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Northwich - Dilworth's Fish, Poultry & Game

Posted by Unknown Friday, November 22, 2013 0 comments

Dilworths Seafood and Game (and Derek the fisherman - pictured above) have been popular with shoppers for years. This summer the shop (and Derek) relocated to new premises (not far from Marks & Spencer).

John Moore has worked for Dilworths for 42 years:

and knows a lot about fish. The fish is top quality:

I love fish, but it can be expensive. In this shop I was well looked after - John could see how poor I was, so he sold me 4 red mullet fillets for just £5:

It will be interesting to see what effect the new Waitrose supermarket has on local traders. I suspect they won't be able to compete on price or quality here.

Besides fish, there's Whitby crab, prawns and smoked trout:

and they also sell haggis, poultry, game, sauces and rubs.

Dilworth's Fish, Poultry & Game
5 Leicester Street
Northwich
Cheshire
CW9 5LA

Tel: 01606 41767

Northwich - First Choice Fruit

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, November 20, 2013 0 comments

I love a proper greengrocers! As a child I can remember going with my mum shopping. The greengrocer sometimes would give me an apple (possibly to shut me up). We'd decide what we were going to have for tea after we'd got to the shop and seen what was in season and looked good.

Matthew Gurney has run this Northwich business for 22 years and always has a great display of whatever is in season. Here they stock local produce wherever they can, including eggs, honey and pickles as well as fruit and vegetables.

Earlier this year it was plums:

and when it was apple day there was far more choice in this shop than most supermarkets.

As we're getting close to Christmas there's now sprouts on sticks:

(which I suspect supermarkets would find a nuisance even though they do keep better), cranberries, and interesting root vegetables like celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes:

plus a choice of white, purple or Romanesque cauliflower.

There's a good selection of herbs, and this is one of the few shops that sell proper horseradish - which tastes so much nicer than the stuff the supermarkets sell.

If you can't see what you want it's worth asking here, as they also have a large wholesale business supplying hotels, colleges etc. and they have even more stuff at the back of the shop.

There's also a selection of flowers at affordable prices:

So have a look at a site like www.eattheseasons.co.uk for inspiration and visit this great shop.

First Choice Fruit
6 Leicester Street
Northwich
Cheshire
CW9 5LA

Tel: 01606 350059

Web: www.firstchoicefruit.co.uk/

Northwich - Chris Webb

Posted by Unknown Monday, November 18, 2013 0 comments

I've started this post with a picture of Chris Webb's excellent dry, home-cured treacle bacon. It's one of the best butchers I've ever been to (and I've been to some excellent ones).

Above this Witton Street shop (the business was established in 1929):

a sign says "Maintain thine honour and extend thy fame"!

People come from quite a distance to this traditional butchers.

It's a shop that will sell you cuts like shin beef and feather steak

which are cheaper than cuts you see in other butchers, and very tasty if you cook them right. They do of course sell all the more common cuts as well.

Webb's tomato sausages are very popular:

and we love their home-cured treacle bacon:

The shop is split in half, and next door you can buy their equally famous pies and pasties:

There's Webb's own Jubilee Pork Pie:

and we're rather partial to their lamb and mint pies:

There's also bread from Harrisons Quality Bakers. which would be great with their home-made potted beef:

C Webb & Sons
56 - 58 Witton Street
Northwich
Cheshire
CW9 5AE

Tel: 01606 42470

Northwich

Posted by Unknown Thursday, November 14, 2013 0 comments

Northwich is an interesting Cheshire town. It's rich in industrial history, as the above sign shows. Salt has been produced here since Roman times, Cheshire used to produce 86% of the nation’s salt and I look forward to the Lion Salt Works (an historic open-pan salt making site) reopening to visitors next year.

The chemical industry has left an unfortunate legacy:

Near Anderton

but, as I found when I walked the Weaver Way, there's some very beautiful places nearby where you can see all sorts of wild flowers and birds like lapwings etc.

Besides cheap shops, like Pound Stretcher and the Shop With No Name:

there's some seriously good food shops (as you'll find out in my next three posts).

The market in Northwich is disappointing (compared to Nantwich for instance), but once a month there's an Artisan Market in Northwich. I've already mentioned the amazing Wilmslow Artisan Market in this blog, well it's the same people who run this one (they also run markets at Knutsord, Middlewich and Trentham). Instead of almost empty streets:

the town comes alive:

In fact you need to get there early, as the large (free) car parks fill up and it gets quite busy:

Many of the stalls are the same as I've shown you in the Wilmslow post, you can get everything from an onion bhaji to a pork pie!

The market brings people to the town who wouldn't normally go there, and shoppers support small local independent shops which helps keep money in the local economy.

With stalls like Holly's Little Bakery:

it bring a bit of theatre and colour, although I think I'll need sun glasses for some of her cakes!

The Artisan Market has been shortlisted for the High Street Champion of the Year Award, they deserve to win.

Northwich Artisan Market

Northwich Town Centre
High Street
Northwich
CW9 5DD

Web: www.artisanmarket.moonfruit.com

Williamsons of Castle

Posted by Unknown Thursday, November 1, 2012 0 comments

You can tell a lot about a business by its pedigree.... Williamsons of Castle has been in the Williamson family for 3 generations. When Graham Williamson got to 77 he decided to retire, and Cheshire's famous gastro couple, Jane and Dave Mooney, decided to take over the bakery. Just in case you don't know them, Jane is formerly of Made in Cheshire and chef Dave runs the vey successful New Moon Pub Company.

Their traditionally made artisan bread is served in some of the top restaurants in Cheshire. The bakery is also popular with the locals, they do a nice line in breakfast baps:

and hot pies and savouries:

If you've got a sweet tooth you'll also be well looked after:

As it's nearly bonfire night, they do proper parkin.

One of their bakers is Jane's son Olly, who shares his mother's love of local Cheshire food. Their other baker, John Butler, originally comes from Tenby - so you may also find Welsh cakes!