Glyn Mon Hughes discovers the delights of going local

A WALK around Chester finds welcome surprises on the food front. There’s been a Thai invasion with at least four city centre restaurants.

There’s even a new place serving Kobe beef. Though at £50 a steak it’s not the place to frequent simply because you forgot to visit the supermarket.

And, now, there’s the splendidly intimate Joseph Benjamin. It’s an understated establishment, tucked away in the lee of the walls, next to the Northgate.

In many ways, this is not a res- taurant, rather a delicatessen and coffee shop with a restaurant add- ed on. With only around 14 covers, booking is not so much recom- mended, more essential, and judging by conversations around us, diners had visited before and were returning – definitely a good sign. And, while it’s open daily for breakfast and light lunches, it only opens in the evening on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

But savour those days. The food is quite exceptional – largely because it is locally sourced and of the highest quality. The bread comes from Born and Bread in Wallasey, for instance. Cheeses are sourced from the neighbouring, and legendary, Chester Cheese Shop. Local meats are provided by the butcher in Northgate Street – and so on. This ensures produce is fresh and of the highest quality – never mind the fact that local providers are being kept in business and it’s taking one small stand against the power of the supermarkets.

The menu, which changes regularly, is necessarily small but perfectly formed.

The wine list, for a small establishment, is surprisingly comprehensive. Prices, too, are reasonable with reds starting at £10.80 a bottle and ranging up to £21.50 with whites coming in slightly cheaper. Our friend Anne chose a Viognier – £12.95 a bottle or £3.60 a glass – which she thought “fairly nice, though a little soft with not enough after-taste. It’s perfectly quaffable but it’s not something I’d buy myself.”

Mark and I went soft on this occasion which, as it happened, was no bad thing as we sampled Winsor’s apple juice. This was a tart, highly refreshing blend of Cox and Bramley apples which would double as an excellent aperitif or drink to accompany most meals.

While mulling over the menu, we asked for some of that delightful, locally-baked bread (£1.50) and olives (£2.00) which arrived promptly, along with a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. “

As for starters, the soup of the day – tomato and roasted red peppers – was complemented by pressed ham hock and chicken terrine with salad and homemade piccalilli.