W
L
SPRING IS IN THE AIR!
BY PAUL ASKEW, CHEF PATRON OF
THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
The changing of the seasons is always eagerly awaited in the
kitchens at the restaurant. The flush of new produce will soon be
gracing our menus again and the team and I will spend hours in
the development kitchens refining Art School classic dishes and
developing completely new ones for your delight. And finally our hugely successful Georgian Gin club returns on
the 2nd April with Ginsmiths of Liverpool. The popular evenings,
hosted by our master mixologist Mike Garth, serve 4 different gin
drinks perfectly paired with 4 small dishes from the restaurant. As
the nights get lighter it’s an evening not to be missed!
It’s also the time of year when the North West Young Chef of the
Year competition launches. As with previous years, some of the
younger members of our kitchen brigade will be in competition and
they are, as I write, currently honing their skills on the dishes they
will present to the judges. It’s a competition, I’m very pleased to say,
that members of our brigade have excelled in recent years and it’s
my hope that this year’s Art School team will follow in the footsteps
of previous winners from the restaurant. Outside of the restaurant, preparations are well underway for the
2019 Bordeaux Wine Festival Liverpool. Having won Best New
Event 2018 at NOEA Award’s, the event returns to Liverpool’s
UNESCO World Heritage Waterfront on the 31st May, 1st and 2nd
of June.
The next few months will see us host and participate in a number
of high profile and local events. In the restaurant we’ll welcome
Dimitri Mesnard, Master Sommelier and International Brand
Ambassador for Jackson Family Wines for the latest of our Wine
Makers dinners. He will be showing amazing wines from Yangarra
Estates and Byron Estates, matched up with our dishes using only
the best local ingredients.
The evening, which will be held on Thursday 25th April from
7pm, will see us showcase an old vine 100% Garnacha and a 100%
Mouverdre from the Yangarra label. Over the years Byron’s site-
specific wines (deeply rooted in the vineyards of Santa Barbara
County’s two defining appellations of Santa Maria Valley and Sta.
Rita Hills), have won numerous accolades. With more than 170
separate batches of Pinot Noir alone, they have helped create wines
that combine the finesse of Burgundy and the power of California.
It promises to be another incredible evening.
We will, of course, be celebrating Mothering Sunday and Easter
Sunday at the restaurant and a limited number of tables are available
for both days. Our afternoon tea, served in our Cellars bar has
proved incredibly popular for both days, again there remains one
or two sittings still available. This year for the first time we will be
offering Champagne afternoon tea in The Art School Cellars on
both Sundays.
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The team and I will be there serving up a gastronomic treat and the
Bordeaux wines available to taste will include: Bordeaux Superior,
Bordeaux Rosés, Bordeaux Dry White, Crémants de Bordeaux,
Saint-Emilion, Graves, Côtes de Bordeaux and many more. A must
for the would be connoisseur and this year adding Celebrity Chef
Demonstrations and a Sommelier Competition.
The festival will, this year, link both sides of the water and form part
of The Wirral Borough of Culture 2019. There’s an extensive series
of events and activities scheduled as part of the cultural programme
for 2019. This is a significant opportunity for the borough, one that
will only be truly realised if we all work collaboratively. We need to
build a programme that will continue beyond this year and become
part of our annual calendar. I believe we have the people, the
venues, the ambition and the talent to achieve this but it will take
every organisation, business and teams of people to make it happen.
Please do all that you are able to do to become part of this before we
hand the batten to Sefton.
What a Spring and Summer we all have to look forward to.
Until next month.
Chef Askew