Skinner’s Brewery has formed a partnership with chef Freddy Bird, collaborating on projects involving great food and ale.
Freddy and Skinner’s have joined forces at several high-profile events recently, including the Port Eliot and Abergavenny Food festivals — where the chef cooked a monkfish, lobster and clam stew paired with Lushingtons golden ale — and used beers as an ingredient in recipes such as Hops ‘n’ Honey barbecue ribs, steak, oyster mushroom and Cornish Knocker ale pie, and a Penny Come Quick chocolate ice cream.
Freddy is the executive head chef of the award-winning Lido restaurant, in Bristol, and its sister restaurants, The Glassboat and Three Brothers Burgers, also located in the heart of that city. He is also the executive head chef of the new Thames Lido, in Reading, opening in mid-October, with a menu that reflects the authentic Lido style.
Freddy was born and bred in Bristol, but has his roots in the South West and Cornwall. He has a distinctly relaxed and pretence-free approach to cooking and dining, and gives particular focus to the provenance of his ingredients and the simplicity with how they are used. An ideal match for Skinner’s Cornish fresh air outlook, Freddy is a lover of the outdoors and is often found cooking over fire.
Skinner’s Brewery founder, Steve Skinner, said: “We are delighted to be working with Freddy. His love for the outdoors, his focus on high-quality, locally-sourced ingredients and passion for delicious beer make him the ideal match with Skinner’s. We’re really excited for the wonderful combination of food and beer this partnership will bring!”
Skinner’s and Freddy first collaborated at the Port Eliot festival this year where the brewery specially commissioned two huge grills from its brewing equipment as the centrepiece for the Campfire stage. Freddy cooked over the two grills using Skinner’s beers.
