Which Good Food Guide celebrates Liverpool City Region’s top restaurants

LIVERPOOL City Region’s growing and impressive restaurant offer has been recognised by the Which Good Food Guide 2010, published this week.

Restaurants in Liverpool, Wirral and Southport have been recognised for their high standards of quality, extensive menu choice, decor and use of local produce – and the Which Good Food Guide 2010 is highly respected among food lovers.

There is great news for Wirral’s Michelin-starred Restaurant Fraiche which has seen its score rise from six to seven. The Oxton Village restaurant is also listed as the 30th top restaurant in the country and has been presented with the Editor’s Award for best wine list in the UK.

The qualities the Which Guide looked for were a conscientious eye to the best growers, clearly comprehensive presentation and fair value, and described Fraiche as having “flavour-filled, mine-expanding menus.”

Fraiche chef/owner Marc Wilkinson is thrilled with the results. He said:- “It makes me proud to put a restaurant on the map in Merseyside, and achieving the Top 30 in the UK has opened the door for others to believe in Liverpool City Region and see that it can have food as exciting as anywhere in the country. I also have to thank Gemma and my team for their support. The best new entry for 2010 for the whole of the country was Da Piero with a score of five. Da Piero is a small restaurant in Irby, Wirral, run by husband and wife team, Piero and Dawn Di Bella, and is described as offering diners “food that fills you with joy. South Liverpool’s Spire Restaurant, run by the Locke brothers, retained its ranking of a four, and according to the guide:- “In a relaxed dining room of exposed brickwork, abstract art and cafe-style tables, you will find a beguiling version of contemporary European cooking.”

Blake’s, situated within Hard Days Night Hotel, was given a four and recommended for Beatles fans. The London Carriage Works, on Hope Street, was awarded a score of three, and described as:- “A pleasing juxtaposition of town and county at the restaurant which is the lynchpin of Liverpool’s smartest street. Praise continued for restaurants on Hope Street, with 60 Hope Street being awarded three points and praised for its use of local produce, and The Side Door was awarded a two for its “good-value ticket for culture vultures”

Panoramic, the UK’s highest restaurant on the 34th floor of West Tower, scored two and was praised for its “superb views and intimate, business-friendly” atmosphere.

While along the City Region coast in Southport, Michael’s of Birkdale scored two as did the Warehouse Brassiere. While Marc Vertie (formerly of the Warehouse), scored three for his new venture Bistrot Verite, which opened this year.

The strong presence of Liverpool City Region in the Which Good Food Guide 2010 has thrilled Taste Liverpool, the arm of Tourist Board The Mersey Partnership which works with independent assessors to recognise excellence in the City Region’s dining industry.

Pam Wilsher, Acting Director of Tourism for The Mersey Partnership, said:- “The quality dining offer across Liverpool City Region continues to grow and this is something we find very encouraging during this challenging time. The development in this sector is evident with so many of our new and well-established restaurants being recognised by the Which Good Food Guide – it certainly puts Liverpool City Region on the culinary map!”

To find out more about the Liverpool City Region log onto:- VisitLiverpool.com.

FATAL RTC - KIRKSTONE ROAD NORTH, LITHERLAND...

MERSEYSIDE Police have started to investigate a fatal RTC this afternoon (Monday, 14 September) at Church Road / Kirkstone Road North, Litherland.

Officers and the ambulance service were called at around 5.15pm, to reports that a pedestrian had been in collision with a gold coloured Ford Galaxy as it travelled out of the city towards Switch Island. The man later died at the scene.

The female driver of the Galaxy stopped at the scene and is cooperating with police enquiries.

Church Road is currently closed and drivers are being asked to avoid the area where possible.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact:- 0151 777 5771 or Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111.

Skint First Time Buyers Would Sell Organs for Deposit

WANNABE home-owners in the North West are going to extreme lengths such as gambling, postponing weddings, contemplating medical trials and even selling major organs in order to raise money to buy their first home according to new research published by Circle Anglia – one of the UK’s leading providers of affordable housing.

According to the survey of 2,000 people, 16% of people in the North West of England say they are so desperate to get on the housing ladder that they have turned to gambling in the hope of winning enough money to buy their first house, with a further 7%saying they’d contemplate gambling if they got really desperate.

The research, which was commissioned by Circle Anglia to raise awareness of affordable home ownership options, also found that an extraordinary 12% of people in the North West say they ‘would consider’ undergoing medical trials. Meanwhile, 2% of people in the region say they would think about selling a major organ, if it meant they could purchase their first property – that represents 124,000 people across the whole of the North West.

People living in the North West of England are the most likely to stay on home turf during the summer months: 14% say they have cancelled foreign holidays – higher than any other region in the UK. In Yorkshire just 4% of people have cancelled a foreign holiday in order to save up for a deposit. And while the stay-at-home Northerners are at home over the summer, they are surfing the internet and selling personal possessions. 28% say they have sold personal possessions on eBay to save for a house compared, for example, to just 19% of Londoners.

Other things people in the North West have done to save money for a house deposit include:-

- Selling items on eBay (23%)
- Moving in with mum and dad (5%)
- Pawning belongings (2%)

More traditional ways of saving money were also revealed, with 6% of people in the North West saying they have cancelled their wedding with a further 8% saying they would put off their big day if it meant they could buy a house.

Circle Anglia’s research reveals that while many people will go to extreme lengths to get money for a mortgage deposit, few people in the North West (3%) think that they could be eligible for affordable shared ownership schemes such as New Build HomeBuy. New Build HomeBuy allows purchasers to buy as little as 25% share of the property – meaning they would need to save far less for a deposit – and then pay affordable rent on the remainder.

Andy Doylend, Executive Director of Operations, Circle Anglia said:- “A very low number of people in the North West think they are eligible for affordable ownership opportunities– so it is crucial that anyone thinking of buying a property does thorough research to find out what schemes are available. Many may well be pleasantly surprised that the deposit they need is much less than they think.”

BRIGHTHOUSE TO OPEN NEW STORE IN SOUTHPORT

BRIGHTHOUSE, the nation’s leading weekly payments stores, specialising in the sale of home electronics, domestic appliances and household furniture, is continuing its expansion programme with the opening of a new store on East Bank Street in Southport.

The new 2500 sq ft store, which employs 7 staff, opens on Saturday September 12, and to mark the occasion BrightHouse will be hosting a family fun day between 10am and 4pm to welcome the first customers and their families to the new store.

Children visiting the store will be entertained by BrightHouse’s George the Bear, and top DJ Richie Jones, who worked with Jools Holland, Girls Aloud, Tom Jones and UB40.  Children will also be able to have their faces painted and enjoy balloon creations from a balloon modeller.

Bernie Walsh, store manager in Southport says:- “We are very excited about joining the community in Southport and welcome everyone to our store opening event. BrightHouse offers the hottest flat screen TVs from Philips and Sony, cutting-edge laptops from Acer, the latest washing machines from Whirlpool and up-to-the-minute sofa designs to name but a few of the amazing products available on a affordable weekly payment basis.  We aim to add value to people’s lives every day. With us it’s personal. We like to keep on first name terms with customers so they feel comfortable with our service. When we open our doors on Saturday, pop in and say hi and we’ll be sure to remember your name next time you come in. That’s what makes us different.”