Cheers to Chester Market and Foodie Friday #Blog

Victoria Hayes
12th August 2019

When I was at school I would visit Chester indoor market every Friday. My bus home went from the bus station outside. I would save all the change from my bus journeys all week and on a Friday I would pop in for a quarter of sweets from the sweet stall and sprint over the road just in time to grab the number one home with my friends.

If you told my teenage self that one day I would be sipping Champagne in the very same market on a Friday night she would probably laugh in your face. That’s not what the market is for… right?

Wrong. Chester Market has undergone a Friday revolution. Foodie Fridays are here to stay and I for one am thrilled about it.

Coming in through the door my senses are on high alert as I am greeted by the delicious smell of Thai by Thai, it was difficult not be distracted, but I was on a mission so I  moved on…past the incredible looking freshly baked breads and cakes of Crustum….

Passed the packed bright orange benches of the fun loving That Beer Place…

Past Steins and their gorgeous smelling tapas dishes and the MRKT Cafe setting up for a special vegan event.

The stunning looking pizza oven at the award winning Stile Napoletano had almost a siren call.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

You see I had spotted on twitter the one thing I have never been able to resist, Champagne. 

Vinological is the latest addition to Chester market’s vibrant food and drink scene and with an offer too good to refuse I positively dashed out of work in order to attend.

Despite having only been open since the beginning of August there were obvious regulars already in residence when I arrived, along side some newbies like myself.

I was handed a glass and offered my first taste of Champagne. Our host Neil from Esprit de Champagne was extremely knowledgeable having lived in France himself and imports these Champagnes to the States. They are all smaller, lesser known makers of Champagne but of the absolute highest quality, He entertained us with the special, thoughtful stories of the families that make these delicious bubbles and the personal touches in this tasting were a wonderful mirror of the very personal nature of the renewed Chester Market. 

And so to the Champagne, I shall attempt not to be too nerdy about this, and just due to time & space I may miss out a couple of the delights, but I hope you enjoy some information about my highlights!

Doyard-Mahe Empreinte – Blancs de Blanc – 100% Chardonnay

This is a Champagne House run by women. Carole is in charge with the help of her mother, Martine Doyard, and her aunt Odile. Her father, Philippe Doyard, keeps a low profile! Lovely high acidity as you would expect from a purely chardonnay wine but with a delicious minerality which was a little unexpected but very pleasant.

Champagne Bochet-Lemoine – Brut

50% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, .20% Chardonnay 

This is a family enterprise employing just two full time operatives augmented by a team of grape pickers with 12 years of experience, paid by the hour and professional enough to select the best bunches for harvest, leaving the inferior bunches on the vines.

Elegant and attractive apple and pineapple aromas, fresh red fruit with a gorgeous creamy mouse and a lemon meringue fizz.

We tried two Champagnes from  Jacques Chaput; The Brut Tradition 80% Pinot Noir – 20% Chardonnay and he Brut L’Authentic 70% Pinot Noir – 30% Chardonnay

Expressive, fruity, crisp, and vibrant with green apple, citrus, toast, and yeast notes, hints of cherry/red berry from the high percentage of pinot noir in the blend.

Their logo. the salamander, was François I’s royal emblem, and is associated with the words : ” nutrisco y extinguo”, which can be interpreted as: “feed the good fire and extinguish the bad” – this champagne house follows this rule to the letter.

Champagne David Coutelas Cuvee Tradition and Cuvee Prestige

65% Pinot Meunier 25% Chardonnay 10% Pinot Noir

In the wine business from the age of five, David lives and breathes Champagne. These are wines designed around the crisp natural acidity, built to last and to develop beautifully in the bottle.The Champagnes from Coutelas are ready to go Super Nova and they have the personalities to go with it. Our host Neil’s enthusiasm really shone through while discussing these wines.

Our final Champagne was Infinite 8  – 2004 Brut

Only produced in the best years and conditions, bottled in black bottles marked with an 8 and the and the symbol for infinity, synonyms for balance, symmetry, harmony and perfection. I loved that the silver infinity logo on the bottle is actually a temperature indicator and turns a gorgeous pink when the bottle is the perfect temperature. Everyone loved that feature and agreed that it should be more standard in the industry.

Having had a lovely time and slightly Tipsy (oh. and offered a 10% discount on the  Champagnes I had tried), I knew at that moment that Vinological would become a firm fixture in my life and will be found in there from now on regularly with a glass of really anything they recommend and a selection of Spanish charcuterie and cheese, some olives and a few other deli items.

I will confess to strolling around the market 6 or 7 times trying to pick a place for dinner enjoying the live music and being thoroughly spoilt for choice by the Foodie Friday offerings.

Lovely to pop by and see Kate at Peak Sandwiches, proudly displaying her Taste Cheshire Gold Award 2019. her Cubano Sandwiches are insane and addictive.

You get the sense that all the stall holders are friends, they promote each other, they share seating space, they have worked together to build and maintain a “Foodie Friday” following that is really quite inspiring.

I certainly made friends, lovely to meet @chester.food.reviews  who popped off to Death by Tacos post tasting, plus Chester Foodies Mary and Brona, who thoroughly enjoyed their trip to Steins after the tasting

This review was not paid for by any of the traders, it’s a totally independent review by Taste Cheshire and we stand by our comments. If you don’t believe us, or even if you do,  please pop by Chester Market on a Friday until 9pm and try it out for yourself.

None of these traders are currently members of Taste Cheshire and we would love them to join so we can bring you more up to date offers and events from these wonderful traders. If you are a trader interested in joining Taste Cheshire, please contact [email protected]