Two North West restaurants named best newcomers by Good Food Guide

Now in its 70th year, The Good Food Guide has announced its Platinum List for the best newcomers.

The list features 18 restaurants from across the UK that opened pre- or mid-pandemic.

“All have been chosen for their remarkable resilience, thriving in the face of the shifting realities of dining out during the pandemic,” says the Guide.

“They are all are notable newcomers and were earmarked for entry in The Good Food Guide 2021-2022.”

Two restaurants in the North West have been included in the Platinum List.

“Every one of the restaurants on this list is a shining example of the resilience and sheer talent to be found in the UK,” said the Guide’s editor Elizabeth Carter.

“It may have been a tough 18 months for the hospitality industry but these restaurants were undaunted.

“They continued to do the two things we ask of a good restaurant – serve fabulous food, that stayed in the mind during multiple closures, and offer great hospitality.”

From the people behind Trove bakery, Erst‘s focus is on simple seasonal food, natural wines and craft beers.

Now the Ancoats restaurant has made The Good Food Guide’s Platinum List, following a string of plaudits and rave reviews in The Sunday Times and The Observer.

In January, Erst also earned a place in the Michelin Guide 2021 for offering “something refreshingly different in the city.”

Earlier this year, The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards were announced, celebrating the brilliance and vibrancy of the UK’s eating out scene, and reward the very best chefs, front of house staff and restaurants the country has to offer.

Their UK top 100 list reveals the very best places to dine across the UK, as voted for by an elite academy of chefs, restaurateurs and food writers nationwide.

It’s basically the list of places that should be on your restaurant hit list.

And this year, Erst made it into the top 50 – one of only two Manchester restaurants to make the list. The other was Michelin starred Mana.

Erst was not the only North West restaurant to make the Platinum List this year.

Hyssop in Glossop, Derbyshire, has also been awarded a place as one of the best newcomers in the country.

The restaurant is run by Paul and Jess from Manchester, who initially launched it as a pop-up venture in and around the city before it found a permanent home on Glossop‘s busy High Street West.

Head chef Paul Sykes honed his skills working for the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Michael Caines and Simon Rogan as well as a stint at The White Hart Lydgate.

The Peak District restaurant offers a small plates menu, showcasing the best seasonal and local ingredients.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hyssop (@hyssopglossop)

“What an absolutely incredible morning we’ve had finding out that we have been chosen to feature in @goodfoodguideuk Platinum List for Best Newcomers in the UK,” said Hyssop on Instagram.

“We are ONE OF 18! In the whole of the UK to be chosen and we are absolutely over the moon. Our tiny little restaurant in the middle of nowhere is finally getting its name out there!

“First a thank you to our AMAZING staff who have made Hyssop what Hyssop was meant to be. A place we’re so proud to call our own.

“We can not thank our INCREDIBLE customers enough. You have made this possible. We just can not put into words how thankful we are that you have supported us non stop through the past 18 months.

“It’s because of you all that we are still here today and standing stronger than ever.”