Customer Profile: Flamin' Nosh
Flamin' Nosh...it's child's play!
Entrepreneurial husband & wife team, Gareth & Sarah Bird were so fed up with the unwelcoming attitudes to children by so many decent restaurants that they decided to open a child-friendly, fine-dining one themselves. 
'It seemed only Italians adore children in their restaurants and we wanted to be able to eat out in a high quality, adult menu restaurant with something fresh and suitable for our three year old daughter', bemoaned mum Sarah. 'So we created a serious restaurant which is OK for kids'
After finding their ideal site, - slightly away from the main town centre scene of Stalybridge, Cheshire, they converted a run-down former pub into a contemporary haven of Mediterranean fine dining where children could also get involved in the magic of eating and appreciating fresh food.
From the outset, both Gareth & Sarah were determined to design an open space kitchen whereby customers can see their fresh food being prepared and personally cooked to order. It was from a trade magazine article that Gareth, who trained as a Chef, spotted a wood burning, stone-hearth oven which was pictured centre stage in a restaurant , - with real flickering flames inside and looking a bit like a huge cavern, - and so 'Flamin' Nosh and cooking in The Cave was born!
It may seem initially quite a major project to install a domed 5ft diameter, Wood Stone 'Mt Adams' model oven into a relatively small ex-pub, as these ovens are supplied in one complete unit, ready built and 'cured' for immediate use. But, unconcerned, the Birds simply had the front window and wall removed and the giant Cave was established onto a reinforced floor ready for connection. A gas fueled Wood Stone oven was chosen with a BTU rating of 188,000.
To create the stucco finish, Wood Stone and their UK distributors (Jestic, Ltd) provided detailed fact sheets on how to build up the layered external oven cladding to match a restaurant's décor. From there, Gareth commissioned a local artist to reproduce ancient cave paintings all over the outside structure of the oven which also incorporates a hand wash basin and storage areas, but leaving a small space before the plaster dried for three year old, Leah Bird's hand prints. At the opening of the oven, a mantle support was supplied to allow a Balmoral red granite mantle to be incorporated onto the oven and to match all counter tops.
Back at Bakers Pride's cook school in East Sussex, Gareth developed his menu alongside the supplier's Executive Development Chef, Michael Eyre. And this now incorporates Flamin' Mains such as 'Flamin' Rib Eye Steak - cooked in the cave on a skillet; 'Flamin' Filet of Salmon - cooked on cedar planks in the cave to infuse a delicate aroma; 'Flamin' Scallops - flown in from Isle of Man, flavoured with garlic, - accompanied by a selection of fresh Mediterranean vegetables 'cave roasted' to order. Even pasta dishes are cooked in the Wood Stone, traditional Italian menu items like lasagne, stuffed cannelloni, etc. are baked in the cave, along with traditional garlic and speciality breads.
Gareth points out, 'Because of the consistently high temperatures inside the Wood Stone, - typically upwards of 300°C I can roast off asparagus, baby sweet corn and courgettes together in around three minutes - an ordinary oven can't do that. My vegetable selections are always tender and yet they retain a full flavoured fresh taste.' 'When it comes to pizzas', he adds, 'There's only one way to cook real pizzas to my mind, - and that's straight on the deck of the stone hearth oven, - no pans, no messing about'
'Juggins', a street entertainer clown, is employed to keep the children occupied making snake balloons or helping them colour in a picture to go up on Flamin' Nosh's 'art gallery' walls. Meal deals for kids start at £4.95 for Flamin' good value.
The 80+ cover restaurant also provides another quick service, carry out facility, and each child leaves with a smiling face and a balloon sporting the by-line 'I've had a Flamin' Great Time'
