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| Food clubs: clandestine cakes, private pies and an homage to fromage | Food clubs: clandestine cakes, private pies and an homage to fromage |
| (5 months later) | |
| If there's something Northerners enjoy more than the sharing of bread, banter and beer I am yet to come across it. It's this sociable disposition and desire to fill more than just our bellies that's at the centre of an explosion of food-focused clubs across the North. | If there's something Northerners enjoy more than the sharing of bread, banter and beer I am yet to come across it. It's this sociable disposition and desire to fill more than just our bellies that's at the centre of an explosion of food-focused clubs across the North. |
| Whether you've got a penchant for pie, you're cuckoo for cake or you're a total turophile, there's a club waiting to welcome you. But the first and sometimes only rule of every club – for there are very few rules – is that those who come along are prepared to take a seat, share some food or skills and mingle with folk who are equally food-obsessed. | Whether you've got a penchant for pie, you're cuckoo for cake or you're a total turophile, there's a club waiting to welcome you. But the first and sometimes only rule of every club – for there are very few rules – is that those who come along are prepared to take a seat, share some food or skills and mingle with folk who are equally food-obsessed. |
| Take a tasty trip through the North's finest food clubs with our guide, and you may find just the club for you: | Take a tasty trip through the North's finest food clubs with our guide, and you may find just the club for you: |
| MeatClub | MeatClub |
| Where: Manchester | Where: Manchester |
| When: MeatClub was recently set up by husband and wife team Patrick (architect) and Deanna Thomas (chef, food writer, deli owner), to try and reconnect people with food and its origins. It is held once each month in and around Manchester. | When: MeatClub was recently set up by husband and wife team Patrick (architect) and Deanna Thomas (chef, food writer, deli owner), to try and reconnect people with food and its origins. It is held once each month in and around Manchester. |
| What you can expect: An interactive butchery demonstration by local butchers, focussed on a specific animal. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and may have the opportunity to take part in the butchery with guidance from the experts on hand. There's a break for a wine or beer talk, then the group enjoy a drink while cooking up the meat of the evening. One attendee recently described an event as 'Top Gear for meat'. | What you can expect: An interactive butchery demonstration by local butchers, focussed on a specific animal. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions and may have the opportunity to take part in the butchery with guidance from the experts on hand. There's a break for a wine or beer talk, then the group enjoy a drink while cooking up the meat of the evening. One attendee recently described an event as 'Top Gear for meat'. |
| A word from those in charge: "Food can be fun, but there is a 'sharp end' – in our case the butcher's knife, and that's the bit we are interested in. No child should be brought up believing meat comes from a supermarket. Meat Club is a reality check. When we say 'cut yourself free from the cling-film generation', we mean it." | A word from those in charge: "Food can be fun, but there is a 'sharp end' – in our case the butcher's knife, and that's the bit we are interested in. No child should be brought up believing meat comes from a supermarket. Meat Club is a reality check. When we say 'cut yourself free from the cling-film generation', we mean it." |
| Get involved: A recent MeatClub event was a spring lamb butchery masterclass with Lee Frost at the award-winning Parlour in Chorlton included beer tasting and a talk by Red Willow Brewery. To find out about the next meaty treat and sign yourself up, you can visit the website or check @mcrmeatclub for details. | Get involved: A recent MeatClub event was a spring lamb butchery masterclass with Lee Frost at the award-winning Parlour in Chorlton included beer tasting and a talk by Red Willow Brewery. To find out about the next meaty treat and sign yourself up, you can visit the website or check @mcrmeatclub for details. |
| Clandestine Cake Club | Clandestine Cake Club |
| Where: Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Bermuda and a whole lot of places in between | Where: Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Bermuda and a whole lot of places in between |
| When: The inspiration for many other food clubs across the country, Clandestine Cake Club was in part a spin-off of the Secret Tea Room run by founder and Leeds-dweller Lynn Hill. Lynn started the club in 2010 with the simple premise of getting people together over tea and cake and there are now 180 CCCs with some popping up overseas. The club also launched its own cake recipe book earlier this year, celebrating the culinary efforts of its members. Meetings of individual clubs are usually held monthly on a first-come booking basis to avoid overcrowding. | When: The inspiration for many other food clubs across the country, Clandestine Cake Club was in part a spin-off of the Secret Tea Room run by founder and Leeds-dweller Lynn Hill. Lynn started the club in 2010 with the simple premise of getting people together over tea and cake and there are now 180 CCCs with some popping up overseas. The club also launched its own cake recipe book earlier this year, celebrating the culinary efforts of its members. Meetings of individual clubs are usually held monthly on a first-come booking basis to avoid overcrowding. |
| What you can expect: Men, women and children tucking into tea, cake and perhaps some sandwiches at different surprise venues. Cakes are baked on an agreed theme but there is no competition – the focus is all about enjoying good company, good cake and discovering and celebrating the local venues that host the events for free. | What you can expect: Men, women and children tucking into tea, cake and perhaps some sandwiches at different surprise venues. Cakes are baked on an agreed theme but there is no competition – the focus is all about enjoying good company, good cake and discovering and celebrating the local venues that host the events for free. |
| A word from those in charge: "I don't know if we are food obsessed, but I do think we are looking for ways to socialise through different avenues. It's a bonus if we manage to learn new skills along the way and more importantly make new friends which is what seems to be happening at CCC." | A word from those in charge: "I don't know if we are food obsessed, but I do think we are looking for ways to socialise through different avenues. It's a bonus if we manage to learn new skills along the way and more importantly make new friends which is what seems to be happening at CCC." |
| Get involved: Visit the website to find your nearest club. You can also find Lynn on Twitter @ClandestineCakeClub | Get involved: Visit the website to find your nearest club. You can also find Lynn on Twitter @ClandestineCakeClub |
| Private Pie | Private Pie |
Where: Newcastle | Where: Newcastle |
| When: Private Pie club was set up in 2011 by friends Nancy and Hayley who both attended their local branch of Clandestine Cake Club. One evening Hayley brought a friend along to CCC and while she enjoyed the atmosphere she lamented that she had more of a savoury than sweet tooth and so the concept of Private Pie was sparked. Meetings are held on a regular basis with attendees booking places on a first-come first-served basis. | When: Private Pie club was set up in 2011 by friends Nancy and Hayley who both attended their local branch of Clandestine Cake Club. One evening Hayley brought a friend along to CCC and while she enjoyed the atmosphere she lamented that she had more of a savoury than sweet tooth and so the concept of Private Pie was sparked. Meetings are held on a regular basis with attendees booking places on a first-come first-served basis. |
| What you can expect: Like-minded pastry/pie appreciators tucking into generous slices of sweet and savoury pies created on themes that range from 'spooky' to 'occuPIE'. Pies can be created with or without pastry and meetings take place in venues across the city including local pubs and hidden-gem cafes. | What you can expect: Like-minded pastry/pie appreciators tucking into generous slices of sweet and savoury pies created on themes that range from 'spooky' to 'occuPIE'. Pies can be created with or without pastry and meetings take place in venues across the city including local pubs and hidden-gem cafes. |
| A word from those in charge: "The link to the event's theme can be as tenuous as you like, and the final product needn't be something entirely encased in pastry. Our general rule is that if it can be cut into slices and has a carbohydrate layer of some kind, we're happy! A pair of our regulars once made a swimming pool pie when our theme was 'Sporting Pies'. It was a giant blue cheesecake in a roasting dish, complete with little jelly baby swimmers and liquorice laces as lane markers. It was spectacular!" | A word from those in charge: "The link to the event's theme can be as tenuous as you like, and the final product needn't be something entirely encased in pastry. Our general rule is that if it can be cut into slices and has a carbohydrate layer of some kind, we're happy! A pair of our regulars once made a swimming pool pie when our theme was 'Sporting Pies'. It was a giant blue cheesecake in a roasting dish, complete with little jelly baby swimmers and liquorice laces as lane markers. It was spectacular!" |
| Get involved: Private Pie meets are announced via the club's website and Twitter @private_pie. | Get involved: Private Pie meets are announced via the club's website and Twitter @private_pie. |
| Homage2Fromage | Homage2Fromage |
| Where: Leeds | Where: Leeds |
| When: This cheese club was born in 2009 when its founders got chatting on Twitter about the best places to buy cheese in their area. This shared love of dairy soon led to talk of starting a club and Homage2Fromage was launched soon after with the support of celebrity cheesemaker Alex James. More than 18 months on, 90 cheese appreciators meet every month to munch their way through cheeses of all kinds and learn about those who make them. | When: This cheese club was born in 2009 when its founders got chatting on Twitter about the best places to buy cheese in their area. This shared love of dairy soon led to talk of starting a club and Homage2Fromage was launched soon after with the support of celebrity cheesemaker Alex James. More than 18 months on, 90 cheese appreciators meet every month to munch their way through cheeses of all kinds and learn about those who make them. |
| What you can expect: Cheese on themes from Spanish to spreadable, laid out in a room along with extras like chutney, pickles, grapes, crackers, biscuits and chunks of bread to slather your choices on. The cheeses are unlabelled, which leads to fun guessing their origins, followed by a big reveal at the end when you can also expect an extra portion of cheese-based knowledge from expert speakers and producers, which have included Alex James and Judy and Caroline Bell from Shepherd's Purse. There was even a cheesy disco held for the first birthday of the club. | What you can expect: Cheese on themes from Spanish to spreadable, laid out in a room along with extras like chutney, pickles, grapes, crackers, biscuits and chunks of bread to slather your choices on. The cheeses are unlabelled, which leads to fun guessing their origins, followed by a big reveal at the end when you can also expect an extra portion of cheese-based knowledge from expert speakers and producers, which have included Alex James and Judy and Caroline Bell from Shepherd's Purse. There was even a cheesy disco held for the first birthday of the club. |
| A word from those in charge: "Our approach is informal, fun, free and social – we provide really top quality cheese, and all the accompaniments, but there is no standing on ceremony, tiny portions or pretension. If your typical 'wine and cheese' event is opera, what we do is more like rock'n'roll! | A word from those in charge: "Our approach is informal, fun, free and social – we provide really top quality cheese, and all the accompaniments, but there is no standing on ceremony, tiny portions or pretension. If your typical 'wine and cheese' event is opera, what we do is more like rock'n'roll! |
| "Although we both work in food marketing (Vickie in PR and Nick as a marketer) we're not cheese experts, we're cheese enthusiasts. We're just as excited about new cheeses and in fact, just as excited about each and every cheese club as everyone else." | "Although we both work in food marketing (Vickie in PR and Nick as a marketer) we're not cheese experts, we're cheese enthusiasts. We're just as excited about new cheeses and in fact, just as excited about each and every cheese club as everyone else." |
| Get involved: Events are held on the second Thursday of the month and tickets are available from the Homage2Fromage website. You can also find Homage2Fromage on Facebook and on Twitter @homage2fromage. | Get involved: Events are held on the second Thursday of the month and tickets are available from the Homage2Fromage website. You can also find Homage2Fromage on Facebook and on Twitter @homage2fromage. |
| Singing Hinnies & Fat Rascals | Singing Hinnies & Fat Rascals |
| Where: Newcastle | Where: Newcastle |
| When: When Suzy Jackson found that her penchant for cooking cupcakes excluded her from lots of traditional bake clubs she decided to set up her own bunch of baking renegades. Here, no bake or cake is excluded – from brownies and biscuits to cake pops, the Hinnies and Rascals welcome all. The club name is a play on the north-eastern treats singing hinnies (also a name for the fairer sex round these parts). Fat rascals are not dissimilar to singing hinnies and were added to represent the lesser-spotted but very much included male members of the group. These guys and girls are the underground bakers of the North and regularly meet in all kinds of northern venues for bake events, to socialise – and they've even been known to mingle with other food clubs. | When: When Suzy Jackson found that her penchant for cooking cupcakes excluded her from lots of traditional bake clubs she decided to set up her own bunch of baking renegades. Here, no bake or cake is excluded – from brownies and biscuits to cake pops, the Hinnies and Rascals welcome all. The club name is a play on the north-eastern treats singing hinnies (also a name for the fairer sex round these parts). Fat rascals are not dissimilar to singing hinnies and were added to represent the lesser-spotted but very much included male members of the group. These guys and girls are the underground bakers of the North and regularly meet in all kinds of northern venues for bake events, to socialise – and they've even been known to mingle with other food clubs. |
| What you can expect: This is a bake club with a very relaxed atmosphere where sharing "good baked goods with good non-baked friends" is the aim of the game. Like other clubs members are asked to bake on a theme, which may be inspired by the venue or be a member request. Past events include a 'Hollywood Glamour' night hosted at the Tyneside Cinema and a 'Skinny Hinnies' night held in January, where healthier bakes were shared in an effort to shake off the festive season's excess. | What you can expect: This is a bake club with a very relaxed atmosphere where sharing "good baked goods with good non-baked friends" is the aim of the game. Like other clubs members are asked to bake on a theme, which may be inspired by the venue or be a member request. Past events include a 'Hollywood Glamour' night hosted at the Tyneside Cinema and a 'Skinny Hinnies' night held in January, where healthier bakes were shared in an effort to shake off the festive season's excess. |
| A word from those in charge: "By no stretch of the imagination are we particularly professional bakers. In fact, rarely does a bake club go by without someone turning up with a veritable disaster. Mainly we enjoy baking, or attempting to bake, and we find that bakers are likeminded in many ways." | A word from those in charge: "By no stretch of the imagination are we particularly professional bakers. In fact, rarely does a bake club go by without someone turning up with a veritable disaster. Mainly we enjoy baking, or attempting to bake, and we find that bakers are likeminded in many ways." |
| Get involved: Find out about Singing Hinnies' latest baking and social events on their website or get in touch via Twitter @GasMarkFour. Can reserve tickets online and take along non-baking guests. | Get involved: Find out about Singing Hinnies' latest baking and social events on their website or get in touch via Twitter @GasMarkFour. Can reserve tickets online and take along non-baking guests. |
| • Found a food club in the North we don't know about? Leave a comment below | • Found a food club in the North we don't know about? Leave a comment below |
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