Taste Knutsford, exploring the food delights #Blog
Briony Wilson
26th September 2018
Taste Knutsford is a new walking tour around the town of Knutsford showcasing some of the best eateries in the area. The tour takes up to 3 hours and includes visits to between 8-10 eateries. The delightful blogger and food Lover Sophie of Sophie’s Scran, acts as your tour guide with some great food facts and insights about the collection of eateries. Each tour has space for up to 15 people to keep them friendly and comfortable and they take place on Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm until 2ish. We had the chance of a sneak preview and loved it.
As one of the lucky few invited on the first tour we got to give all 12 eateries a go; we started at The Lost and Found. A lovely restaurant and bar chain with other venues in Leeds, Birmingham and Bristol. The building has been many things across its long history including a Furniture Shop, Town Hall, Post Office and I believe the list goes on, thats the thing about history!! The building is a beautiful setting for all kinds of events, but as the first stop on our tour we had a tasting of the brunch menu with up to 10 options including Pancakes, Smashed Avocado, Yogurt Bowls, Egg Royale and Benedict, there is an option for everyone. You can even upgrade your brunch to bottomless for £25, with a choice of Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Bellini’s or Prosecco by the glass. My personal favourite was the Buttermilk Pancakes with Greek Yogurt, Blueberry’s and Mixed seeds.
Next on the list was the northern supermarket Booths, Knutsford . This is just one of the 28 stores across the Northwest. Booths is known for its quality range of food and drink products including Fresh Breads, Cheeses, Fish and Meats. We tried a selection of Olives, Charcuterie, Sour Dough Breads, Oils and Cheeses. The ideal one stop shop, for local produce with the autumn festivities, not too far away. It really is a food lovers supermarket.
We then made our way across to the Market Hall for our next 2 stops; The Market Cafe and Morgan Edwards Fine Wines and Spirits. Here we tried award winning sausage rolls handmade by chef Ollie and his partner, who also happen to feed most local businesses with their takeaway sandwiches and pastries. We washed this down with a tasting of a lovely Rose and Red wine from Morgan Edwards, two young friends who know a lot about wine and are more than happy to offer their knowledge, to find you the best wine.
Just next door was our next stop The Freemasons a lovely Gastropub and Smokehouse, based in this charming building that was first built as the town Silk Mill back in 1754. The Gastropub introduced its custom-built Canadian Smoke Ovens back in 2015 and they try to include several smoked elements in the menu including the Smoked Beef Meatballs, which we got to try, in a lovely deep tomato sauce, which we ended up mopping up with some handmade bread. Another advantage of the Freemasons menu is many elements are gluten free, a plus for many with the ever-increasing number of people suffering such intolerance’s.
On to Evuna we went, a lovely Spanish restaurant which has two other branches in Manchester, they all offer something a little different on the menu and in the wine selection but at their core are still fabulous Spanish Tapas Bars and Imported wines. Evuna in Knutsford is a beautiful grade 2 listed 4 story Tudor building and a great setting for casual drinks with friends, a meal out or almost any occasion. We were treated to 2 different types of Croquetas, a personal favourite of mine; first we dug in to the Goat’s Cheese And Spinach Croquettes, crunchy on the outside with gooey Goats Cheese centre, just as you would get in Spain. Second and possibly the best in my opinion, the Iberico Ham Croquetas served with Aioli, both dishes were cooked in the Josper a charcoal oven which originates from Barcelona. It was a short but sweet visit, where we enjoyed the history of the restaurant from one of its owners alongside some wonderful food; and it left us wanting more; we will be back.
Next stop was The Real Fruit Creamery; who doesn’t love gelato? We were expecting just 3 samples but left after many more than that because Alison just couldn’t pick her favourite flavours to show us. All the Gelato’s and Sorbets are handmade in small batches on the premises using only the finest quality ingredients to ensure that delicious, freshly made taste – all that hard work certainly pays off! My personal favourite was the Blackberry Ripple, with the Pistachio a close second, surprising as I’m not usually a pistachio fan.
Wine and Wallop, was next on the list a fabulous Wine Bar and Eatery. Again, the team here know a lot of about wine and are always on hand to guide you through the selection, with 100’s of wines to choose from. Since we had already enjoyed some wine earlier on our tour the team created us a Gin based Cocktail instead. The Vineyard Negroni made from Bolney ‘Foxhole ‘Gin, Bolney English Sweet Vermouth, Campari and Muscatel; providing the perfect balance between sweet and bitter.
Next, we made our way to The Old Sessions House, which describes itself as a quintessential British pub! It isn’t wrong! Despite its historic exterior it is decorated with a modern touch creating a comforting and relaxed atmosphere. In true British style we got to sample a Lovely crisp Fishcake, made from a mixture of White Fish, Salmon, Potato and Dill. It was packed with flavour and very refreshing, I would highly recommend stopping by for this delicious dish.
One of my highlights of the day was the next stop at The Cheese Yard. The Cheese Yard is a deli and café specialising in artisan cheeses from Cheshire, the British Isles and across Europe. We tried 6 different cheeses from across the North west including an Ewes Milk Cheese, a Lancashire Goats Cheese, a Shropshire Hard Cheese and a Soft Blue Cheshire. The Cheese Yard regularly run wine and cheese evening which are informal but informative and can create wonderful luxury gift hampers, another great idea for those tricky family members with Christmas soon approaching.
By this stage we were rather full and were excited by the idea of a refreshment break and what could be better than a tea tasting at Cha Bar. This quaint little Tea Bar and Bistro is decorated with a Tatton Park theme, a lovely local touch. They have many varieties of tea for you to try and we opted for just 3; an Earl Grey, Chung Mee and Wild Cherry. They were all very refreshing and enjoyed with no milk or sweetener, there was an offering to everyone’s liking from traditional, to green tea and a fruit tea. With the cult following of coffee so prominent we enjoyed giving some time to the humble tea and it did not disappoint. This wasn’t your standard PG Tips and takes a bit more love and care to bring out the wonderful flavour, but that is all down to execution and using the correct temperature of water and being cautious of brewing time.
It was now time to head across to our final destination The Courthouse, again a fabulous building in Knutsford History with many famous trials being held here. A lot of work has gone in to refurbishing this wonderful building and the quirky addition of the mug shot art work and 7 bowler hats added to the experience, this building really does still have a story to tell. After a quick nosey around, we sat down for afternoon tea; a Selection of Finger Sandwiches, Macaroons, Profiteroles and Cakes all lovingly crafted. Sadly, we were just a little to full to take full advantage of the Homemade Scones, so took these away with us, to enjoy later.
For everything you get on the tour, you will be rolling out the door at the end and it is well worth the £45 ticket price. There really is on this occasion something for everyone and it is a great gift idea with Christmas coming up. Take a look at the available dates at Taste Knutsford .