Toast to the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival _320
“As it evaporates it becomes thicker and sweeter and takes on the flavours of the cask wood, like cherry, apple, mulberry. Unlike the artisan product, the cheaper commercial versions often mix real vinegar and fruit juice with fermented must,” she explains.
“We drizzle the 35-year-old balsamic vinegar over parmesan,” she says. “The sweet and tart flavour is also delicious over strawberries or ice-cream.”
Gary Manning, from 60 Hope Street, is cooking traditional Liverpool peawhack soup and Southport shrimp risotto.
“It’s basically split pea soup and Cumbrian ham hock simmered with carrot, celery, leeks and onion, herbs and a bit of garlic, to tart it up a little bit. You cook until the meat comes away from the hock, and take the bone out,” he explains.
“I melt the aromatic potted Southport shrimp into butter and spices and into the pre-cooked risotto rice, then add vegetable stock. I use old-fashioned spices like mace and nutmeg, nothing too spicy.
“We are going to get our suppliers to provide sausages, and give away a few foods because we want to give people insight into what you can do with local produce.”
Matt Locke, 33, former head chef at the London Carriage Works and now proprietor of Spire, on Penny Lane, is cooking fresh local fish.
“I’m going to be doing a lot of fish, sea bass and red mullet, fresh from Liverpool fish market. I want to focus on a few things that people might not usually eat. Liverpool people see red mullet on the menu and think, I’m not eating that. I was a safe eater too, my wife was, she wouldn’t eat asparagus, but now I’m not. Be brave and have a go.
“I’ll cook wild sea bass in white wine sauce on home-grown leek fondant with fennel salad. Just good fresh produce. I don’t like to be too complex because that’s what scares people away.”
THE Liverpool Food and Drink Festival runs from September 14. For more information, visit the website www.liverpoolfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk