A top Manchester chef has just launched a new ‘affordable’ menu, designed to make his restaurant’s tasting dishes more accessible to the wider public during the week.
Adam Reid, the esteemed head chef behind Michelin-recommended restaurant The French at The Midland has put together the new £75 per head menu as a more affordable alternative to his Signature tasting menu, which is nearly double the price.
The new £75 ‘Initials’ menu does not include drinks but diners can opt to pay for a selection of paired drinks on top – priced at £40 for what’s described as a ‘Tipsy’ pairing, or £30 for a selection of matched non-alcoholic soft drinks.
Image: The French
By comparison, the Signature tasting menu typically costs £140 each on Saturdays and an extra £85 for an accompanying wine pairing, although those dining from Wednesday to Friday are able to enjoy the same menu for a slightly lower price.
Dishes available to order from the new menu will include barbecued salt marsh lamb from the Rhug Estate with Wirral courgette and gravy, Peter’s courgette blossom with eel and tongue, and baked English custard with mint and Cheshire strawberry.
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The idea behind this, he has said, is to give people a taste of The French without the late night.
He said: “I appreciate that not everyone wants to experience a full tasting menu midweek, this new special menu has been created to cater for those who still want a taste of The French but don’t want a late night!”
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Image: The French
The Initials menu will be available throughout July and August, with the restaurant’s usual Signature menu running alongside.
A longstanding face of The French, Reid took over following the departure of L’Enclume chef Simon Rogan and became chef patron in 2016.
In the past six years, he has won a number of AA Rosettes for the restaurant but consistently missed out on a Michelin star to the disappointment of many.
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With new pastures on the horizon, he has also recently been tapped to open a butty shop at New Century later this summer – taking it back to childhood with sides like potato salad and pickled eggs.
With a sandwich for every part of the day, the two-time Great British Menu winner will focus on classic Northern flavours built on memories of childhood visits to the bakery when his butty shop opens in the new food hall at NOMA later this year.
Feature image – The French
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Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
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Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Georgina Pellant -
26th July 2022 
