AIDEN BYRNE’S LYMM RESTAURANT RANKS IN THE UK’S TOP 10 PER CENT

TV chef Aiden Byrne’s first restaurant venture – the Church Green gastro pub in Lymm, Cheshire – has been awarded three coveted AA rosettes.

Few eating places earn that level of restaurant grading in their first year … and it uniquely puts the village pub just one rosette behind the prestigious five-star luxury Chester Grosvenor Hotel.

Apart from the Grosvenor, it’s now the highest rated AA eatery in Cheshire and Greater Manchester and is ranked among the top 10 per cent of restaurants in the UK.

“Most three-rosette restaurants are also Michelin starred … so the Church Green is now in that sort of company,” says Aiden – who collected the award at London’s Hilton Hotel last night.

“I’m happy for the team,” he adds. “It’s been a tough year but the hard work has paid off.”

Three AA rosettes formally recognise “outstanding restaurants that demand recognition well beyond the local area”. And, says the AA, it’s where “you can expect excellent and intelligent service, and a well-chosen wine list.”

Aiden – who became the UK’s youngest Michelin star chef at the age of 22 – was the head chef at London’s Dorchester Grill before he moved north to convert the Lymm pub into a destination eating place earlier this year.

He is already planning to launch his second Cheshire venture with the re-opening of the White House restaurant in Prestbury.

IS IT THE UK’S SMALLEST MAGAZINE?

Julie Roberts works hard … and shops hard.

But, as recession-hit retailers close down, some local High Streets look in danger of turning into boarded-up ghost towns … “and that’s such a shame,” she says.

That’s why Julie is helping regenerate local retail businesses by encouraging people to spend money in their own south Manchester and north east Cheshire areas.

The result is ‘The Buzz’ – a handbag-sized magazine that leads the race to become the smallest of its kind in the country.

The 100-page A6 quarterly measures about 10 by 15 centimetres – a mixture of editorial features, advertising and discount vouchers.

“It’s for women who enjoy the finer things in life – but appreciate a good deal as well,” says Julie. “And the size is designed for people on the move - not as a competitor for conventional lifestyle magazines that people will always prefer to relax with at home.”

‘The Buzz’ is the first publishing venture for a 30 year-old entrepreneur who grew up in a Menai Strait tourist town and trained as a chef but made her mark with a Cheshire recruitment agency.

That’s when Julie Roberts started as a 21 year-old office junior, rose to manager and, within three years, had boosted turnover by 25 times.

So she moved into sales, in Manchester city centre, and dreamed of working for herself.

That’s how ‘The Buzz’ came about – an innovative miniature magazine that can be read in one hand, even in crowded places, and carried anywhere … in pockets or handbags.

Health, hair, beauty, restaurant and gadget features, as well as reviews and an editorial ‘what’s on guide’ are matched by money-saving discount offers which retailers will mark rather than tear out – “so the pages can stay intact through the three month life of the magazine,” says Julie.

“I’m hoping it will act as an anti-depressant to the negative ‘doom and gloom’ of recession, cheer people up with great offers and get them spending again with local retailers … and that includes me. Because I love hard work and shopping … it’s all I do.”

• ‘The Buzz’ launches in early September and 30,000 copies will be distributed free of charge to selected homes in Manchester, Chorlton, Didsbury, Salford Quays, Altrincham, Sale, Hale, Bowden, Bramhall, Poynton, Alderley Edge and Wilmslow as well as hotels and leisure venues in Manchester and Chester city centres.
  

LATASHA, 9, AND CARLO, 13, FRONT A £5 MILLION BUSINESS EXPANSION

Little Latasha Arnone may only be nine years old. And, at 13, her brother Carlo is not much older.

But the youngsters are helping their parents to launch a new £5 million business investment.

Latasha and Carlo are fronting a North West radio campaign for Manchester-based vehicle accident repair and bodyshop specialist Sapphire Garage - because mum and dad believe they can do it better than voice-over professionals.

“You get sick of hearing celebrities doing radio campaigns all day long,” says Paula Arnone who runs the Sapphire operation with her husband Tony.

“What people hear in our 40-second ads are kids having a bit of banter which gives it all an informal family feel that’s far more ‘real’ and genuine. We explained our ideas to them but, in the end, they gave us their own version.”

Latasha already has her sights on a showbusiness career - as a singer - and the voice-over was probably helped by her training at Northwich Stage School. But soccer fan Carlo prefers playing with Knutsford’s Edgerton Tigers football team and wants to be an architect. Both go to Hulme Grammar School at Oldham.

Their radio ad - in which Carlo accidentally scratches dad’s car with his bike - is launching Sapphire’s new East Manchester bodyshop beside the main A62. The three-acre site, two miles from Manchester city centre, will be one of the largest purpose-built vehicle accident repair operations in the country.

The newest and most technically advanced eco-friendly bodyshop in the UK has a contemporary steel clad building big enough to fit a football pitch - with parking outside for 300 vehicles.

The original Sapphire Garage started up 25 years ago with a small unit on the Enterprise Trading Estate. The Arnones now own the whole estate.

“And the two sites,” says Tony, “now give us a total of five acres to deal with walk-in retail business as well as insurance jobs. And even with insurance claims, including non-fault accidents, every motorist still has a choice where their vehicle goes for repair. It’s not the insurer’s decision.

“That’s why we’re expanding … we cater for people who care about their vehicles and want the best for them.”

UK’s most advanced, purpose-built, eco-friendly repair operation

The launch of a new £5 million second-site extension to Sapphire Garage’s Manchester auto repair operation is adding a new eco-friendly image to the 25 year-old business.

Features such as the environment-conscious heating system … lighting that automatically dims according to natural light … recycling facilities … the latest energy efficient spray ovens … and sophisticated sensor-controlled dust extraction system … are all part of a deliberate policy of using ecological technology.

It sits alongside the installation of laser and high-tech repair equipment for aluminium boron steel, 3-dimensional visual wheel alignment and perfect colour-match paint technology.

“We believe in efficiency, not waste, so our stand on environmental issues is a matter of routine,” says managing director Tony Arnone - who jointly owns the business with his wife Paula.

MOST ADVANCED

The new three-acre state-of-the-art bodyshop, beside the A62 two miles to the east of Manchester city centre, is less than four miles away from Sapphire’s original two-acre sister site.

With a contemporary steel clad building, big enough to house a football pitch, and parking outside for 300 vehicles, it adds up to one of the largest, most advanced, purpose-built vehicle accident repair operations in the country.

Both sites deal with walk-in retail customers, corporate and insurance business, have PAS 125 BSI kitemark as well as ISO 9001:2008 accreditation and handle a total average of 120 repairs per week.

They deliver a combined 80,000 square feet of workspace with 140 working bays, four recovery vehicles, seven body jigs and nine spray booths - including two commercial booths for high vehicles. There are 70 available courtesy cars. And the staff of 67 includes an onsite glass specialist - so no work is sub-contracted out.

SILVER JUBILEE

Sapphire Garage’s original site started 25 years ago as a small trading estate unit - but it grew to occupy the whole two acre estate and the premises became more stylish than many a dealership showroom.

In its Silver Jubilee year the highly-ranked, independently owned business is now Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Renault-approved and has a string of national ‘best repairer’ and ‘best value’ industry awards.

“Manchester has literally hundreds of back street garages,” says Tony Arnone, “but you can count on one hand the ones that are serious about body repair.

“Sapphire is proud of lifting public perception of our industry in this city. We cater for people who care about their vehicles. That’s why we are committed to excellence and regular update training to ensures that our professional specialists stay the best in their field.”

CAPESTHORNE GETS A RETURN ON ADVERTISING … 44 YEARS LATER

It was the power of advertising that drew Chesterfield postman Alan Chapman 40 miles across the Peak District to visit Capesthorne Hall near Macclesfield.

But the advert that did the trick was published … 44 years ago.

Sonny and Cher, Sandie Shaw and the Walker Brothers were topping the charts at the time - with vinyl singles spinning on Dansette record players. That year - 1965 - saw the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. The big film was ‘Dr Zhivago’.

And a East Midlands bus company handbook carried a quarter-page advert for Capesthorne Hall - alongside tourist hotspots such as Blackpool, Matlock and a fledgling Alton Towers.

The handbook had belonged to Alan’s parents and, as he leafed through it more than four decades later, he came across Capesthorne Hall. So he and his partner, teacher Angela Parkin, thought they would have a day out.

“We gave it a go and had a great time,” says Alan who called in at a classic car show, wandered through the Capesthorne gardens, past the chain of lakes, through the hall itself and lunched in the café.

“I don’t usually go visiting stately homes but when we saw this advert Capesthorne looked to be something quite different so I checked it out on the Internet and decided to pay a visit. And it’s a lovely place. We had a really good day out.

“I don’t know how much the ad cost them back in 1965 but it paid off … even if they had to wait more than 40 years for it to work in my case.”

Hall manager, Christine Mountney agreed: “We all know that advertising can be a slow burn but I’ve never seen one smoulder for this long before.

“We still use advertising but, of course, we now have the Internet too - and the full programme of Capesthorne events for 2009 is on http://www.capesthorne.com.”

That includes two craft fairs in April and September, three classic and sports car events, a new three-day hot air balloon event in June - with fairground rides, arena shows, trade village and live music - and the popular ‘Christmas at Capesthorne’ event in November.

‘LEARNER-LAND’ IDEA GETS INTO GEAR

Sale driving instructor James Eisen is asking local councils and businesses to make practice land available where learner drivers could take their first lessons - away from busy roads.

James, who owns the L-test driving school in Sale, is used to nervous first-timers who get “seriously worried about being thrust into real traffic on Day One.”

But if the right space was available, to allow those important first steps in vehicle control, it would not only ease their stress and reduce the amount of learner traffic on overcrowded roads, but could also cut the time and cost of learning to drive.

“There are precedents,” says James. “A driving school in Essex uses a local business park. And teenagers of 15 and 16 - below our legal driving limit - take off-road lessons at a disused aerodrome in Northamptonshire.

“I can imagine a time, in the future, when youngsters will be absolutely amazed that we used to get into a car, for the first time ever, and share the road with other traffic.

“Business parks can be ideal - some are just like miniature villages where most basic manoeuvres could be practiced without inconveniencing other road users. There is only so long that we can test the patience of local residents by taking learner drivers down side roads and through housing estates where traffic is light.

“In the past 12 years the number of cars on the road has risen from 22 million to 38 million with little increase in the road network itself. So it’s getting more crowded for young learners - and this does affect their ability to learn.

“If we could provide the option of booking time, away from the stresses of a highway, it would not only significantly reduce learner traffic on the road but would boost their confidence to develop faster, pass a driving test quicker … and slice a chunk off the cost of lessons.”

At the moment it takes an average of 40-45 hours of tuition, 22 hours of private practice and around £1,000 to pass a driving test. “As a driving school, L-test can take a third off those figures,” said James, “but perhaps even more if we could offer a facility like this.”

NEW HEIGHTS FOR THE ALDERLEY RESTAURANT

Table ‘8′ is two feet higher than it used to be.

And the spectacular panoramic view over the east Cheshire plain is now turning it into the most requested restaurant seat in town.

Customers at the Alderley Restaurant - part of the newly refurbished Alderley Edge Hotel - are specifically requesting it since the hotel’s £200,000 improvement enhanced the 80-cover restaurant and adjoining lounge bar area.

‘Enhanced’ - not ‘changed’. Because Ahmet Kurcer has a theory about ‘change’

“It happens all the time,” says the general manager of the Alderley Edge Hotel. “People need it … but they don’t necessarily like it. And it works best of all when they hardly notice it.”

A wall and two fireplaces have been removed, part of the restaurant floor lifted by two feet, and a subtly modernised décor, with new furnishings and a specially commissioned collection of local photography, has transformed the atmosphere. But many customers are not conscious of any great change.

“And that’s fine,” says Mr Kurcer, “because improvement is not always the same as change. Many people don’t like change so the trick is to alter things while making sure people still feel comfortable … or even moreso.

“We deliberately briefed the designer to achieve a very gentle merger of classically traditional and stylishly modern because that’s what makes us unique. Some customers do a ‘double take’ because they notice things are different but to others it looks as though it’s always been this way.

“And I’m happy with that … because their comfort is our priority.”

The new-look for the 157 year-old former cotton merchant’s house took four weeks to complete and restaurant regulars moved into the hotel’s function room until everything was ready.

The restaurant’s newly levelled floor is the most noticeable improvement - replacing the split-level that used to separate customers into two areas and left those at the lower tables peering over a window ledge to enjoy the view over the Cheshire countryside.

That’s why Table ‘8′ - with its prime elevated window - is now becoming the first to be reserved as customers book up to sample the ‘sous vide’ gourmet specialities in head chef Chris Holland’s newly launched ‘modern English’ menu.

The new level floor also gives more flexibility for larger parties, of up to 25 people, to be seated at the same table if they wish.

“Many people, however, whether lunching or dining, often don’t chose hotel restaurants,” says Mr Kurcer. “But this is no standard hotel restaurant. The atmosphere we have now created feels like a standalone eating area, with a special identity, where customers can enjoy gourmet food at realistic prices.”

Meanwhile, service in the lounge bar is now extended through the day, from 10am, Monday to Saturday, for people who want morning coffee and afternoon snacks, light meals and traditional classic dishes from lunchtime to evening.

“The bar lounge is a social hub for any hotel and getting it right is important,” adds Mr Kurcer. “Here, people can sit and talk, over a meal or drink, in the comfort of quality surroundings at any time of day.

“And quality is what we insist on  …  every aspect of that service has to be strike absolutely the right chord.”

• The Alderley Edge Hotel is on Macclesfield Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire SK9 7BJ; tel - 01625 583033;  website - www.alderleyedgehotel.com

THE HIDDEN DANGERS OF THE NEW BRITISH STANDARD 9999

The new incoming British Standard 9999 is a leap forward in fire safety - but it still contains hidden dangers for both firefighters and the public - according to Manchester-based smoke control specialists Fire Engineering Associates.

For, although Section 28 recommends properly designed and installed pressure differential systems for firefighting shafts in buildings more than 30 metres high, and basements more than 10 metres deep, it allows natural ventilation as an alternative method in smaller commercial and residential buildings.

“And that’s where the danger comes in,” says chartered engineer and FEA associate Jim Wild - a fan engineering consultant who specialises in fire smoke control systems.

“Natural ventilation systems have been around since 1971 and they have been criticised from the beginning. The idea is to allow smoke to get into the escape or entry route and then be ventilated … which is not a good start.

“This method is also very susceptible to external wind conditions and early research showed that, even with the very best alignment of vent outlet with prevailing wind, smoke remained in the escape routes on almost 50% of occasions.

“The recommendation that natural vent outlets only be located where they are always subject to negative wind pressures is very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve in built up areas - and historically such recommendations have often been ignored.

“For all these reasons firefighters could, even now, still find themselves having to enter smoke-filled buildings - which is very dangerous. It would have been safer if the new standard had excluded this natural ventilation option altogether.”

Occupants of a building could be endangered, too - because BS 9999 does not clearly recognise that EN12101 Part 6 also applies to escape shafts. So it does little, as yet, for escaping occupants. Hopefully, this will be dealt with in future revisions.”

Overall, BS 9999 - which comes into force in April - is “wonderful news for the industry and we welcome it almost unreservedly,” says Fire Engineering Associates Technical Director, Dave Ogden whose experience in pressurisation systems puts him in a narrow band of smoke control engineers whose contemporaries, more typically, have natural ventilation backgrounds.

“A pressure differential system is the only method where the object of the design is to keep smoke out of the escape routes,” he says. “Unfortunately, design failure in early systems gave pressurisation a bad name but Fire Engineering Associates has always supported it because, correctly designed and installed, it is easily the best form of protection.”

Dave has been behind more than 100 pressurisation systems from Fire Engineering Associates over the last decade - often involving several integrated stairwells. These have included Ontario Tower, in London’s Dockland, which has two pressurised systems - a fire fighting shaft covering 30 floors and a escape stair of 21 stories.

NATASHA’S WEDDING DRESS GETS AN OUTING AT CAPESTHORNE HALL … TWO YEARS LATE

Natasha Dodds is finally wearing her wedding dress at Capesthorne Hall … two years after getting married somewhere else.

For Natasha - a director of the new 580-square metre Capesthorne Pavilion - will be the first model down the catwalk, there, at the annual Bridal Fair on 11 January.

Her ivory satin gown was due to be worn at Capesthorne on 1 December 2006 but Natasha’s first choice of wedding venue was already booked on that date. So she married, instead, in North Yorkshire.

“I loved the dress but only wore it for seven hours - which is always a great waste,” says Natasha, “so I jumped at the chance to bring it out again for our first public event in the new Capesthorne Pavilion.”

Natasha returns to her home county as a director of the Capesthorne Pavilion - the first permanent structure of its kind in the country to get planning permission as a wedding, corporate event and family celebration venue.

The pavilion, at the northern corner of Capesthorne Hall, Siddington, will be commercially available for conferences, exhibitions, private parties, gala balls, award ceremonies and dinners as well as wedding banquets.

“And the income from the estate’s newest 21^st century feature will be used to modernise one of the oldest parts of the 18^th century hall,” says manager Christine Mountney.

A three-year restoration programme will convert the cobbled mews yard - which has garaged horse drawn carriages and Rolls Royce cars over the past 250 years - into a 1,600 square foot hi-tech office suite. There will also be repairs to the theatre wing stonework, roofing and chimneys as well as comprehensive landscaping and planting.

Work will be funded by income from the versatile pavilion which is specifically designed to accommodate every type of corporate event. It provides event space for up to 500 people, is large enough to drive cars in for indoor motor shows, has its own kitchen and luxury toilet areas.

But weddings are expected to be the main use - adding a large single space to Capesthorne’s more traditional suite of smaller rooms overlooking the lakes and gardens

“Capesthorne is already one of Cheshire’s most romantic wedding venues,” says Kris Beaumont, general manager of Archant’s “Cheshire and Lancashire Bride” magazine - organiser of this month’s wedding fair on 11 January (12pm - 4pm).

“But the hall has always been short of a single large room for more than 100 people and the pavilion will fill that gap magnificently.  And, as a major wedding industry exhibition, we are making the most of the additional space to feature two catwalk fashion shows which will introduce the very latest outfits for both brides and grooms.”

And that’s where Natasha comes in.

“I really wanted to get married here, in my home county,” she says, “but Capesthorne just wasn’t available at the time. Coincidentally, though, we laid the foundations for the Capesthorne Pavilion on the day of my second wedding anniversary - which gave me the idea to get personally involved with the Bridal Fair.”

ZUMAR RAISES THE BAR TO BEAT THE DANGERS OF ‘CURRY MILE’

Beware!  Fake Indian curries should carry a health warning.

For super strength vindaloos and phals can actually damage the stomach lining and digestive system.

And some of the worst offenders are in Manchester’s world-famous ‘Curry Mile’ in Rusholme - where old-style curry houses often serve food that’s “like eating broken glass” - says Sale’s Zumar restaurateur Isak Miah.

Isak - who, this year, celebrates 30 years of pioneering genuine Asian cuisine in Sale - denounces Indian restaurants that “don’t serve genuine Asian food but westernised versions that have been invented, given made-up names … and can actually harm you.

“Some phoney hot curries are like eating broken glass,” he warns. “They damage the stomach and the people who cook them are often not qualified, with no experience of the real thing, and they use rubbish ingredients out of jars.”

Sale has more claim to be the UK home of Asian cuisine, says Isak - whose mother taught him how to cook traditional Asian dishes, passed down through generations, in his home town of Sylhet among the tea plantations and tropical forests of north east Bangladesh.

For it was in Sale that Isak opened his first restaurant, at the age of 18 - the Eastern Tandoori on Washway Road. It was there he pioneered home-cooked traditional Asian food and his reputation laid the foundations for Zumar - which he launched on Northenden Road last year.

“I wanted to introduce a different kind of stylish, contemporary, modern Asian restaurant,” says Isak - whose farming family moved to the UK to join his grandfather, a naval officer who had fought in World War ll. Their 50 acres outside Sylhet still produces rice, vegetables, herbs, spices and livestock.

“Someone has to make a stand and move away from old fashioned curry houses that cater for a macho culture of eating the hottest curry possible. I wanted to raise the bar higher than that with a restaurant where chefs mix with customers at their tables and can tailor dishes to individual tastes.

“We don’t use chilli powders and colouring - we use fresh ingredients and grind our own spices. It’s hard work but it’s worth it because you can’t fool people who are growing to know the difference. People who thought they understood Asian dishes tell me they have never tasted food like it in their lives.”

And those who prefer British food are discovering the difference of an eastern style of cooking from Isak and his wife Joriful with their daughters Nazneen, Nazia and Saarah who all help at Zumar.

Meanwhile, on the menu there, customers can still find the first thing that Isak ever learned to cook. The ‘macchi fry’ that he learned from his mother over 40 years ago … and more than 5,000 miles away.

Zumar - 23 Northenden Road, Sale, M33 2DH - tel: 0161 973 2200; Open seven days a week - 12 noon to midnight. www.zumar.co.uk