W
L
BUBBLES
BY PAUL ASKEW, CHEF PATRON OF
THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
The city region has a well-known history and passion
for the wonderful thing that is Champagne, Prosecco
and Cava, beautiful bubbles from their respective
regions. An interesting statistic is we drink more per
head of population than any other city outside of
London! You could say we’re connoisseurs in bubbles!
Perhaps less well known is that the original Champagne
Charlie - Charles Heidsieck started his journey to
America from the Liverpool docks to New York.
This little bit of history was revealed recently at the
Maverick Encounters, an evening with the Champagne
House, Charles Heidsieck, that was hosted at The Art
School recently.
The regions love for bubbles was one of the factors that
influenced my decision to open the Champagne and
Wine Bar affectionately as The Cellars (The Art School
Cellars) linked from the restaurant by an old Victorian
passageway.
Champagne is the ultimate aperitif, which is why we
serve it with charcuterie and pinchos in The Art School
Cellars and with canapés in the restaurant. However,
for me if I want to enjoy a glass with a meal I’ll look no
further than the sea, fish and shellfish work beautifully
with bubbles.
42 wirrallife.com
One of my favourite dishes for champagne and as we
approach the festive season it feels rather apt to bring
together a trinity of the finest fayre the sea and grape
has to offer. That dish is Turbot and Lobster, served
with pommes mousseline, chichory, lime and mango
salad and dressed with a lobster bisque. It’s as mouth
wateringly good as it sounds and is one of forty recipes
included in my debut book, “Onwards and Upwards”
which is available to pre-order now.
The wonderful thing about Champagne outside of the
bottling and conditioning process is the amazing blends
and styles that create unique flavours. My very favourite
is blanc de Millenaires 1995, one hundred percent
Chardonnay and produced using a blend of the finest
vintages from over a decade. As with all Champagne
it’s the second fermentation that produces the bubbles.
This process for making Champagne is followed for
Cava although Prosecco is slightly different.
Enjoy the bubbles – until next month.
Very Best
Chef Askew