When Elnecot opened last September, it wanted to be a more than your average bar and kitchen. Not just for the sake of it, but because of the qualities it holds dear to its heart.

Elnecot is named after the first recorded mention in 1212, of the settlement that used to occupy the area, so the bar and kitchen specialises in sharing plates inspired by British culinary heritage. Produce is locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable with dishes that nod to the area’s past - including its time as ‘Little Italy’.

Michael has carefully chosen suppliers who are specialists in what they do and are great examples of the principles behind everything Elnecot does

Chef owner Michael Clay explains, “Originally, when we found this Ancoats venue, we didn’t think it made sense to just go straight down the Italian food route. But we loved the idea of cicchetti, small informal sharing plates. The more we researched, the more we wondered what kind of things we could create from local ingredients and more interesting cuts of meat that aren’t as common nowadays. We were looking at traditional dishes done well with methods such as pickling and fermentations etc.”

Elnecot’s Pig’s head croquettes are really popular. They’re made from brawn; a pig’s head simmered in stock for over four hours, with the meat picked off and stirred into a thick béchamel sauce. Slow braised pig ears, sliced and fried in breadcrumbs, have also been a hit with customers– both are delicious, traditional snacks which seem to have got lost in time.

Obviously a key part to Elnecot’s philosophy is sourcing ingredients. “It didn’t make sense for us to buy avocadoes from South America,” said Michael, “so we do things like smashed broccoli on sourdough for brunch which is just as delicious, healthy and more sustainable.”

This sense of responsibility runs throughout the bar and kitchen from the furniture made using local wood, to the lack of plastic straws in drinks

This sense of responsibility runs throughout the bar and kitchen from the furniture made using local wood, to the lack of plastic straws in drinks. “We get our meat, poultry and eggs from the north of the UK and it’s all free range,” explains Michael. “All our fish comes from UK waters. We have a close relationship with our fruit and vegetable supplier who lets us know what’s in season and tells us where things have come from. We’ve even found a UK supplier of buffalo burrata.”

On Elnecot’s menu you’ll find their version of the ‘Manchester Egg’; Bury black pudding and sausage meat wrapped around a soft-boiled quails egg with homemade piccalilli. It’s part of the ‘Manchester Board’, a drink friendly sharing platter of Manchester Smokehouse salmon, Woodall’s British charcuterie, British cheese and local bread.

And when we say local bread, we mean local. Bread comes from Campanio; a bakery round the corner run (mostly single handedly) by Russell Goodwin, an experienced artisan baker. Elnecot stock three of Campanio’s five core breads; Ancoats white sourdough, Victoria wholewheat and 100% Pennine rye bread with toasted sunflower seeds and linseeds. All Campanio’s sourdough breads are naturally leavened using only wild yeast naturally present in the organic flour and each is fermented slowly for at least 48 hours.

Quality and care is important to Michael, which is why he has taken the time to find specialist producers who follow the same principles.

Elnecot use smoked salmon from the Manchester Smokehouse. It has been produced for four generations to the exact same recipe and Michael was keen to make sure it had a place on his menu. Richard Hyman now runs the business from a unit on Waterloo Road, Cheetham Hill and guarantees that his great grandfather would still recognise the taste from when he began making it – although he told us that his parents regularly offer feedback to make sure.

Richard’s smoked salmon has recently earned a Great Taste Awards and it was even given a mention by national food critic Jay Rayner. The exact recipe is secret, but they use whole high quality salmon from Scottish waters and the only other ingredients are salt, smoke from oak chippings and time. The end result has a subtle smoky taste and a wonderful texture.

Michael has carefully chosen suppliers who are specialists in what they do and are great examples of the principles behind everything Elnecot does. They each take pride in their culinary heritage, without taking short cuts, which is what makes this Ancoats neighbourhood bar and kitchen and bar so special.

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