Jo Myers and chef husband Stu Myers have opened the doors to a new food venture, The Swine in Headingley. Previously owners of the much loved Swine that Dines in Leeds city centre, the new bistro has more than doubled its covers to 35.
Stu Myers and new head chef, Kirsty Cheetham, have developed an expanded menu whilst staying true to its culinary roots with its famous terrines, black pudding, homemade sausages and of course, its love affair with British pies.
Most vivid childhood memory
Our first holiday abroad eating watermelon for breakfast. Coming from a small village in south west Scotland I’m not sure I’d even seen a watermelon. I remember each morning of the holiday my dad hacking up this huge fruit. I’d never seen anything so big. He’d put massive slices on plates and we sat outside on the plastic garden chairs, getting all sticky and spitting out pips.
Most memorable meal out
Such a hard one as eating out is our favourite thing to do. But most recently we took our son to Adam Byatt’s Michelin-starred London restaurant, Trinity for his 21st birthday. That was pretty special. Maybe we’d become a bit blasé about fine dining so seeing his astonishment and wonder at some of the food he ate that day made us feel like we were experiencing it for the first time again ourselves.
Favourite ingredient
Really really good quality vanilla. You can’t make a good custard tart or ice cream without decent vanilla. And they are my absolute favourite things to make.
If you weren’t a restaurant owner what would you be?
In my free time I knit or sew. Producing my own clothes has changed the way I look at myself and given me more confidence as I get older. But it’s something I’ve come to quite late in life. In particular I’m interested textile production. I think I’d be happy working in sustainable slow fashion.
Guilty food pleasure
Ribeye steak with bearnaise sauce. I rarely eat steak. I wouldn’t buy one in a restaurant if I didn’t know the kitchen. I want it to be really good meat cooked by a good chef. And I have one of those at home. So every now and then, maybe if I need cheering up or we’ve had a tough week, Stu orders us a ribeye from our butcher and he makes a bearnaise. And it’s just the two of us and it’s perfect.
Food and drink heroes
David Lishman who owns Lishman’s butchers in Ilkley. I remember getting on a train to Ilkley once when we didn’t have a car to get our Christmas joint of beef. Best train journey I ever made.
Food person who inspires
Just recently the women who have spoken out against sexism and misogyny in hospitality. Sally Abe, Dara Klein and all the women who wrote the open letter calling it out. It shouldn’t be a controversial thing to say that sexism doesn’t belong in any workplace and yet for some reason in hospitality there are still those reluctant to acknowledge it and help us tackle it. These women could have ended their careers by speaking out. It took guts to do what they did.
A place you love to eat
The Palmerston in Edinburgh. We go to Edinburgh just to relax. Our trips to Edinburgh are not restaurant packed like when we visit other cities. Edinburgh is like going home. We get off the train and head straight to The Palmerston for Sunday lunch. And their cocktails are superb.
A career highlight
Launching our Swine Crowdfunding campaign for the new restaurant and seeing it hit target in 48hours. You know people tell you how much they love your restaurant and what you do but I don’t think it was until that moment that we actually truly believed it. It was a bit of a “pinch me” moment. Still is.
What’s next?
Building a strong team here is very important. We’re not complacent. We’re open but there’s still a lot of work to do. We want to be the best we can and this is no time to be resting on our laurels. There’s lots of work to do. The future of the Swine is very exciting.
Favourite dish
Octopus, Saffron, Chickpeas.
We love octopus, slowly cooked in its own juices, that then start to caramelise. The meat of the octopus becomes almost meaty, like the best roast beef you’ve ever had. You’d never believe it came from the sea. Served sat on a saffron infused chickpea stew, this dish is evocative of holidays in the med. Sundrenched.
swinethatdines.co.uk
Jo’s favourite dish. Image: Richard Warburton
