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WELCOME BACK ....
BY PAUL ASKEW , CHEF PATRON OF THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
Our doors of the main restaurant reopened on Tuesday 18th May for dinner , and by god it feels good to be back .
Of course , we ’ ve been in the kitchen a fair amount over the last few months preparing at home boxes , and more recently welcoming guests to our courtyard dining . But , hand on heart I can honestly say nothing quite beats the feeling of being able to see our guests through our kitchen galley window enjoying the dishes we ’ ve created for them . Vincent , my senior Sous Chef , who ’ s been with me since I opened The Art School , and I have been working on menu development for our eagerly anticipated return . Redpoll beef and salt marsh lamb features prominently on some of our menus , in preparation I took some of the kitchen brigade to a butchery masterclass with Callum Edge , from Edge butchers in New Ferry .
Callum ’ s butchery heritage can be traced back to the 1700 ’ s and the shop , opened in 1844 by Callum ’ s great great grandfather . They are one of a number of local suppliers we use , including Wards Fish in Birkenhead Market , they all share our food philosophy , sustainable , seasonal , responsibly sourced and at the very peak of its flavour . We will never compromise on the finest quality of ingredients despite current economic challenges . by the level of support from all of our loyal customers . It has meant we ’ ve returned to almost full dining rooms which is wonderful for the team and essential for the survival of our sector .
Given the success of our courtyard , despite the odd washout , I ’ ve decided that we ’ ll keep the area open for bookings and walk-ins even when the main restaurant is open . We ’ ve created some new , very popular , dishes for our light bites offer and will continue to develop the menu to reflect the different seasons ahead .
For the time being we will be winding down our at home boxes , afternoon tea will still be available and there will be special deluxe BBQ boxes created for BBQ season when the weather turns . Our Emporium will also remain open in The Cellars , it ’ s been a good way of making a selection of things we produce and some of the finest ingredients we use directly available to you .
For now , the kitchen awaits ! Much love to you all Chef Askew
The restaurant will be open from Tuesday to Saturday for lunch , pre theatre and evening service and I ’ m delighted
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