Harley Young chats with Andrew about Sunday dinners, cheffing successes and Scouse
Renowned chef Andrew Green, has recently been appointed as Head Chef of Liverpool’s The Municipal Hotel & Spa MGallery, bringing his years of culinary skills and expertise along with the introduction of a Sunday roast dinner offering to the hotel’s on-site restaurant, Seaforth.
I caught up with Andrew to find out more about his decision to take his cheffing career from Manchester to Liverpool, what drew him to The Municipal, and which plate you should order when you visit.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I started working in kitchens when I was 15, I was still in school, but after about a year working as a pot wash that’s when I got into cooking. I moved across quite quickly, I’m 43 now so it’s been a long time. From small restaurants to big hotels and working all around Manchester. I’ve always worked in Manchester really, this is my first venture in Liverpool.
What would you say the biggest achievement of your career is to date?
It depends, really. I’m always quite proud of the fact I was made the first executive chef at the Radisson Blu hotel at Manchester Airport. It was the biggest hotel in the northwest of England at the time, so for me personally that’s kind of my biggest achievement.
People looking in probably wouldn’t think that, but for me it was because it was a very big scale operation and a lot of pressure on my shoulders. The amount of revenue we used to make there is two or three times more than any place in the area, so to handle that as such a young person, it really set me up for the rest of my career.
How did this role at The Municipal Hotel come about?
They approached me a while ago but, at the time, I’d just started another job and was committed to there - I didn’t want to just jump ship. But after [The Municipal Hotel] had been open about a year, I started to see what it actually was. I began seeing all the photographs of the place and had a few people I knew that worked there who told me how amazing it was. I could see myself there.
Someone I knew that worked here must’ve put in a good word and they approached me. I think a little bit of me regretted not taking the leap the first time around. To me, it’s one of the best places to work.
I trek in and out from Stockport near Manchester every day but coming to this building just makes it worth it. If it was any old job, it certainly wouldn’t be, but because of what you come into every day and are part of, it’s really worth it.
What’s your favourite thing about working there?
When you work in a standalone restaurant, it can become quite repetitive; it’s day in, day out, always about food - in our hotel, it’s different. Obviously, food is one big part of it, but it’s so much more of the commercial side of things. It’s more of a multi-outlet which people probably don’t realise from the outside in. If you think about breakfast, room service, afternoon tea, banqueting, the evening menu, the bar menu - it’s a place where there’s multiple things to work on at once and I really like that.
I’ve been here a year and it’s been a big project for me to align things into how I feel they should be, and now we’re definitely starting to see those results and make strides.
So you’ve recently added roast dinners to the mix. What makes a Seaforth roast dinner stand out from other roast dinners in the city?
We always go with sirloin or one of the higher cuts if we can and always work with a really good butcher - ours is Himalayan salt-aged beef and a large trim. We make sure our ingredients are tip top and make as much of the elements in house as we can. Everything’s made on the day with proper gravy, and I always try to make it affordable as well.
Also the setting - I think when you come here it’s somewhere you can be proud to take your family, it’s somewhere special.
What’s your favourite item on the menu?
Obviously, being in Liverpool we’ve got Scouse on the menu. But we’ve made it more refined and more special with Herdwick lamb that’s been slow cooked so it's nice and pink and presented beautifully.
I’d recommend that to any new customers, especially if they’re not from the area and want a taste of Liverpool while you’re here - we say this is a classic dish done differently.
Click here to find out more about The Municipal Hotel & Spa MGallery.
The Municipal Hotel & Spa MGallery, Municipal Building, Dale St, Liverpool L2 2DH
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