OUR SUPPLIERS

As we endeavour in our pursuit of quality & consistency, sourcing produce plays an ever growing role in succeeding on this quest. Having tried and tested many suppliers and mongers over the years, Chef Askew has managed to whittle down to a few of his favourites.

Images coming soon.

RHUG ESTATE ORGANIC FARM

Lord Newborough is owner of Rhug Estate in North Wales which comprises the main farm in Corwen Denbighshire farming 6700 acres and Ty Mawr on the Gwynedd coast farming 1300 acres. Currently the farms produce Aberdeen Angus Beef, Welsh Lamb, Welsh Salt Marsh Lamb , Chicken, Geese and Turkeys at Christmas and Thanksgiving all reared organically. They also run a herd of Wild Bison and more recently have begun supplying wild forage from both farms.

Provenance and traceability are key, no pesticides or chemicals can be present in anything on the farm. They use the local family run abattoir and the meat is returned to the estates purpose built maturation and cutting plant.

Slow growing breeds are chosen to ensure the end product has the best possible flavour and this is of course the ultimate goal, after all what is the point of being organic but tasteless? This is where Rhug excels, not only are they organic but they are producing some of the best meat and poultry on the market.

WARD'S FISH

Established in 1927 by Emily Ward, the wife of a ship’s cook from Birkenhead, Ward’s Fish is a family business currently owned and run by the fourth generation Simon and Nigel Buckmaster.

Quality, Service and value are at the heart of everything they do. With their commitment to standards meaning they have received a maximum score from the Environmental Health Department.

Our shop is situated in the heart of Birkenhead’s shopping area, the famous Birkenhead Market, supplying a superb selection of fresh fish and shellfish from the British Isles and further afield.

We are proud to supply a number of local restaurants and caterers with something for every taste and budget.

EDGE BUTCHERS & SONS

Edge’s and Sons is a 6th generation family butchers, open since 1844 in New Ferry. As butchers they strive for quality in the meats that they sell, sourcing directly from farms within a 25-mile radius of themselves. Dealing in rare and traditional British breeds, they work closely with farmers to produce the best free-range naturally fed, long-lived stock, which is second to none.

They slaughter themselves in their own small but highly regulated abattoir ensuring animal welfare is a priority. The Edge family pride themselves on using their generations of knowledge and expertise, mixed with the highest welfare standards to keep animals in a calm, relaxed and healthy environment before slaughtering.

They have also won RSPCA good business awards on a number of occasions and in 2014 have been given the accolade of ‘Best Food Retailer’ in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming awards; making them in our opinion, the best of the best.

CLAREMONT FARM

Claremont Farm is a family run business by The Pimbleys. Situated on the Wirral since 1906, they have been growing and selling fruit and vegetables since the very start. Champions of local produce, they are huge supporters of what The Art School’s belief in showcasing local famers and producers within each dish.

The Farm has recently launched a new farm shop, butchers’ counter and café in the heart of both the Wirral countryside and their own farmland. Having worked for 10 years on creating this alternative way to shop and eat, the farm is a melting pot for local produce, seasonal foods and family activities.

The farm strives to reintroduce the culture and community surrounding the enjoyment of food and the market place, and we as a restaurant are proud to support such a local treasure.

RABY EGGS

A newer business than some of our other suppliers Raby Eggs have recently started their own egg farm. Fraser Wall and Yasmine Jones (the owners) have created a free-range, high welfare egg-laying unit in the heart of Raby woodland.

Supplying to many local restaurants and shops, Raby Eggs pride themselves on the quality of the eggs produced and the care given to each of the 500 chickens they own.

WIRRAL WATERCRESS

Wirral Watercress was established in 2005, based in Childer Thornton on the Wirral Peninsula. Ran by Peter Jones, a third generation market gardener, the main product supplied is watercress, during the seasons of March until December.

North West Fine Food Awards 2008 commended both the peashoots and watercress gardened by Peter, and Wirral Watercress won Merseyside producer of the Year 2008.

TWO CATHEDRALS HONEY

Beekeeper John Moran developed Two Cathedrals Honey from a project with both of Liverpool’s cathedrals. Five hives are kept in the grounds of each cathedral, both of which are situated either end of Liverpool’s Hope Street (a stone’s throw away from The Art School on Sugnall Street).

The high quality, local honey is sold locally, in both cathedrals and regularly features on The Art School’s menu. The project also looks at educating local people and conserving the British honeybee at the same time.

Both the Metropolitan and Anglican cathedrals are the only two in the country to sell and produce their own honey, although there is a long history of bee-keeping in religious institutions through out the ages.

QUINTESSENTIAL TEAS

Starting off from humble beginnings, Quinteassential first started its life trading at Farmer’s markets and local food festivals. Gaining recognition for our aromatic and unique blends, popularity started to grow. Now they serve some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the North West. Quinteassential have been awarded 7 Great Taste Gold Awards (2012 – 2014) and shortlisted for Insider “Made in North West” Business awards 2015.

“I am passionate about flavour combinations and would love to take the tea drinker with me on an imaginary voyage”
Bernadine Tay – Founder of Quinteassential

Bernadine Tay is a unique story teller with tea as her medium. As her creations evolve, scenes, textures and colours are amalgamated to kindle new flavours. Her signature style is defined by her love of ingredients that straddles East and West she uses in all her creations. Inevitably, this translates to an explosion of flavours that underpin many of her tea designs. In pursuit of sensual expression and desire to push the boundaries, Bernadine Tay masterfully blends the classic and contemporary to create daring, speculative and evocative tea blends.

The quintessence of Quinteassential is its finest ingredients. Bernadine’s dedication and passion to flavours lead her in a relentless search for new ingredients, from Egypt to Indonesia.

All tea leaves, fruits, flowers and spices used are the highest quality naturals available. Bernadine’s goal is always to preserve their delicacy so they blend in harmony to create works of edible art.

Quinteassential is based in Cheshire and houses a range of teas that are exclusively designed and blended.

SACRED

Sacred Gin is a unique product. Each organically sourced botanical is macerated with the highest quality of English grain spirit and then distilled separately in glassware under vacuum. This process creates the distinctively lush and fresh character Sacred Gin is known for.

LIBERTY WINES

Liberty Wine was founded in 1997; it now has a wine portfolio of over 200 producers in the wine world. In 2015, Liberty Wine won the Italian Merchant of the Year Award at the Sommelier Wine Awards, and Best On-Trade Supplier and the Drinks Business Awards.

BILLECART SALMON

Billecart-Salmon has been an independent and family-owned Champagne House for the past 200 years. Today it is ran by the 6th generation, who are just as committed to the family tradition as Nicholas Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon were in 1818 when they founded the House.

BOUTINOT

Boutinot are grape growers, wine makers, wine importers and wine suppliers for over 150 of the world’s finest and award winning wine producers. Established in 1980, Boutinot has grown to become one of the leading UK based distributors of quality wine from around the world. With a portfolio of over 1400 wines, each sourced to be one of the best wines from only the finest of grapes.

At the 2015 Sommelier Wine Awards, Boutinot won Great Value Merchant of the Year, having previously won Merchant of the Year for the previous 6 years.

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