Two local restaurants named among the best newcomers in the UK in the Good Food Guide 2021

The Good Food Guide has revealed its list of must-try new restaurants, and two local spots have soared above the rest to make it into the esteemed list.

The guide has recently released its Platinum List for the best newcomers – all of whom opened pre- or mid-pandemic – and there are two brilliant local eateries featured.

Erst in Ancoats and Hyssop in Glossop both appeared on this year’s Platinum List, alongside 16 other restaurants from up and down the UK.

Only three restaurants in the northwest appear in all, the third being Henrock, Linthwaite House in Cumbria.

“All have been chosen for their remarkable resilience, thriving in the face of the shifting realities of dining out during the pandemic,” says the Guide.

“They are all are notable newcomers and were earmarked for entry in The Good Food Guide 2021-2022.”

It’s not the first impressive accolade Erst has earned this year, either. The restaurant’s focus on natural wine and seasonal small plates also caught the attention of judges for the National Restaurant Awards, leading it to make number 47 in this year’s prestigious list of the top 100 restaurants.

It also featured in the 2021 Michelin Guide, with inspectors saying it offered “something refreshingly different in the city.”

Hyssop, meanwhile, operates slightly more under the radar – or at least, it did before making it into the Good Food Guide. Initially launched as a pop-up in and around Manchester by owners Paul and Jess Sykes, it’s now based at The Bulls Head pub in Old Glossop.

Before opening Hyssop, chef Paul Sykes trained under the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines and Simon Rogan and is now serving up some serious grub – also in the form of small plates, split into sections like ‘Sea’, ‘Land’ and ‘Earth’.

DIsh-wise, think Onglet steak with herb butter; beetroot cured salmon, walnut and granny smith; lemon sole with brown shrimp, buttermilk and chive; plus puddings, steak nights, and plenty more besides.

First published in 1951, the guide is considered one of the most trustworthy publications when it comes to eating-out guides in the UK.

A Which? guide that was purchased by Waitrose in 2013, the Guide ceased publication during the pandemic – but has now been given a new lease of life, after being bought by hospitality community CODE.

It keeps as its editor Elizabeth Carter, who has worked with the Guide since the 1980s and held the position of editor since 2007.

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“Every one of the restaurants on this list is a shining example of the resilience and sheer talent to be found in the UK,” said Carter.

“It may have been a tough 18 months for the hospitality industry but these restaurants were undaunted.

“They continued to do the two things we ask of a good restaurant – serve fabulous food, that stayed in the mind during multiple closures, and offer great hospitality.”

Feature image – Erst / Hyssop