Mel meets....Metropolitan Head Chef Mike Carter

Mel was cruising around West Didsbury and bumped into The Metropolitan’s Head Chef Mike Carter.

Hi Mike, you’ve been here for a year now, what’s changed? I’ve been here 12 months now and the business has changed a lot. For example, you could only eat pizza outside whereas now you can dine from the entire menu (including pizza) when sitting outside. Made changes with the kitchen, natural wastage, good team in there now - all 20 of them.

Really? That seems like a lot! Yeah well we try and keep it to 45 hours per person per week; which is why we keep our staff retention - rare to have a bit of balance. We’re a family run business and the owners give us Christmas Day off too.

Where were you before here? I opened up the Fox & Hounds pub in Holmes Chapel and before that in Nigel Howarth’s Nags Head in Tarporley. I’ve worked in Cheshire for years, have a great relationship with suppliers around there. Having a connection with them ensures everything you have is fresh so you can cook fresh food. I’ve carried that to here too but also utilising local produce; the likes of Frosts Butchers in Chorlton for most of our meats, fish from Easy Fish Co in Heaton Moor and cheeses from Chester Cheese Shop and Bourne of Cheshire. All these connections I’ve built up over the years are still here in Didsbury.

So it is clear that you’ve made some operational changes - what about the menu itself? Well, it’s a lot less stuffy. There were a lot of whirls on the plate and I thought, what are we? The Met? I think there was a bit of an identity issue covering a lot of angles. I hate to use the word gastro, but we serve good food in a pub. Taken it all down a bit, looking at the trends. We do sell the staples (burgers, fish & chips, pies).

What is the most popular dish on the whole menu? Our pies do extremely well. When I started here we had a deconstructed fish pie. Looked at it and thought; why don’t we just sell a fish pie! We do now, it’s a great seller. All year round dish - comforting. The Cheese Pie with salt-baked beets is a great one too; colourful and vibrant. We also do a lot of pasta and salad dishes which are very popular with ladies that lunch; light dish with some nice Prosecco.

Is there a particular dish on the menu you enjoy cooking? I’d say the fish dishes. Try and keep it simple. What I’ve been taught ever since I began cooking 30 years ago with my grandmother.

That your inspiration then Mike? Oh yeah, having an Italian grandmother gave me lots of inspiration. She used to grow tomatoes in a green house here, and whenever she’d go back to Italy she’d come back with cuttings. Courgettes, marrows, etc. We used to do a lot of pasta making, soups, ragu and pickling. I love it, couldn’t do any other job. It’s a burning passion to create fantastic food. Whenever we’re looking for staff it’s the first thing I look for in a chef. That passion has to be there.




So do you have any tips for budding chefs? Don’t stand still, look for things to do and learn. Speak to suppliers; visit them to see where your produce comes from.

Sound like you’ve been classically trained, what are your views on Michelin stars? Well I’ve worked in Michelin kitchens (with Nigel Howarth) and have a lot of respect for them. For me, I’m not really motivated by a star. Not that I lack the passion, but I’m about the customer. The ethos here is to highlight the customer’s day - not win an award. The fact that we’re busy is a good enough sign for me.

Where do you go for a good meal? Well I’ve got two young boys so it’s very difficult. We spend a lot of time in Anglesey camping. Kids absolutely love a good BBQ, getting their hands dirty. Recently were in Dylan’s in Menai Bridge for the Menai mussels. Children tuck straight into them! On the other side we had a good meal at The White Eagle. Nice walk afterwards, it’s brilliant.

If you ever have a night out without the children, where do you look to go? We very much enjoy Tom at 101 in Stockton Heath. I met my wife in Chester so that was always a place we’d dine out in.

Sounds like you’re very clinical in your approach to how things run, are you a loud chef or the silent type? You walk in that kitchen; most of them will be horizontal. We try and have a nice atmosphere, bit jovial at times - but you spend so much time together you have to have fun as well as graft. Great team who allow me to get on with other things. Saturday in fact, I was a floating chef - out here with the pizza boys (two Italians from Naples) showing how to be more streamline, then inside watching service from a different angle. Not just cooking.

Any chefs you would have liked to have worked for? Nobody in particular, although I’m a big fan of Tom Kerridge. Got the market place right, to have a star with a pub. Fellow chefs rave about how nice and grounded he is. A family man and I can emphasis with that.

When will the menus change next? Seasonal, so will be September. Pretty much written it all already as I go away in July. Like to get things boxed off first so when I come back it’s all ready. So many people book their Christmas parties in September so it’s important to be ready. We like to be busy, but organised and plan ahead. Probably tweak the current menu in the next week or so - always at it.

Finally, what would be the one dish you’d have as a last meal? Well I’m a traditionalist so I’d have to say a roast. I could eat roast beef all day long. Good piece of beef, big Yorkshire, fresh seasonal veg, bit of English mustard with a large glass of Rioja. I do like Mediterranean food, but that would be my food heaven.

Nice. Good to see you Mike, will let you get back to your chilled kitchen!

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Posted: Thursday 2nd June 2016
ID: 2578 - 1700