I must say, I've been really excited to write and to share this post with you lovely lot. It's been a long time coming but I finally get to write about the incredible chef/musical duo Terry & George, and by George, yes I do mean my George... How exciting.
Terry & George, who are also known as the brains behind Check On are a lil chef duo specialising in pop-up restaurants and having more recently released their debut cook book Feeding Friends. Having in the past focused more heavily on pop-up's in London, they have ventured up North to Leeds for their very first Northern pop-up.
I attended last week with my family and some really close friends and I honestly cannot tell you how spectacular it was; a real night to remember and one of those nights that I already wish I could go back to.
Great food, great tunes and the most amazing hospitality; with one huge banquet table, and both Terry & George serving the food and explaining, in detail, each and every course. It was such an attentive and beautiful service with old friends, strangers and now new friends all getting to know each other and bonding over a cracking dining experience.
On arrival we were greeted by a seriously warm welcome... Gorgeous George on the floor and Terry working away in the kitchen and a variety of guests who had heard of the pop-up in publications such as The Times and The Yorkshire Post.
The table was laid in true "Feeding Friends" style, yellow and black. Yellow napkins laid on top of black table cloths with the menu of the night featuring our eight courses placed in the middle between home made yellow candles, a really gorgeous ambience which is one thing I feel T&G do oh so well.
Whilst the guests mingled and got to know one another the awesome Hello Operator, a badass rock n roll band from York and a current fave band of mine, began to play acoustically which added to the vibe all the more.
If you know anything about Terry & George it's that they know how to throw the perfect dinner party, realising that it's not just about the food (although they do that pretty well too)
Music is a huge part of any evening affair and what I love so much about the Feeding Friends book and ethos is that there is a handpicked playlist that works with each chapter that you can follow on Spotify to give your dinner party the ultimate Terry & George vibe.
So for our night in Leeds, T&G treated us to a live acoustic performance by Hello Operator, a killer soundtrack which included Fleetwood Mac, Colin Blunstone, Crosby Stills & Nash, Bowie and more, with a very special acoustic performance by George himself, it was truly magical and went oh so perfectly with each and every course.
So now for the food, eight course's of sheer perfection. Classic dishes with a very special Terry & George touch. Those boys really know how to take a British favourite and really sass it up in a way that has never been done before.
For example, take your classic British fish and chips and make it mini. Ditch your cod or haddock for scollops, turn your chips into matchstick fries and lay it on a bed of the most naughty and delicious, creamy and tasty mushy peas you have ever tried, that's the Terry & George effect.
Ham sandwiches OH HELLO NO! Try smoked pulled ham with apricot jam and soda bread, sounds totally random but honest to goodness this for me was the surprise dish of the night, an ultimate fave of mine and one I will definitely be trying out at home using my Feeding Friends recipe book.
Other starter or appetisers included "Piggy croquettes" which are as good as they sound, all finished off with toffee, apple sauce and coriander and "Crabbucino" which was simply sensational, a warm shot of crab "soup"(don't quote me on that) with a deliciously frothy top completed with fennel and roe dust, out of this world awesome and oh so innovative.
For the mains, guests could select from "Our Kid" a dish of goat with green sauce, tomato, marrow and crumb or "Me bird" which was as before but this time with chicken... Duh. I personally love these super fun and classic northern names for the dishes, just another T&G touch which definitely didn't go unnoticed.
Five courses down it was now time for a desert or three.
A Gin & Tonic ice lolly to start the desert course, followed by a beautifully refreshing dish named "Strawbs", summer berries, basil and spicy vanilla cream.
But my fave of the deserts was the final dish of the evening barbequed pineapple with rum, toffee, coconut and chamomile cream... So summery and oh so tasty.
I had SUCH a wonderful evening dining with Terry & George and would seriously urge you to take advantage of their other pop up nights if you fancy an evening of delicious food, great music and the best vibe in town.
Terry & George nail it every time when it comes to an all round dining experience and will be popping-up throughout the country across the next few months, with more dates in Leeds, London and Scotland... To be continued 😉
x M
This seems like such a great evening wow!
Abigail Alice x