Skof, Winsome, Erst and Higher Ground were recognised at The National Restaurant Awards last night...
Manchester’s dining scene enjoyed another strong showing at the National Restaurant Awards last night, with four city centre restaurants named among the 100 best in the UK.
Skof, Winsome, Erst and Higher Ground were all recognised at a ceremony held at The Magazine London, where the annual rankings celebrate the chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality teams shaping Britain’s restaurant industry.
Chef Tom Barnes’ Skof, which gained it’s first Michelin star this year, came top out of the Manchester crop, ranking at number 29 in the list.
Meanwhile, Higher Ground once again secured a place in the rankings at number 39, continuing its run as one of the city’s most acclaimed restaurants.
The New York Street bistro and bar – operated by experienced hospitality trio Joe Otway, Richard Cossins, and Daniel Craig Martin – has earned widespread recognition for its commitment to seasonal British cooking, with much of their produce sourced from their own farm Cinderwood Market Garden.
The Higher Ground team said: “We’re incredibly proud to be listed within the top 50 at the National Restaurant Awards for a third year running.
“We’d like to say thank you to all of our guests and every member of our team at Higher Ground, Flawd, Bar Shrimp and Cinderwood – without them, none of this would be possible.”
Erst, the Ancoats restaurant and wine bar known for its ever-changing menu of sharing plates and abundance of natural wines, ranked 37th. Headed up by run by chef-patron Patrick Withington and manager Will Sutton, its inclusion further cements the neighbourhood’s reputation as one of the strongest in the city for dining.
Meanwhile Winsome – the meat-centric creation of award-winning chef Shaun Moffat – placed at number 67 on the list.
Shaun Moffat of Winsome said: “We found out a month or so ago that we’d made the Top 100 and were absolutely thrilled, but to learn we’d gone in at number 67 is, in all honesty, a bit surreal.
“The team here work incredibly hard every day to deliver the very best food, hospitality and experience for our guests, so to see that recognised on a national level and to find ourselves alongside some of the biggest names in the industry means a huge amount.
“We’re still a very young restaurant and none of this would be possible without the support of our guests, our suppliers and the brilliant team that bring Winsome to life every day. To receive this recognition after just one year is something we’re immensely proud of, and we’re excited for what’s still to come.”
The National Restaurant Awards are compiled by an academy of more than 200 industry experts, including food writers, chefs and restaurateurs.
The UK is divided into 11 regions, with academy members voting for the seven best restaurants they have personally visited over the previous 12 months. Those votes are then weighted and combined to create the final Top 100 list.
The north was well-represented on the list. Sheffield’s Jöro, which visited the city as part of Manchester’s Finest Out Of Towners’ series last year, also made the list, alongside Lake District-based Cottage in the Wood, which collaborated with Open Fire Dining Club in Manchester during its first season last year.
You can read the full list here.
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