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AUTUMNAL DELIGHTS ON THE MENU!
BY PAUL ASKEW, CHEF PATRON OF
THE ART SCHOOL RESTAURANT
In the month that has seen the giants arrive and depart the
peninsula having wowed hundreds of thousands of visitors
both sides of the water, all of who seemed as captivated in the
spectacle as I was – albeit from the kitchens! I find myself, once
again, musing over menus for the restaurant and bar to ensure we
continue to develop our culinary offer for our guests, old and new.
The Autumn months are arguably the best for me as a Chef, a plentiful
bounty of root vegetables, fruit and game and great fayre from the
sea. Whether it’s the Scottish Girolles, the Red leg Partridge, Red
Deer and Fallow Deer or the amazing Grouse, from our friends at the
Rhug Estate, which although is in short supply is great quality, all will
be making an appearance on our menus this Autumn.
Outside of the kitchen it’s been another busy month too. I’m
delighted to be the regional ambassador for SeaFish UK, promoting
the quality of produce from our seas. I chose line caught Liverpool
bay sea bass to highlight the quality of fish we have locally, once again
the Buckmaster boys at Ward’s did me proud supplying a stunning
specimen which was enjoyed by the crew after filming!
Keeping with the filming theme I was absolutely thrilled with the
response to my recent appearance on Celebrity MasterChef as the
Semi-Final professional Chef. The celebrities really got in to the
day, which despite making 35 minutes of screen time started in the
early hours and finished late in to the night! My social channels and
those of the restaurants and cellar bar were full of heartwarming
comments. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, trying my best to ensure
that the contestants passion and emotion came out and they were able
to deliver a suitable feast for the VIP banquet and of course to make
sure we delivered for the competition!
It was great to catch a glimpse of Tom Brown an Ellis Barrie on the
latest series of The Great British Menu, I was delighted for both of the
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chefs who reached the banquet. Ellis and Tom have both joined me
for guest chef events at The Art School and have become good friends
outside of the kitchen.
Which brings me to our next series of events, we will be hosting
Champagne house Charles Heidsieck for a sold out dinner at the
end of the month and in November we have a special evening with
Bernard Vallet of the multi award winning Burgundy Vallet-Freres,
there are a handful of tickets for this evening which I expect to also
be a sell-out. I’ve also, after a number of requests, finalized the date
of Wednesday 23 January 2019 for the Celebrity Master Chef menu,
where guests can experience for the first and only time, the full menu
from the show.
It’s not just the restaurant with special events planned, the team in the
Cellars have been equally as busy, hosting the inaugural Georgian Gin
Club event with the very talented team at Tappers in early November.
So far we have a further two evenings planned, the next will be with
Sacred Gin on Tuesday 6th November then we’re very pleased to
host North Devon based distillery, Atlantic Spirit and their stunning
hibiscus gin on Tuesday 4th December. Tickets for these events are
available through the restaurant and bar.
And finally, after what seems like a life-time in the planning, I
have found the time, with the help of the team, to create my luxury
Christmas hampers. There are three available with more details to be
found on the restaurant website shop.
Until next month.
Onwards and Upwards!
Chef Askew