“first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed” – Watership Down, Richard Adams

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

Last night was our second supper club at North Star deli. It was lovely to see so many guests from our first event (always a good sign) as well as lots of new faces. Most people were quite intrigued by some of the ingredients we’d included in our ‘Celebration of British summer time’ menu.

We have already mentioned the criteria we follow when choosing dishes to serve on our menu – locally sourced primary ingredients in season, dishes that contain unusual ingredients that some guests may not have tried before or dishes that they wouldn’t necessarily make at home.

At the moment, we’re right in the middle of the British samphire season. This thin, knobbly green vegetable grows in coastal areas and has a crisp salty taste – perfect for fish dishes. We served it lightly steamed with fresh trout (farmed locally in Macclesfield) cured using salt, dill and grated beetroot. Our fishmonger also found us some interesting seaweed – Sea lettuce, dulce and nori – which is the kind that is used to make sheets for rolling sushi. To finish the dish we added pickled cucumber ribbons and a dressing made using Chardonnay vinegar and Dijon mustard.

One of our guests is a professional nutritionist* who didn’t disagree when we suggested our healthy starter would ‘put lead in anyone’s pencil.’

After much discussion, we settled on rabbit pie for the main course, made with a proper suet pastry and some locally brewed cider. Guests were treated to a brief talk by Moss Cider maker Dan Hasler about the project before tucking in.

A few generations back, rabbit pie was a staple dish enjoyed regularly but it’s much less common nowadays. In fact, a lot of people balked at the thought for some reason and opted for our vegetarian main of three tomato tart with basil pesto. Professional crack shot Frosty butcher went out especially on the Monday night to shoot them at Dunham Massey.

For pudding, we decided to take advantage of the amount of fresh berries on offer at the moment and make three miniature desserts – a shortbread stack with maple cream and blueberries, a vanilla custard cream with mixed berry compote and a fruity almond frangipane.

We also took advantage of the abundance of edible flowers around. We garnished the dishes with various things grown in the chef’s garden or foraged locally – pea shoots, mint flowers, fiery rocket and baby beetroot leaves, but we think the star of the show was the nasturtium flowers.

Light and peppery in taste with incredibly vibrant orange petals, they’re perfect as a garnish or sprinkled on salads. We found ours courtesy of ‘Incredible Edibles’ who started in Rossendale and Todmorden but now also have a group of volunteers in Wilmslow who clear underused public spaces to plant fruit, vegetables and herbs for all.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Twitter accounts as we’ll announce the next few supper club dates and take the next group of bookings very soon. We do hope you’ll join us.

*For further details regarding nutrition and the benefits of seaweed see *Claire Jones – Nutritional Therapy

 

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The Moss Cider Project

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

As you drive down Princess Parkway towards Chorlton and Manchester, just as the M56 turns into a dual carriageway, you’ll see a strip of land between carriageway and slip road made of unkempt grass and spindly looking trees. If you get stuck in traffic there around late summer/early autumn, and look a little closer, you’ll see that two of those spindly looking trees are actually apple trees – right there on the motorway embankment. Perhaps they are the product of someone having thrown an apple core out of the window around 2003, who knows?

The point we’re making is that if you open your eyes and tune in to the environment around you, especially at this time of year when trees are more easily identifiable, you might be pleasantly surprised by the abundance of fruit growing in unusual suburban spaces. This has inspired community projects such as ‘Incredible Edibles’ http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/home – who ask for communal space to grow fruit and vegetables free for the public to harvest, and our latest discovery, ‘The Moss Cider Project’.

Dan Hasler, graphic designer and local project manager for Manchester-based charity ‘Action for Sustainable Living’ (AfSL) was inspired to start this project last year after a local Moss Side residents meeting. The local bus depot was due to be knocked down and they had a vision of what should replace it. Dan imagined a lot more green space amongst the housing – including allotments, gardens and orchards.

The scheme has inspired residents to have a go at growing their own fruit and vegetables and just one year on they are inviting everyone to ‘Open Yardens’ on Sunday 14th August because, as they suggest on their flyer, ‘you’ll be amazed and inspired by what can be grown in a small space.’

But, let’s get back to The Moss Cider Project – a bottle of which shall be working its magic in the main course of rabbit pie at our second supper club. Last year on September 25th, Dan and several locals, went around Moss Side and surrounding areas within the M60 scrumping for apples. After procuring a cider press with financial help from AfSL, they managed to squeeze 40 litres of juice and turned it into home brew whilst the leftover pulp was given to local allotments for composting. But how did they come up with a name for the local brew? Cider made in Moss Side….Moss Cider!

Next month it’ll be time for the second Moss Cider mash up, and this time they’re aiming to sell the 2012 vintage at local Christmas markets with profits being used to fund local projects. They also hold regular samplings and events such as cheese and cider tastings. For more information and to keep up with events, follow them on twitter @Mosscider or subscribe to their newsletter. http://www.themossciderproject.org/

They are currently looking for a home for their new industrial apple press and are on the cusp of setting up (in their words) ‘some kind of social-enterprise/micro-brewery/apple-tree-planting/community interest company/apple co-op’. They are always on the look-out for more local apples (of any variety) to meet increasing demand and volunteers to help with the cider making process and to help spread the word. If you’d like to help, contact Dan on 07968 378 022 or info@themossciderproject.org

In the meantime, this year they are going to be producing small batches of ‘artisan cider’ so we shall be keeping a very close eye on this worthy project and shall selflessly offer to, er, ‘sample’ their wares on your behalf (ahem)…

Thanks to Hannah Beatrice for the photographs. Click here to read her blog and see more photo’s from last years pressing http://www.hannahbeatrice.co.uk/2010/09/the-moss-cider-project/

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Close up on our local independent suppliers – Frosty the Butcher

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

Even though it’s early days, our new supper club is already developing a theme. We find wonderful local independent suppliers, incorporate their produce into our menu and ask them to say a few words about it on the night.

Last month our local butcher Lee Frost from WH Frost’s, Chorlton, supplied us with the delicious best end of Cheshire lamb we served for our main course. It’s refreshing to have the opportunity to hear more details about the food you eat in a world where meat now comes from all over the world, shrink wrapped and generically labelled with only basic information on supermarket shelves.

He told us that the lamb was handpicked directly from Chelford market, despatched at the local abattoir in Tabley, and then butchered in Chorlton where it was hung for 10 days. So it had only travelled around 10 miles from field to fork. He’ll also be supplying us with the meat for most of our supper clubs, so we asked him to tell us more about it.

WH Frost was established in 1890 and was originally based in Moss Side before moving to its present home in Chorlton in the late 1960’s. Four generations later the business is now run by Lee and 3 of his brothers, watched over by patriarch Jack. Two of the brothers concentrate on the retail side, preparing meat for the shop, whilst the other two are responsible for the wholesale side, selling the meat served in many of the North West’s top restaurants.

It is 67 yr old Jack who gets up at 4am to choose the best animals on show at market. Just as I was gasping in shock at that early start, Lee quipped that his dad gets a lie in as the rest of them have to start work at 3am. I asked Lee why we should go to him for our meat rather than the supermarkets, their main competition.

“All our meat is sourced locally from local livestock markets supplied by independent farms around Cheshire. So we support the local economy. Nothing is delivered to us unseen; it’s all carefully handpicked by Jack who chooses the best on offer. Not many butchers go to such detail. There is also less packaging and less food miles.”

Lee is also a real champion of the North West

“The Cheshire plains are flat which encourages superior produce as the sheep don’t develop tough muscles by climbing about all over the place. Our weather offers the best grazing for sheep and cattle. The quality of the animals’ food is in turn reflected in the quality of the meat.”

As we are keen to concentrate on seasonality regarding our supper club menus, I asked if meat had an optimum season despite the fact that it’s available all year round.

“Beef is good all year round but best in autumn after cattle have been grazing on fresh grass for 4 months. During the colder months they tend to be housed indoors eating silage (hay and stored grass) and cattle feed/maize.”

He told us that the best time to eat lamb was not Easter as most people believe, but September/October. Spring lamb has been born around January/February but better quality lamb has had the chance to gambol about outside over the summer.

So there you go. In a time when good quality local independent high street businesses are floundering under pressure from supermarkets, it’s worth taking the time to buy local.

You can find WH Frost butchers at 14 Chorlton place, Manchester, M21 9AQ and of course sample his goods at our supper club and North Star Delicatessen. Lee Frost can also be found on Twitter

Thanks to Christelle Vaillant for the photographs

 

 

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New supper club menu – A Celebration of British Summer time

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

It’s less than two weeks until our second exciting supper club at North Star Delicatessen. It’s to be held on Thursday 4th August at 7.30pm and the theme this time will be a celebration of British summertime.

This theme was put forward by a couple of our loyal Twitter followers @JoinUs4Supper but as we’re quite spoilt for seasonal British produce at this time of year, it seemed the obvious way to go.

Here is a list of just some of the wonderful range of British fruit and vegetables in season in August that we had to choose from when coming up with our menu;

Artichoke, aubergine, basil, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, French beans, garlic, lamb, new potatoes, onions, pak choi, peas, rabbit, radishes, rocket, runner beans, sorrel, spring onions, tomatoes, turnips, watercress,  apricots, blueberries, cherries (English), gooseberries, loganberries, peaches, raspberries, redcurrants…

…phew! In the end, this is what we decided upon for our menu. We hope you like the sound of it and we look forward to seeing you there.

Lightly cured sea trout with pickled cucumber, sea vegetables & Chardonnay dressing

Dunham Massey Rabbit pie with local Moss Cider and rosemary

3 ways with berries

We want to offer dishes that wouldn’t usually feature on our deli menu, whilst also making an effort to showcase the creativity of our talented chefs. We also try and choose dishes containing slightly more unusual ingredients that our guests might not have had the opportunity to try before or ones they might not make at home.

However, if rabbit is further than some food adventurers wish to go, we’ve also come up with an alternative, vegetarian starter and main course. Please let us know which dishes you’d prefer when booking your place.

(v) Beetroot, rocket, lentil & Cheshire goat’s cheese salad

(v) Three tomato tart with basil pesto

Once again, we’re quite excited about the local ingredients we’ve found to use in our dishes and would like to tell you about them in more detail in our next few blog updates.

Click here http://northstardelicatessen-auto.eventbrite.com/ if you’d like to book a place on our next supper club. Tickets can also be purchased directly from North Star Delicatessen, 418 Wilbraham Rd, M21 0SD, or you can reserve your seat by calling 0161 862 0133. Places are limited so book early to guarantee your place - we look forward to seeing you there.

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North Star Supper Club launch

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

Our supperclub launch - hopefully the first of many themed evening events at North Star

Well, after weeks of umming and aahing, planning and tweeting, we finally reached the day of our first ever Supper Club at North Star Delicatessen. The idea behind it is to show how the deli can be used for all sorts of interesting private evening events and also gives our talented chefs the opportunity to create something quite different in our kitchen. The Supper Club will be once a month to start with and each 3 course menu will follow a different theme. As we’re so proud of being based in Chorlton, this month’s theme was supporting other local independent businesses and local produce.

Mediterranean fish soup which has a rich tomato base including aromatic fennel, roasted peppers, red wine and a hint of chilli.

The first course was inspired by our local fishmongers ‘Out of the Blue’. We wanted to use fish that was in season, but also some lesser known varieties, all caught in British waters. After a chat with owner Dave Yarwood, we decided to make a Mediterranean inspired fish soup with seasonal shellfish, hake and pollock. The base is cooked slowly the day before to intensify the flavour and the raw fish is added to the re-heated soup base to cook just before garnishing with the shellfish and serving. To accompany this, we made a rouille, the traditional and incredibly garlicky accompaniment to fish soup, thinly spread on crispy toast.

Laying out the plates of lamb Dijonnaise whilst butcher Lee Frost was talking to customers.

Our local butcher Lee Frost from WH Frost’s was on hand to explain to our guests a little more about why people should buy meat from them, rather than the supermarket (– we’ll post a more detailed blog about this soon.) For our main course, we decided to serve best end of Cheshire lamb Dijonnaise with roast garlic and broad bean puree and chargrilled vegetables.

Lee Frost told us that this lamb had been hung for 10 days to maximise the flavour and had travelled less than 10 miles from field to fork.

For dessert, we were after something light containing seasonal fruit. Together with our local theme, it could only mean a Manchester Tart. There are lots of variations on this dessert, some even include banana, but the principal ingredients are a pastry shell, spread with raspberry jam, topped with custard and sprinkled with coconut. We thought we’d dress the plate with a syrup we made from Vimto, which was famously created in Manchester as part of the temperance movement.

Our Manchester Tart with seasonal local raspberries

Anyway, everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and there was a brilliant atmosphere. One guest even said that the lamb was the best she’s ever tasted. Here’s a link to a blog from one of our satisfied customers and we’ll post links to all photographs and blogs as we get them. If you’d like to be a guest at a future supper club at North Star Deli, keep an eye on our own  blog for further details. You can also ‘like’ our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @JoinUs4Supper. If you’re considering hiring the deli for a private event, call Adam on 0161 862 0133.

Empty plates and satisfied customers. We look forward to meeting and feeding you soon.

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We have a winner for our Facebook Competition!

Posted on July 7, 2011 by RealFreshTV

We’ve never seen so much excitement for cake!

Thank you to everyone who entered our Facebook competition inviting you to vote for your favourite: Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake.

What's Your Favourite Facebook competition: Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake

We’re chuffed that our very own Carrot Cake (pictured) won, trouncing Chocolate Cake to win by 11 votes to 8!

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The first course – Fish

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

Out of the blue is Chorlton’s only dedicated fishmonger and holds the award for Best Food and Drink Outlet from The Co-Operative Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
Owner Dave Yarwood began trading in Manchester’s Arndale Market before opening in Chorlton in 2003 and he’s been advising and supplying us at North Star ever since.
90% of the fish they supply is wild and they stock a wide variety of both ‘everyday fish’ and specialities like wild turbot and native lobsters.
Dave’s priority is buying fish seasonally and he told me, when I met up with him for a chat, that that is his single answer to helping the sustainability problem. He said ‘if everybody bought fish seasonally and avoided spawning females (usually spotted with their eggs or roe), then there wouldn’t be so much of a sustainability problem.’
Currently, half of all fish caught in the North Sea are thrown back overboard dead and thanks to campaigns like Hugh’s Fishfight people are trying to put a stop to this needless waste. Now there is more demand for lesser known fish caught around British waters such as Pollock and megrim. Dave told me that when someone he knew bought a load of this fresh ‘excess’ catch that would usually be thrown away, it sold out very quickly.
He also commented on sourcing fish locally, ‘food miles aren’t so straight forward with fish. Local doesn’t necessarily mean fish landed in North West harbours such as Fleetwood, it tends to mean fish caught in British waters, so Cornish haddock or Scottish mussels still count as local.’
Unlike most supermarkets, the fish from Out of the Blue is handpicked and purchased on a daily basis from selected vendors. The shop has deliveries daily and often 2 or 3 times a day.
We thought the best way to showcase some of Britain’s best seasonal fish at our North Star Deli Supperclub launch on Friday 8th would be to make a delicious Mediterranean inspired fish soup using a variety of white fish, fennel, roast peppers, garlic and tomatoes together with seasonal shellfish such as clams. There are still a few seats available so if you’d like to book your place, click here.

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What’s Your Favourite: Chocolate Cake or Carrot Cake?

Posted on June 29, 2011 by RealFreshTV

North Star Delicatessen Carrot Cake

North Star Deli Carrot Cake

Hot on the heels of our incredibly popular Twitter competition where we gave away a highly sought after ticket to our Supper Club*launch on Friday 8th July, we’re now running a Facebook competition for Manchester food lovers.

Thank you to everyone who entered the Twitter competition.  The coveted Supper Club ticket was won by the lovely North West Nosh (@NorthWestNosh on Twitter) on Monday.   Well done!

In case you missed it, you’ve got another chance to win a ticket to the ultra-exclusive launch of our Supper Club.

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Where did the name North Star come from?

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Deanna Thomas

North Star Delicatessen Logo

North Star Delicatessen Logo

It’s not easy coming up with a clear, simple name for something that means so many things to so many people. Essentially, when we first had the idea of opening a delicatessen, we wanted to create a destination for food lovers. As the North Star has been used historically for navigation, we wanted to build a place that would attract food lovers towards it like a magnetic force, a guiding light. After getting bogged down with too-clever variations and word-plays on the word ‘Gastronomy’, we settled on North Star.

We’re also incredibly proud of living in the North of England. National food journalists and publications seem to be rather London-centric, so it was pretty important for us to make that distinction and prove that us Northerner’s also have a huge interest in producing and cooking wonderful food.

Deanna and Patrick Thomas, the original founder and architect had the great fortune to happen to live next door to one of Manchester’s leading graphic designers, the hugely talented Trevor Johnson, who agreed to design our logo. We wanted something modern and eye-catching with clean edges that would have immediate visual impact – just like the deli itself. So, now you know. Do you like it?

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The North Star Deli Story

Posted on June 17, 2011 by RealFreshTV

Chorlton seems to attract a significant proportion of Manchester’s die-hard food lovers and who can blame them? It’s home to a diverse number of excellent, well-established, independent food retailers, restaurants and bars.

We thought you may be interested to hear how North Star Delicatessen began back in 2003 so we’re going to tell you in a series of mini blogs over the next few weeks. How did we come up with the name? Who’s behind it? Why did we choose to set up store in Chorlton? Tell us if there’s anything you’d like to know about us and we’ll try and include it.

Continue reading →

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