January 2009

Longer walk for bus users

Scunthorpe Telegraph Wednesday 21st January 2009

ANGRY bus passengers have been forced to alight more than a mile from their stop and walk along a road with no path or streetlights.

Bus users in Winteringham had to depart at Mere Farm Crossroads, just off the A1077, on Monday and Tuesday after an emergency road closure on the normal route.

An underground culvert on Silver Street in the village collapsed on Monday and while emergency work is carried out people have been forced to get out at Mere Farm Garage, on the A1077 and walk along a busy 60mph limit road.

Disabled bus user Pat Smith (53), from Cliff Road, Winteringham, was faced with a walk of more than a mile after a trip to Scunthorpe.

"My son was so worried he asked me to phone him as soon as I got home.

"I don't feel safe walking along that road– I have arthritis and have to stop on a bench half way there.

"In Winteringham we're most worried for the pensioners, a lot of them use the busses and they just can not manage the walk."

Dave Skepper, Stagecoach East Midlands commercial director, said it was hoped to get an alternative route through the village in place by today (WEDNESDAY).

"I apologise for any inconvenience to customers, we are doing what we can to sort it out as quickly as possible," he said.

Bus passengers' mile-long trek

Scunthorpe Telegraph Tuesday 20th January 2009

A DIVERSION due to emergency roadworks has left bus users with a walk of more than a mile.

Winteringham residents have been told they must alight at Mere Farm crossroads, just off the A1077, as the normal route through the village is closed.

This means all those bound for the village who use the Stagecoach 350 route, which runs hourly between Scunthorpe and Hull, have to walk more than a mile down a stretch of road with no pavement or streetlights.

Silver Street, which provides the usual bus route through Winteringham, is closed while North Lincolnshire Council carries out emergency work on a collapsed culvert.

Dave Skepper, Stagecoach East Midlands commercial director, confirmed the crossroads had been used as a temporary stop.

"The situation is that on Monday a culvert collapsed and highways have closed a road which is part of the bus route," he said.

"We have been out with highways this afternoon to carry out a risk assessment and hope to have a diversion by Wednesday."

Why I’m so happy to be a Michelin (star) man

Liverpool Echo Tuesday 20th January 2009

by Jade Wright

Jade Wright meets Marc Wilkinson, the Merseyside chef reaching for the Michelin stars ...

GROWING up in Huyton on a diet of fish fingers and baked beans, Marc Wilkinson never dreamt he’d one day be one of the country’s most celebrated chefs, earning Merseyside its first Michelin star.

“My mum was a dreadful cook,” laughs Marc, 39, affectionately. “We never went out to restaurants. Food wasn’t an event, it was just something we had to eat.”

But all that changed when Marc was 15, dreaming of a mountain bike.

“We didn’t have a lot of money and my parents couldn’t afford to buy me a bike,” he explains. “So I decided to get a job. The only place that would take me on was a hotel kitchen, running around like a headless chicken after the chef. But a job was a job, so I took it.

“I didn’t have a clue. I’d never seen half the ingredients, let alone eaten them. I had no idea what scampi was and fillet steak was a mystery.

“One day the chef offered me a meal in the restaurant to try what I’d been making. That was the beginning for me. I knew then that I wanted to be a chef.”

Marc quickly climbed the ranks in the kitchen, and before long moved to another, better, kitchen. For the next 20 years he worked his way up in the restaurant world, 15 or 16 hours a day, seven days a week at the Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields, then Midsummer House in Cambridge before stints in Canada and Essex.

And now, in a huge coup for the Merseyside food scene, Marc’s restaurant Fraiche in Oxton has won a coveted Michelin star.

The news was supposed to be a closely-guarded secret, but a leaked email put paid to that over the weekend.

“A friend of mine – another chef – called me on Saturday afternoon to say I’d got it,” says Marc. “I didn’t believe him. I thought it must be some kind of joke. That’s a dream come true for me.”

But with his menu to die for and experience in Michelin starred restaurants under his belt, surely it can’t have been too much of a shock?

“Chefs tend to be quite insecure people,” says Marc. “Having recognition that you might not be that bad is always going to put a smile on your face. Maybe I can cook, after all.”

Marc certainly can cook. Fraiche, which opened in 2004, has already been named one of the UK’s top 100 in Restaurant magazine awards and has been crowned the Merseyside Restaurant of the Year.

“Getting the star is great for Fraiche, particularly in this climate,” he says. “Bookings had been slower. It was a bit up and down in December, but after this the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

“We’ve had calls from all over the place – all over Europe. There’s a party of foodies coming over from Barcelona soon, and lots from London.

“One bloke called up and said he’d like a table but ‘I’ve got a fancy car, will it be safe in Liverpool?’. I said ‘yes, park it at the end of the row, if you can find space next to the Bentleys and Range Rovers’.

“There have been a few people who’ve called and I’ve thought ‘Why are you coming here now? Where were you last week, when the food was exactly the same?’ The star doesn’t make the food any better, but now they’re falling over themselves to get here.”

But the star is great news for Merseyside’s restaurant community. Particularly after Harden’s Restaurant Guide claimed the Liverpool scene is “lacklustre” and overly- complacent, adding: “It’s difficult to avoid the conclusion that restaurants in Europe’s Capital of Culture 2008 lack staying power on the culinary front.”

“When I first came back to Liverpool, people kept ringing me up and asking why I was throwing everything away,” laughs Marc.

“Chefs in London told me Liverpool was a culinary desert. It didn’t exist on the food map.

“It’s hard work to try to change that reputation. But it is my home, so where better for me to be?

“I went out to see the world. But I realised that the world wasn’t as friendly once you get out of Liverpool. You can’t go in the shops and have a laugh with the checkout girls.

“It would have been much easier to get a star if I’d stayed down south. Even getting critics in to try our food was much harder here. But that makes it all the more special.”

And unlike many of the other eateries listed in the Michelin guide, Fraiche’s prices won’t leave a nasty taste in your mouth. The three-course lunch menu is £23.50 and dinner menus start from £35.

“People have been ringing up asking if we’re going to double the prices now,” says Marc. “No, we’re not. It’s all going to stay the same. I couldn’t look my regulars in the eye if we put the prices up for the same food just because a guide book says they like it.”

Marc says he doesn’t have a signature dish.

“No, by tying yourself to one dish you limit yourself,” he says. “Food is an emotional experience.

“If you’re feeling sad or angry, you want comfort food. But if it’s a lovely summer day and you’re happy you want something more refreshing. You need to be able to change with the times.”

But there is one speciality that Marc always enjoys making.

“Bread.” he grins. “I love bread – everything about it. I love the feel of kneading it, the way it rises. And, obviously, I love eating it.

“Every loaf you make is different, and it captures something special about the place or the time it’s made.

“Plus, there’s that smell. If you could bottle that smell you’d make your fortune. I’d wear it as my aftershave. People would say: ‘What’s that smell, Marc?’ And I’d say it’s eau de bread. I’d love that.”

Fraiche, 11 Rose Mount, Oxton, Wirral, CH43 5SG, 0151 652 2914

What’s Cooking?

THE Oscars of the food world, Michelin stars are awarded annually by the Michelin Guide. The guide awards one to three stars to a small number of restaurants of outstanding quality.

Stars are awarded sparingly – in the whole of the UK and Ireland, there are less than 100 with one star ("a very good restaurant in its category"), 16 with two stars ("excellent cooking, worth a detour"), and only three with three stars ("exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey").

Restaurants run by Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre White all have three stars.

The guide uses anonymous inspections and does not charge for entries. Michelin claims to revisit establishments on average once every 18 months in order to keep ratings up to date.

The 2009 Michelin Guide to Great Britain & Ireland is released on Friday and includes four new two-star restaurants, 26 additional one-star restaurants but no new three-star restaurants.
 

Wirral's first Michelin star

Wirral Globe Tuesday 20th January 2009

WIRRAL has its first Michelin star.

Fraiche, in Oxton Village, owned by Marc Wilkinson, is the first in the region to gain the prestigious star.

The honour will show that Wirral really has something to offer in food in 2009.

Marc said: “It is fantastic news and it is still sinking in. It has been hard work but it is great to get the recognition and it will help us take the restaurant forward to the next level.”

Restaurant Fraiche was given a Rising Star for two years running, by Michelin, which meant it was tipped to achieve its star.

Fraiche, which opened in 2004, serves a Modern French menu, carefully constructed to make the most of the senses.

The drive behind the doors of Fraiche is to create food that not only excites people’s palates, but also stimulates conversation around the dinner table.

The setting is in a modern dining room based on natural elements, which creates a relaxed environment in a twenty cover restaurant.

The wine list is ever evolving and features a page on sherries to encourage matching with food.

Marc has worked his way up through a number of restaurants including the Michelin-starred Winteringham Fields.

He has also worked at Midsummer House in Cambridge and in Canada, before setting up a successful restaurant in Essex. Originally from Merseyside he decided to move home to set up his first fine dining restaurant.

Actor and food writer Andrew Lancel said: “I am very proud of Marc’s achievement. There has been a lot of us behind him, we know how good he is and it is no surprise he has achieved this. Congratulations!”

This year’s guide includes four new two star restaurants and 26 new one star restaurants.

The 2009 Guide has 4,207 entries, and of those, 2,516 are hotels and guesthouses and 1,691 are restaurants and pubs; all regularly and anonymously inspected by Michelin’s own team of professional inspectors.

Pam Wilsher, Acting Director of Tourism for The Mersey Partnership, said: “Congratulations to Marc and his team for gaining this fantastic accolade.

“It is a great boost for the Liverpool City Region and shows how our food offering is really coming of age 'the range and quality of our restaurants have improved beyond recognition in recent years and we are delighted that Fraiche has achieved the first of what we hope will be several Michelin stars for the City Region over the next few years.”

Marc’s story and some of his recipes feature in a new book Home Grown, highlighting food champions from the North West.

Bob Moon, Wirral Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Tourism and Leisure, said “This is well deserved for all his hard work and it is great news that Wirral has its first Michelin Star.”

Home side edge through

Scunthorpe Telegraph for the game on Sunday 18th January 2009

WINTERINGHAM grabbed the local bragging rights as well as a place in the last sixteen of the Bob Bedford Cup against rivals HTE Burton on Sunday.

It was Winteringham who started the game the better and It wasn't long before a chance came their way.

Dan Hubbard played a ball over the top which the Burton Defender failed to clear, Nathan Kerins pounced on the mistake, drove into the box and shot inches wide of the far post.

Winteringham continued to knock the ball about and looked very comfortable in possession all over the pitch.

Some good inter-play down the right worked Lee Markham into some space about 35 yards from goal and he wasted no time in driving a sweet strike into the top left corner of the net to give Winteringham a deserved 1-0 lead.

The home side continued to press after the restart, and it wasn't long before left full-back Adam Sparrow, stripped two defenders for pace down the left and his cross into the box was met by Nathan Kerins, but his header went just over the bar.

Dave Moulds was subjected to a very bad tackle moments later, the Burton player was not only late, but the tackle was over the top of the ball and Moulds had to pick himself up and battle on.

The game was restarted with a free-kick, the ball was hit into the Burton penalty box which was cleared by Rory Cunningham.

The game was being dominated by Winteringham and Burton were struggling to get near the Winteringham goal, and keeper Mick Scott didn't have a shot to save in the first half.

The chances kept coming for Winteringham. Josh Hubbard put Robbie Parker through on goal, but he shot just over from the right hand side of the penalty box.

With such heavy pressure it was only a matter of time before Winteringham extended their lead.

Lee Markham played a superb ball to the back post and Nathan Kerins was on hand to tap the ball past the Burton keeper for a 2-0 half-time lead.

Winteringham started the second half the way they had finished the first and the chances kept coming.

The referee gave Burton a lifeline when he blew for a foul on Burton's Jason Stephenson and awarded a penalty, which Olly Gowland drove into the top right-hand corner, leaving the goal keeper with no chance.

After the restart the game began to get scrappy with neither side really getting hold of the game.

Burton pushed for an equaliser and Nathan Watson's strike from the edge of the area looked goal bound, but it went inches wide of the right-hand post.

Winteringham sealed victory moments later though when Josh Hubbard threaded Robbie Parker in on goal and Parker beat the keeper from a very tight angle for the 3-1 win.

Winteringham pay penalty

Scunthorpe Telegraph Thursday 1st January 2009

WINTERINGHAM and Auld South Yorkshire went the distance in an absolute thriller of a tie in the quarter-final of the Dave Ward Cup.

After a shaky start, on a boggy pitch, the visiting Winteringham side took the game by the scruff of the neck.

And with more composure in front of goal, they could have been two or three up by half-time.

But their pressure didn't get rewarded until the second period when Dan Hubbard picked out Nathan Kerins on the right wing.

Kerins' cross was cleared but the ball dropped to Josh Hubbard who drove the ball sweetly past the keeper for his first goal of the season.

However the hosts were back in the game soon after with the Auld South equaliser coming as a bit of a gift.

Ady Brocklesby rolled the ball back to Dave Moulds, standing in for the regular keeper who was unavailable, and as he attempted to clear, the ball hit a divot, sliced off his boot and into the path of an on-rushing Auld South attacker who was left with a simple tap in.

By that point, Winteringham should have been out of sight with numerous chances going begging.

With the two sides inseparable at full-time, this game would turn into a marathon experience as both sides looked to earn progress in extra time.

The visitors continued to dictate play but were unable to make the most of their dominance.

But it was Auld South who snatched a lucky lead.

Winteringham left their winger unopposed, believing he would kick the ball into touch so one of his team-mate could receive treatment.

But instead, he decided, to it cross into the box.

Winteringham defender Lee Markham tried to head the ball over the bar. But he only managed to head in to the top corner of his own net!

Winteringham created endless chances in their search for an equaliser.

And they finally broke through, thanks to a free-kick.

Keeper Moulds stepped up to clear a long ball forward from half-way with his whole team to aim at in the area.

His cross into the box fell to Robbie Parker who wasted no time in firing the ball into the top corner to send the game to penalties.

But it was Auld South Yorkshire who kept their composure to win the shoot-out 4-3.

This win keeps the division one leaders on course for the final for the second season in a row.