FOOD & DRINK WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD...
THE chef behind Stockport’s acclaimed Where The Light Gets In is opening a new outdoor rooftop restaurant in the town centre.
The Landing is being launched by Great British Menu star Sam Buckley on the top of the Merseyway precinct, where they’re building an urban kitchen with a hand-built barbecue, coal smoker and wood-fired bread oven.
The space - created in response to the need for safe spaces for guests to dine outside - will seat around 50 people in a distanced, open air environment, with a 12-seater table under a pergola at its heart.
A growing garden and greenhouse will sit alongside it, cultivating seasonal herbs, vegetables and leafy greens.
Sam said: “It’s open air, elusive, green and verdant, a hidden gem in the urban sprawl.
“This is where we get to connect with our guests. Whilst the restaurant doors stay closed we will serve hot dogs, natural wine and Manchester beers in our new garden.”
There’ll also be kitchen takeovers by chefs including Eddie Shepherd, of Whalley Range supper club The Walled Gardens, and Edward Delling-Williams, chef-proprietor of Le Grand Bain in Paris, using ingredients from The Landing, the Where The Light Gets In farm, and local suppliers.
The soundtrack will be supplied by Little Underbank record shop SK1 Records and Denis Jones, and a programme of guest speakers and creative workshops are also being planned.
The Landing will open on Saturday, July 18 in partnership with Manchester Urban Diggers, and aims to provide a selfsufficient, biodynamic ‘closed loop’ dining experience and farm.
Sam said: “There is much unused space in cities and towns, so much rooftop space waiting to be utilised.
“For me this serves the restaurant with readily available produce on a daily basis, it serves the team with apparatus to learn more fully about growing food and it serves the community as a space to learn, grow, gather and share.
“There is no end to what a green space can bring and how it can make one feel.”
Where The Light Gets In remains closed for now, and the team have launched a takeaway service, The Pickle Factory, in its place. For more information on both projects visit wtlgi.co.
Stories, has drawn up stringent safety procedures of its own to ensure it complies with the recommendations.
The capacity will be cut to around 70 per cent of the venue’s usual numbers and tables have been rearranged to comply with the new ‘1m plus’ distancing rule.
Perspex screens are also due to be installed between fixed booths, and guests will no longer be able to sit at the bar.
Diners will be given disposable menus or mobile QR codes to place their orders, and will be encouraged to make contactless payments where possible.
They may also be asked to pour their own bottles of wine and water to minimise contact with staff.
Employees will also be issued with masks and divided into A and B teams who will not mix, so if anyone becomes ill the entire team can self-isolate.
There will also be a dedicated ‘Covid champion’ on every shift to manage any issues that arise.
“The guidelines are quite brief, a