ANYONE ELSE HEAR SLEIGH BELLS ....?

It might be Summer in Eccles but, in Dave's heart,  it's Christmas......

And why ?    I hear you ask .....

Summer = Summer Holiday ....

and  ...... Summer Holiday = time in the sun to plan the Christmas Menu for Smiths....

 ...... so that's what he'll be doing. While everyone thinks he's lying in the sun reading, having the odd glass of wine and eating someone else's food for a change, he'll be putting together the December menu ready for when parties decide that, now their holidays are over, it's time to plan what to do for Christmas......

........ but don't worry. He WILL be lying in the sun reading ( and I wonder what this year's 'must read'  book will be ?   Last year, every other woman - and one man - seemed to be reading '50 Shades of Grey' )   and he will be having the odd glass of wine ... and he will be eating someone else's food - and, no doubt, picking up new ideas for Smiths' menus !

When everyone's back from their Holidays, it'll be time for our new Bite Size Theatre Season.  And we open with a brand new play from Rob Johnston.....the premiere of his brand new play, no less. 

Rob's new play is an adaptation of August Strindberg's  " Miss Julie " relocated to the North of England in the 1950s.  Performances are 25th and 26th September so book your table now - our audience limit is only 30 so they'll soon go. Details on the poster below

 

Don't forget. Ring and book your table to make sure that you don't miss it !

No more blogging for a couple of weeks - but hopefully, when I blog again, I'll be able to tell you that the Christmas Menu's on it's way.

Sorry !  I know it's still Summer in everyone else's heart ........

CHEESE AND CHARCUTERIE ......

We're used to seeing Charcuterie and Parmesan Cheese on menus everywhere these days. But how much do we know about them ?  

I found the following nuggets of information on 'Discover the Origin', a website that sends us newsletters from time to time .......   

CHARCUTERIE:        Cured meats and sausages

It looks like Charcuterie, of one sort or another, has been with us for over two thousand years. 

In 700 BC the Romans passed a law, known as ‘Porcella’ that regulated the raising, killing and preparing of pork but, as there’s evidence that the Gauls were already making sausages, black puddings and cured hams when they were conquered,  it looks like the Romans may well have learned their skills from them. 

And there’s a legend that suggests how the technique of curing and salting hams was discovered. One day, a hunter in France wounded a wild boar. The animal escaped but its body was discovered months later, drowned in a salt lake. The meat was in perfect condition - cured in the brine. A legend – but there’s usually a bit of truth in every one of them !

PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO  CHEESE … More commonly known to us as Parmesan.

It seems that professional cheese testers use the same quality test as the ‘Wheel Tappers' used on train wheels……. A tap with a hammer !! 

This test shows the way the crust takes the blows and the cheese is then ranked by the results. After a year, the cheeses that have passed the tests are allowed to be branded and the words  ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano’  impressed on the rind.

THE FOUR AGES OF OF  PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO  CHEESE

12–15 months:   The youngest cheese permitted - light and best eaten as an aperitif or crumbled on salads.

18 months:     Delicate, but distinctive  -  the perfect flavour to add to risotto and pasta.

24–28 months:  Italians consider this the perfect age of this cheese to serve with vegetables and gnocchi.

36–48 month:  The most intense in flavour. Great on a cheese board. 

To find out more:       http://www.discovertheorigin.co.uk/

 “The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you're hungry again.”  George Miller

A WORD ABOUT RECYCLING ....

You might wonder .... or, there again, you might not ...... what happens to all the potato peelings, carrot tops, outside leaves of greens etc etc. that we generate in the kitchen at Smiths.   Well, rest assured, they're put to very good use. Apart from the small amount that Dave takes home to make our compost, the veg scraps all go to Garden Needs Garden Centre in Broughton to make THEIR compost.  As well as the usual job of growing and selling ( at very reasonable prices ) a variety of plants and vegetables, Garden Needs does much much more.  They say:

'We're a small, peaceful garden centre located on the edge of Kersal Dale ( a Nature Reserve on River Irwell ) Time, dedication, love and hard work have been invested over the years to create a centre with a true difference in a unique and magical environment.  We offer a well stocked nursery with a fantastic new range of award winning peat free composts. Our Vision is to build a local and very sustainable garden centre for the entire community that will provide training and opportunities, programmes of activities and opportunities to run micro enterprises along with a range of regular activities that all provide a chance for people to re-connect with nature '

They offer a variety of courses from horticultural training, through gardening drop in sessions, mindfulness courses with gardening at their core, wildlife walks ... and a 'Mucky Knees' Club where children can build dens, walk through the Dale and generally get ... well .. mucky knees !!  You can fnd out more on their website here:   

Dave and I went to an Open Day last Sunday .... here's a few pictures to give you an idea of what they do.  

Flowers, herbs, hanging baskets and vegetables ... and award winning compost to help grow them 

      

 

Plenty for the kids to do .... and dogs were welcome too

Call into Garden Needs and see for yourselves, find out about the work they're doing in the community,buy a few plants maybe, have something to eat and drink in the cafe......     

Garden Needs are doing a brilliant job - they deserve your support. 
Opening times and directions are on the website.

  

  

 

CAR PARKING BY SMITHS FOR NEXT SIX WEEKS

The car park next door to Smiths is to be closed for the next six weeks whilst renovations to the station are carried out ( at least, that's what we think is happening ). This has obviously been a very convenient place for Smiths' customers to park -  and it's free !

There's the large car park across from the front door of Smiths and another small one,  behind Pacifica,   that you can access by driving down Church Road ( with Smiths on your left ) and, at the end, bearing left into St Mary's Road. The carpark's on your left. 

Both these carparks are covered by CCTV and are free all day Sunday and after 6pm every other day  -  but, unfortunately, not at lunchtimes.

The first 30 minutes in both the car parks is free, so, even if you have a 5.30 / 5.45pm booking you shouldn't have to pay anything to park. HOWEVER .... a word of warning.

........ Be sure to get a ticket for your free half hour !   I've had an email from a customer today telling me that, though the first half hour is free, you need to still get a ticket if you park between 5.30 and 6pm. You can press the '30 mins' button for the ticket and shouldn't have to pay for that first half hour ...... but if you don't get a ticket for it, you'll get a parking penalty for parking before 6pm without a ticket.

So, make sure you arrive just after 5.30 for your early booking, get a 30 minute ticket and you should be OK. (  If you arrive before 5.30 you'll end up paying for an hour's parking that you don't need ) AND .... when you make your 5.30  booking .... let us know that you'll be there a few minutes after 5.30 to take advantage of free parking .

We'll understand !!

A NEW SEASON OF PLAYS AT SMITHS

 “Destroy me if you like. I deserve it. I’m shameful. I disgust myself.

But please, please help me get away.” 

Northern England. 1951.
The Festival of Britain is in full swing.
Post-war austerity is losing its bite and things are starting to change.
But for Miss Julie, they aren't changing fast enough

 A teaser of a way to give you advance notice of the first play in our 2013 / 2014 Bite Size Theatre Productions.

In September,you can see the premiere of Rob Johnston's new play at Smiths. Rob's become a bit of a fixture at our theatre nights and we're always excited when he has a new play for us.  This time it's his adaptation of  ' Miss Julie'   Strinberg's play about love, passion and class,  transposed  by Rob from 19th century Sweden to England in the 1950s during the Festival of Britain.

It promises to be an exciting start to the new season - I'll post details of dates / times here in a day or two.

The rest of the season is currently being planned - and one definite fixture will be a second  'New Writing' week in January 2014.   'Acts of Charity', this year's event proved very popular with audiences, writers, actors and directors alike .... and we can't wait to do it again !   I'll let you know the dates as soon as we have them.

AND ...... we're in the middle of trying to arrange a Sunday teatime Halloween Theatre for families - watch this space !

FINALLY:   I found this quote by Sarah Bernhardt ... and wondered how on earth she'd have got on in that tiny space that's Bite Size Theatre at Smiths !

" For the theatre, one needs long arms ..... an artiste with short arms can never make a fine gesture "

Hmmmmmm??

TWO DRINKS TO MAKE YOUR MOUTH ( OR YOUR EYES ! ) WATER

I’ve found a couple of drinks that are just that little bit out of the ordinary   ….. though in the case of the second one, some of you may think    ‘ an awful lot out of the ordinary’  !

The first is a  MANZANILLA MARTINI   made with Manzanilla sherry in place of the usual dry vermouth. Manzanilla  is a dry and delicate sherry that can be matured only in the the port city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cadiz and this coastal area produces a sherry more delicate and ‘saltier’ than most Fino sherries

As with every cocktail, recipes vary. I’ve found one that advises equal measures of sherry and gin – and another that suggests two parts gin to one part sherry.  I’ve even found one that substitutes vodka for gin but I suppose, as with all martinis, the final decision is up to you and how you prefer it.

So:       

 1 measure of Manzanilla Sherry

 1 or 2 measures of gin  ( or vodka ! )

 A squeeze of orange ( include the ‘spritz from the zest if you can ) 

 OR a dash of orange bitters

 Shake or Stir – whichever is you preference, Mr Bond – and garnish with a green olive

             

ENJOY !

The second drink is a   CALIMOCHO OR KALIMOTXO 

Calimocho is a popular drink in Spain  and made with red wine and coca cola - or as one recipe  said    “ cola flavoured carbonated beverage’ !!

Recipes differ, but most seem to suggest anything from equal measures of red wine and coke  …. to, a measure of red wine to one and a half measures of coke. Again, you can adjust the measures to suit your taste. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, plenty of ice and garnish with a lemon slice

It strikes me that this recipe may well have developed as a way of using and enjoying some of the rougher Spanish red wines, and I certainly wouldn’t advise using expensive red wine for this drink !

It sounds a bit like Sangria and, I suppose, might well be something to enjoy in the garden should summer return

Definitely going to try these two drinks and report back …….  Dave's already laid claim to the Manzanilla Martini, so that leaves me with the Kalimotxo I suppose.   

Let me know if you try either of them  – and what you think .

And don't forget what Dorthy Parker said:

" I like to drink martinis. Two at the most.

Three I'm under the table, four I'm under the host."

 

ART FOR ART'S SAKE .......  OUR FAVOURITE ART GALLERY !!

Eccles Community Art Gallery, in Boothsway, Eccles Precinct - next door to Silcock's Greengrocers for those of you who know your Eccles - has been providing affordable space for local artists for almost five years, Right at the centre of what's happening in Eccles, run entirely by volunteers and supported / sponsored by local organisations  ( many of them ! ) and businesses  ( inc. Smiths ! ) the gallery not only mounts monthly exhibitions but, amongst other things,  provides occasional workshops, acts as an artistic gathering place in Eccles, has been host to small scale 'pop up theatre' related to exhibitions and each year runs an open art competition ..... open to everyone who wants to enter. ( details here soon if you're interested in entering or viewing. )  I'm a happy volunteer at the gallery, love what it's doing and hope it goes from strength to strength. 

 ...... And, the Gallery & Smiths do tend to 'swap' artists from time to time, with gallery artists exhibiting in Smiths and Smiths artists exhibiting in the gallery.

This month's exhibition brings you some amazing work: Here's a sneak preview !

Margaret Shaw is a volunteer at the gallery and exhibits her work regularly - this time they're a little bit different....

Syd Green's work includes pieces painted in Eccles where he now lives, and in Scotland where he grew up. 

 ( This one of Syd's is my favourite ! )

Harold Smith's Lowryesque pieces are very popular and are in the gallery again this month

Looks like Togo Mill .......

Jay Smith ( AKA Big Majik ) an up and coming young artist. Watch this space !!

Manchester at Night with Bus

 You just have to see Kevin Dunn's atmospheric urban landscapes - mostly local

( sorry, don't know quite where this is ... I'd be there if I did ! )

And finally, we've a photographic exhibition of 'Eccles Market Then and Now' ... old photographs of the market and new ones taken on the recent 'Eccles Day'

The vintage goods stall on Eccles Market ... one of my favourite haunts !

Call into the gallery and see the exhibits. Saturdays 10 - 4pm and Tuesdays 11 - 3pm. Support your local gallery - it supports local artists  ....... We do !


If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint'  then by all means paint,  and that voice will be silenced.  Vincent Van Gogh

FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN

Dave’s been having a Marlene Dietrich moment this week and  ‘Falling In Love Again’ …. but, fortunately for me,  it’s with a wine !

 

Always a big Torres fan, he's rediscovered the many and varied delights of their Chilean Santa Digna Rosé, a mainstay of our wine list.

  

Deep red in colour, packed full of strawberry flavours and with a hint of sweetness, Santa Digna is the closest thing you’ll get to a red wine in a rosé  - and drinking it again started us thinking about chilled, light red wines for the summer should it return. This, inevitably, led to our giving a few of them a   ‘road test’   at home ..... purely in the interest of research !

The result of this marathon research project is that Dave’s  going to have a look through Smiths’ wine list to see which of our own red wines we could keep chilled during the summer. I'll have the details to post here in a few days, so have a look and maybe give one of them a go next time you’re in Smiths.  As a white wine drinker who rarely touches red these days, I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed them and I'm passing the secret on !

In the meantime, if you want to try chilled reds at home, you could do far worse than getting yourselves a bottle of Aldi’s Fleurie….part of their ‘Exquisite’ range.  At around £6.99, it’s not one of their cheapest wines – but it’s well worth the money.

 “his lips drink water
  but his heart drinks wine”
e.e.cummings

WE'RE GETTING VERY EXCITED !!!

On top of all the other chops and changes that seemed to have happened all at once this week, we've spent today hanging the new Spring / Summer exhibition of work from local artists...... and there's a small taster here of what's on show until September.

Rosie Evans' and her family have been customers at Smiths for ages but we've only just been introduced to her artwork   -  and her large, vibrant, seascapes and landscapes look amazing on the walls.  Have a look at this compilation.....  .....imagine them full size and you'll see what we mean. 


And talking about eating and drinking, Martin O'Neill's new exhibition is all about just that.
" Photography. It's food and drink to me "  is a collection of black and white photographs on the subject of  - you've got it   -  food and drink !   Lots of the photographs were taken locally ......... and most of them were almost lost to posterity !


A year or so ago, Martin found hundreds of negatives that he'd taken in the 80s and late 70s while he was training / working as a photojournalist. He went through the lost collection and, earlier in the year, mounted an exhibition of Salford in the 70s / 80s at Eccles Community Art Gallery.  Smiths has always been closely involved with the gallery and we took the opportunity to ask Martin to exhibit with us.  As well as the food  drink photographs, Martin has added two bonus prints. Two iconic images of Morrisey performing.  
Smiths ...... The Smiths ..... geddit ??


 
And finally, we're thrilled to be able to exhibit some of Anthony McCarthy's beautiful, fine ink drawings of Salford and Manchester. Anthony has exhibited at the Lowry and in several venues in Manchester, John Rylands Library, The Cube and Central Library amongst them. The buildings and architecture in his works tower over the people giving us an amazing view of our two great cities. ( and our two great football teams - we've drawings of both The Etihad and Old Trafford on display at Smiths !! )

So don't miss the chance to come into Smiths for a meal and see the artwork on display while you eat and drink.    You know you want to ....... !!

AND A FOODIE QUOTE OR SO TO END THE NIGHT .......


" Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.”
ANTHONY BOURDAIN.  ' Kitchen Confidential '


Anthony Bourdain's book about working in restaurant kitchens is well worth a read .. you can find it very reasonably priced here on at the Book Depository  http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Kitchen-Confidential-Anthony-Bourdain/9780747553557


AND .........

My two favourite literary food lists.

From OLIVER GOLDSMITHS'   "She Stoops to Conquer" .
Hardcastle's menu at his pretend 'Inn'

At the top  a pig in pruin sauce
A pork pie
A boiled rabbit and sausages
A florentine
A shaking pudding
A dish of tiff - taff - taffety cream
And at the bottom   a calf's tongue and brain

I think I could do without the calf's brains ( though I'd be prepared to give it a go ! ) but I long to try tiff - taff - taffety cream and a shaking pudding ...... blancmange perhaps?

The second food list is the trunk full of Christmas goodies and presents that arrive for Katy and Clover in Susan Coolidge's  " What Katy Did at School "
When I was young,  I read and reread the list of cakes, fruits and candies that the box contained and desperately wanted to eat those mysterious American treats ..... jumbles, frosted plum cake, crullers..... I had no idea what they were but longed to taste them !
( I still don't know what jumblies and crullers are ! )


" The top of the box was mostly taken up with 
four square paper boxes

Each box held a different kind of cake. 

One was full of jumbles, another of ginger-snaps, 

a thu'd of crullers, and the fourth contained a big 

square loaf of frosted plum-cake, with a circle of 

sugar almonds set in the frosting. 

 .................................................................

Never was such a wonderful box. It appeared 
to have no bottom whatever. Under the presents 
were parcels of figs, prunes, almonds, raisins, candy ; 
under those, apples and pears. There seemed no 
end to the surprises. "

Goodnight.     Sweet Dreams !   

NEW MENU .... NEW DINING ROOMS .... NEW MUSIC TOMORROW AT SMITHS

Well ...... Not strictly new music, but tomorrow night one of our favourites - and our original musician -  goes solo for the first time at Smiths.

It's not the first time Jeremy Sassoon has played solo..... just the first time here.  He plays regularly at the Knutsford Wine Bar and at Dimitris in Manchester. He's appeared at Ronnie Scotts Club and Boisdale Wharf in London. And tomorrow, at Smiths, he initiates our Solo Spot Tuesdays.

Jazz Classics, Music Standards and much more, Jeremy, a vocalist and keyboard player extraordinaire, will play and sing them for you while you eat.  We're really looking forward to this new adventure in music and we hope you are too. We'll be doing this every other Tuesday - and, on the Tuesdays in between, you'll still be able to hear some of our usual Jazz duos ( including Jeremy ! )  Hopefully this is going to extend the range of the music you can hear at Smiths each Tuesday and encourage people who don't consider themselves to be Jazz 'purists' to come and hear music from some of the North West's finest musicians.

'The Decorating' is almost finished. Just a few minor jobs and we'll be done. Everyone, so far, likes it and it definitely gives the room a lighter and airier feel. You've all gallantly put up with a) two rooms in different colours and b) one and a half rooms in one colour and half a room in the other........it was the only way we could do it without closing for a day or two  .... and we think it was definitely worth the wait !

The June menu starts tomorrow. (  you can see a copy on our website by clicking on the link on the homepage http://www.smithsrestaurant.net   )   an with it a new way of presenting our menus. No more laminated copies - just a menu holder with everything you'll need in it. Hope you like it !

See you all in Smiths.