Hidden above the Michelin-recommended Wood restaurant on First Street is an intimate little eatery with a menu dedicated entirely to cheese.
Launched by Masterchef winner Simon Wood, it’s a certified cheese lover’s heaven.
From blue and stinky to mild, creamy, and soft to hard and tangy, if there’s a particular cheese style that floats your boat you’re more than likely to find it on the 20-strong cheese menu.
Image: The Manc Eats
Called Homage (a mixture of Home and Fromage), it’s Manchester’s (and the UK’s) first-ever fine dining restaurant dedicated to cheese and wine – and it’s rather special if we do say so ourselves.
Since opening last November it’s become one of Manchester’s better-kept secrets, sequestered as it is above the main restaurant in a former private dining room-turned restaurant space.
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Some opt to enjoy a few cheese courses up here after dinner, others come for an entire meal of cheese. Having seen the menus, both options are equally appealing.
Inside, it’s plush and very intimate with space for just 12 covers a night – with a sommelier on hand to advise on the best wine pairings.
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Image: The Manc Eats
You can dine A La Carte style, picking your own cheeses and wines from the extensive list, or opt for a miniature tasting menu from £40 that expertly pairs five different styles together for you.
The kitchen creates all of its own fennel seed crackers, preserves and chutneys in-house, and each individual portion of cheese comes with its own paired chutney, which is specially designed to bring out the cheese’s unique flavours.
Think robust and nutty Nottinghamshire Stitchelton paired with powdered beetroot and beetroot assiete, roasted and blitzed in house; oozing Camembert de Normandie served with bacon, onion and confit garlic; or a triple cream truffle cheese called Brillat Savarin au Truffe and you’ll get the idea.
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Image: The Manc Eats
This is not just any old cheese board with a few token grapes and water biscuits.
We’re talking individual plates of cheese, all with their own specially created pairings. Oh, and, currently, a lovely little cheese and onion-baked bean pie – just to prove they don’t take themselves too seriously.
For those who aren’t quite sure what they like, every cheese on the menu comes with its own flavour profile description and a couple of paired drink suggestions.
You really can’t go wrong. Open in the week from 5pm and from 12pm on the weekends, you’ll find Homage on Jack Rosenthal Street within the First Street development of the city.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
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News
Historic hidden library in Manchester city centre reveals £11m transformation plans
Emily Sergeant
Ambitious plans to transform one of Manchester’s greatest historical hidden gems have been announced.
Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library – which is hidden in plain sight on Mosley Street, in the heart of the city centre – played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then, it has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.
But now, these new transformation plans, titled The Reunited Project, will ensure the building not only survives, but also thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.
The Portico Library‘s transformational scheme is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.
Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.
There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage.
There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.
A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.
“Portico Reunited is about more than restoring a building,” explained Dr Thom Keep, who is a Librarian & the Chief Executive of the Portico Library, after the transformation plans were submitted to Manchester City Council.
“It’s about opening doors to stories, ideas, heritage and communities across Greater Manchester.
“These plans secure Portico’s future, unlocking the power of heritage to inspire Manchester’s visitors and residents to explore, share, and celebrate their stories and the city’s literary and global heritage.”
If the plans are approved by the Council, The Portico Library will close for around 18 months for construction, during which it will continue to engage the public through its ‘Portigo !’ pop-up programme.
Featured Image – Portico Library
News
Government announces homebuying overhaul to fix country’s ‘broken’ housing system
Emily Sergeant
The Government has announced what it’s calling the biggest shakeup to the homebuying system in this country’s history.
In a bid to ‘rewire a chaotic system which has become a barrier to homeownership for thousands nationwide, the Government has today (Monday 6 October) unveiled proposals that it says will speed up the long-drawn out and costly process of buying a home by four weeks.
The Housing Secretary says this will not only save people money, but unnecessary stress too.
The proposed new plans would see sellers and estate agents required to provide buyers with ‘vital’ information about a property upfront – including the condition of the home, leasehold costs, and chains of people waiting to move.
It’s hoped this will help end any last-minute chain collapses and ultimately give greater confidence to first-time buyers when they’re making one of life’s most important decisions.
The Government has announced plans to fix the country’s ‘broken’ housing system / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
Binding contracts could also be introduced to stop people walking away from agreements after buyers painstakingly spend months in negotiations to hopefully halve the number of failed transactions.
The new reforms are also proposing that prospective buyers are provided with side-by-side information on estate agents and conveyancers, including their track record and expertise, alongside new mandatory qualifications and Code of Practice to drive up standards and work to rebuild trust in the industry.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to Twitter this morning to address the proposed new homebuying overhaul, commenting: “I promised that my Government would fix the broken housing system.
“Buying or selling a home will be faster, unlocking the dream of homeownership and allowing hardworking people to focus on the next chapter of their lives. That’s national renewal.”
I promised that my government would fix the broken housing system.
Buying or selling a home will be faster, unlocking the dream of homeownership and allowing hardworking people to focus on the next chapter of their lives.
Georgina Pellant -
25th March 2022 
