The team behind Ancoats’ neighbourhood wine bar and bottle shop, Flawd, are relaunching their pop-up restaurant concept, Higher Ground, as a permanent venue.
Higher Ground will open as a British bistro and bar on 18th February 2023 and will more than likely attract guests from across the UK to their new location which is a convenient ten minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station.
Menus will evolve on a daily basis according to what’s seasonally available and ingredients will be sourced from the North-West with a focus on organic, small-scale agriculture and small herd, whole carcass cookery. Fresh produce will come from a variety of local farms including their own partner farm, Cinderwood Market Garden in Nantwich, Cheshire.
The wine list will encourage discovery and curiosity with a spotlight on small-scale, low intervention winemakers from around the European continent. As you’d expect from the team behind Ancoats’ critically acclaimed Flawd, the beverage list at Higher Ground will include an ever changing by the glass option along with a short and concise wine list. There will also be a short list of aperitifs and specialty cocktails to begin the meal with as well as a range of UK beers in can and bottle format.
The restaurant will accommodate 50 customers, with guests having the option to sit at dining tables or kitchen counter seats which offer a great view of the open kitchen and charcoal oven.
The à la carte menu will allow guests to enjoy a few dishes and a glass or two from the wine selection, and they also offer a sharing menu option priced at £45 per person, made up of both individual courses and sharing dishes, to encourage family-style eating.
Example plates could include Cumberland Farmhouse Cheddar Quiche and Jane’s Acorn Reared Pig Belly with Grain and Mushroom Porridge. Vegetarian dishes include BBQ Leek Skewers and Cow’s Curd and Celeriac with Spanish Blood Orange and Bay Leaf.
Guests will be offered the choice of sweet or savoury options to round off their meal with Garstang Blue and Lager Rarebit sitting alongside Yorkshire rhubarb, Custard and Caramelised Croissant on the dessert menu.
“We’re now over three years into our journey of owning our own business and we’re only just about to launch our first full-scale restaurant,” says Richard Cossins. “The most exciting times are without question still to come and we look forward to contributing even more positively to the city of Manchester.”
Higher Ground was first established at the start of 2020 by hospitality professionals Joseph Otway, Richard Cossins and Daniel Craig Martin. Their initial residency ran for four weeks at The Bungalow at Kampus in February 2020 before being curtailed by the first lockdown.
The team followed this with appearances at Ducie Street Warehouse later that year and then at Mackie Mayor in 2021 celebrating summer produce from Platt Fields Market Garden and their partner farm Cinderwood Market Garden.
During that time Higher Ground gained a reputation for serving well-crafted and delicious seasonal dishes using locally grown and reared produce, along with a carefully chosen selection of natural wine.
Chef patron Joseph Otway’s CV includes previous roles at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York (where he met Richard and Daniel), Relæ in Copenhagen and was Head Chef at Where The Light Gets In in Stockport. It is his hunger to improve the wider food system, his contagious hospitality with guests and staff alike, and his connection to local agriculture that sets him apart.
“Now that we will have a full-scale kitchen to work with, we’re eager to further our existing relationships with the many local producers and farms here in the North-West,” says Joseph. “We should hit the very beginning of spring when the restaurant opens – from a produce perspective it couldn’t be more exciting,”
The service style will be approachable, warm, fun and knowledgeable with chefs being actively involved in the serving of dishes in the dining room.
The restaurant will be open four days a week, between Wednesday and Saturday. They will serve dinner only on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and will be open for both lunch and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays making it the perfect venue for business and social lunches and catch ups with family and friends.
Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail and Leisure, Bruntwood Works said of the announcement; “We are delighted that HigherGround has found a permanent home at Faulkner House. It’s fantastic to be welcoming such an exciting collective of talent to the building, which will transform this part of the city. The seasonal and expertly crafted menu will no doubt attract guests from around Manchester and further afield, creating a new dining destination on New York Street. The arrival of Higher Ground will add to what is set to be an exciting hospitality community in this neighbourhood.”
Reservations are available OpenTable at www.highergroundmcr.co.uk and walk-ins are always welcome.
Kitchen Opening Times:
Wednesday/Thursday: 5:30pm-9:30pm
Friday/Saturday: 12:30pm-2pm / 5:30pm-9:30pm
Bar Opening Times:
Wednesday/Thursday: 5:30pm-11:30pm
Friday/Saturday: 12:30pm-2pm / 5:30pm-12am
Higher Ground, Faulkner House, Faulkner St, Manchester M1 4DY
Follow @HigherGroundMCR
