Pop-up hit the Stretford Canteen is to take up permanent residence at the soon-to-be developed Stretford Mall. The supper club project run by Josephine Sandwith and Dean Taylor will move into one of the units at the front of the mall on Chester Road.
The restaurant will be the pair’s first bricks and mortar site, after running pop-ups since 2016. The cuisine is Lyonnaise in its inspiration, taking in hearty dishes from the French culinary capital.
It’s also inspired by Josephine’s upbringing, at the famous Beaujolais restaurant on Portland Place, the long-established French bistro which was owned by her parents. The menu at Stretford Canteen will be centred around local produce, and around producers using sustainable methods.
“We are really excited about bringing our own home-grown version of fine dining to Stretford,” said Josephine. “Brilliant food doesn’t need to be stuffy - Stretford Canteen was built around that warm, welcoming relaxed dining experience that I grew up with.
“It’s about sharing great food and wine with friends and family in a home-style, neighbourhood eatery. We started out by doing our little supper clubs in the evenings at Pines Pantry and our following grew from there.”
Dean added: “We have always dreamed of opening a restaurant - and thought we might have put our roots down in Stretford sooner but the pandemic slowed things down, although our delivery service during that time was incredibly popular! Now we’re so excited to be joining a brilliant community in Stretford and we can’t wait to welcome the neighbourhood to our new, permanent Stretford Canteen.”
It’s among the first new operators to be announced for the development of the Mall, which will include reinstating the former King Street running through where the Mall currently stands, and creating a new covered market hall area.
Andrea George, town centre and consumer brands director at Bruntwood, which is developing the Mall, said: “We’re proud to be moving forward with the ambitious plans to revitalise the King Street area, and to be one step closer to unveiling the vibrant new heart of Stretford.
“The engagement we’ve had from residents, visitors and the wider community on the vision for their future town centre has been overwhelming. A wealth of green spaces, a fresh and inspiring shopping area, and great cafes, restaurants, community facilities and play spaces were all really important features for King Street, and we’ve incorporated these into the plans.”
The plans were submitted earlier this month.
