An introduction
I grow my own, brave the kitchen heat and know my woozy way around a wine list. Welcome to my post-lockdown world. You may call it a blog if you must. It’s certainly a change of direction I’ve been putting off through years of journalistic hyper-activity. The lockdowns have made me reassess the food and drink I really care about. I feel refreshed and free of restraint. Even so. Please excuse the solipsistic sounding neilsowerby.co.uk. It’s not just about me. More the discoveries I want to share.
Warnings. You won’t find baking or fry-ups or poutine or ready meals or industrial prosecco; colonising drinks brands won’t get a sniff; the children of seitan will play only a purgatorial role in proceedings; wellness will be as absent as godliness.
Don’t expect recipes unless they are illustrating a point. Still all that research into cuisines I was unfamiliar with plus the relentless sourcing of quality raw materials hasn’t gone to waste. I’ve put it all into practice in the kitchen. The same renewed sense of curiosity applies also to wine, beer and cocktails – so many new frontiers to explore.
I may at times come over all scholarly but I hope not snobby. I’m wary of trends that exclude. Steven Poole’s 2013 diatribe You Aren’t What You Eat is as relevant today in debunking a hip gastroculture that sneers at the uninitiated.
Though I may explore the likes of Bottarga and Belgian Gueuze beer, Garum and the Greek Xinomavro grape it’s not one-upmanship on my part. Just a sense of wonder at “the drunkenness of things being various”, to quote the poet Louis MacNeice. And – watch this space – I may yet stray into the territory of unicorns and UFOs.
If all this sounds like more of a manifesto or a mission statement than it was meant to be, apologies. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. Not that rhapsodising about cookies is on my imminent agenda.
About me
I was born and brought up in Blackburn, Lancashire long ago when every market had a tripe stall and cockle vendors toured the street corner pubs with their vinegary wares.
Oxford-educated and a trained journalist, after two spells on the Daily Mirror I joined the Manchester Evening News, where for almost a decade I was Deputy Features Editor, later running entertainments supplement CityLife and founding citylife.co.uk. I was also the paper’s food and drink/travel editor, reviewing restaurants and wine each week and winning Hi-Life Restaurant Critic of the Year.
A subsequent freelance career has seen me write regularly for Manchester Confidential and its website satellites as its travel editor and restaurant reviewer. I’m proud to have been among the very first writers to review the likes of L’Enclume, Moor Hall, Forest Side, The Moorcock at Norland, Where The Light Gets In and The White Swan at Fence.
For six eventful years I also edited Taste of Manchester, linked to the Manchester Food and Drink Festival, where I am senior awards judge. I’ve written for a variety of other publications, including Shortlist for a decade. I have on occasions branched out into the ‘dark side’, food and wine PR, and ghost-written four cookbooks…
Bibliography
Crispy Squirrel and Vimto Trifle
‘A celebration of Robert Owen Brown’s genius as a chef, and an exploration of how his North Western roots have been central to how he thinks about – and cooks – food.
Admired by food critics such as Jay Rayner and respected by fellow chefs such as Fergus Henderson, Robert Owen Brown is not only a chef who knows all the correct preparations of tripe and how to present the perfect grouse, but a man of great finesse who can charm with subtle details in starters and puddings. Best known as executive head chef at The Mark Addy on the banks of the Irwell, he also worked in some of Manchester’s best-loved dining establishments, including The French at the Midland, Reform, Lounge Ten, The Bridge and The Angel.
The book contains 50 deliciously distinctive recipes, combined with anecdotes and insights into the colourful life and experiences of the chef himself. Sumptuously photographed and designed by Joby Catto, this is both a practical, yet beautiful and informative book’
Seamark – Bringing Fruits of the Ocean to Your Plate
I’ve had a fruitful creative partnership with Vermilion restaurant since it launched back in 2007, its combination of spectacular design and equally lavish Thai/Indian cuisine injecting a peacock glamour into New East Manchester. Recently it has taken its food offering to the next level by hiring consultant chef Bobby Retnakumar Geetha. In 2016 he became the only South Indian chef to make the final 10 in BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals. His food marries cutting edge technique and authentic spicing and benefits from the seafood sourced from parent company Seamark, one of the world’s largest prawn importers. These seafood riches were celebrated in this beautifully illustrated compendium of exotic dishes in 2012.
Cooking Creatively With Cheese: Tom Aikens celebrates 100 years of Long Clawson Dairy
A stint as official Stilton Cheese blogger for England spawned this collaboration with Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens, which celebrated one of Stilton’s iconic dairies with a rich mix of social history and innovative recipes.
Browns Bar and Brasserie, 40 Years in the making
More colourful social history, from this bar brand’s birth in the 1970s, laced with delectable cocktail recipes.