feelings for office parties of any shape or size.  

So, in our humble opinion, it’s probably best to avoid eating out altogether and stick to the pubs. Not that the office parties won’t be there. Really, we’d tell you to stay at home if we could. But that wouldn’t be news. Basically, right, here are some new-ish places to grab a tipple this December – while all your mates are paying over the odds for steins of lager and various spit-roast animal parts at the Christmas markets and ice bars, you can pay slightly less and be warm. Indoors.

Over Merseyside way, Living Ventures continue their dominance of the Northwest’s bar and restaurant scene with what we can only assume is the region’s first pirate-themed bar/restaurant. The Smugglers Cove at Albert Dock is aiming to wow with a selection of over 150 rums and its deli, rotisserie and BBQ food. Judging by reactions on Twitter, there's a je-ne-sais-quoi about pirate-style that really strikes a chord with the locals: 'just what Liverpool was missing,' wrote one on Twitter; 'Felt like I was on in a pirate movie tonight,' said another. Coleen Rooney’s even been. So it must be good. @smugglerscoveL thesmugglerscove.uk.com

If you find yourself, as many will, in the vicinity of Manchester’s Spinningfields district this December, you can visit a new non-Living Ventures bar. It’s called Neukölln, after the über-hip Berlin suburb, and, contrary to the laws of quantum mechanics, occupies the same spot as Caffeine & Co.’s pop-up coffe shop. Theoretically, if you grab a flat white after a spot of present-shopping and wait long enough (until 6pm to be accurate), the cafe will 'transform' into a bar, serving the likes of Jever Pilsner, Maisel's Weisse, and other craft beers, including Thornbridge’s Jaipur and Anchor Steam’s Brekle’s Brown. A decent back-bar and interesting bar snacks will flesh the whole thing out @NeukollnMCR

December is always a slow news month, so that means the boys from The Liquorists feature once again as they launch another pop-up just in time to attract the Chrimbo footfall. The Kowloon Correspondents Club is based in Manchester’s Barton Arcade, the home of fashion boutiques and the infamous Circle Club, and will showcase Belvedere vodka through an eclectic cocktail menu and a 1930s feel. Elsewhere, look out for speakeasy Fitzgerald Bar, riding the breakers of The Great Gatsby's success and bringing a ’20s vibe to 11 Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter. #KCC @TheLiquorists @TheFitzgeraldNQ

Finally, every news segment at this time of year must have a happy ending, a story so achingly saccharine that it warms the iciest of Scrooge-like hearts. So here goes: Martin Hargreaves, a baker from Bolton who works for Greenhalgh’s Craft Bakeries, has made the region proud by recently winning the fifth National Cupcake Championship with his take on a lemon meringue pie. Told you it was sweet (chortle). Merry Christmas!