CHRISTMAS ON A BUTTY

THE last time | walked into the side dining room of the Whitworth Locke hotel, it was a neon-pink paradise serving up a range of South American flavours in the form of Peru Perdu.

- By ADAM MAIDMENT

The Boxing Day butty at Winsome

But with that restaurant having closed its doors last summer, it has since become home to chef Shaun Moffat's latest venture that's been getting rave reviews and lots of critical acclaim.

Winsome, on Princess Street, opened in March with a focus on Northern hospitality and British cooking. Since then, it's received love from food critic Grace Dent - who hailed it as her new favourite, declaring ‘It doesn't get much better’ - and appeared in the Michelin Guide as a top recommendation in the city. Not bad for a few months' work.

Chef Patron Shaun, who previously served as the Executive Chef of Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats, is celebrating his first Christmas at Winsome right now - and he and the team have gone all-out at the city centre venue with a festive offering which, at least on first impressions, absolutely blows any supermarket Christmas sandwich meal deal out of the window.

Described as their ‘homage to the Boxing Day sandwich’, it’s a hefty offering made up of ‘all the best bits we have in the kitchen that day’ so it's incredibly likely that no two sandwiches will ever be the same. But you can be assured that it'll have roast potatoes, pork scratchings and gravy for dipping. It's one to bring a batch of napkins for, with cutlery perhaps necessary. So, of course, it sounds ideal - and a bit outlandish - for a lunchtime treat.