Manchester’s food scene has grown into one of the most exciting in the UK, shaped by strong local ingredients and chefs choosing to build something lasting in the city. In this evolving landscape, there haven't been any restaurants that did a quicker splash than Winsome and its head chef Shaun Moffat.
Born in South Africa, Moffat moved to England 25 years ago at the age of 13. With a Scottish father and frequent childhood trips to the UK, Britain already felt familiar. After growing up near Bristol, he relocated to London in his early twenties, where he would spend the next 15 years cooking in some of the capital’s most respected kitchens. His career took him through St Leonards, Andrew Clarke, Mark Hix, and Jamie Oliver, before finishing his London chapter at Manteca.
After four or five years working with Oliver, Moffat absorbed what he describes as an ethos of “happy food” — generous, unfussy cooking designed to give pleasure rather than prove a point. That idea now sits at the centre of Winsome.
Oliver remains a key influence. Watching The Naked Chef as a child, Moffat recalls first seeing the kitchen as a place of excitement and creativity, something that stayed with him as he moved into professional cooking. “The joy of feeding someone and making them happy,” he says, is still what motivates him.
Three years ago, Moffat moved to Manchester with his wife, who is from the city, and their seven-year-old son. Leaving London was not easy, but the move quickly shifted his perspective. After realising that what he missed was not the city itself but the people he had left behind, Manchester began to feel like home. He now describes it as warmer and more welcoming than London, and a place he is excited to be part of.
Professionally, that transition began at Edinburgh Castle pub, where Moffat became head chef and was named Manchester Chef of the Year in 2023. After a short stay at Maya, he and his business partners — including Tom Fastiggi, formerly head bartender at Schofield’s — were offered the opportunity to open Winsome.
Although Winsome opened in March 2025, the project itself dates back to 2019, when it existed as a small London pop-up. At the time, Moffat knew what he wanted to create but lacked the space and resources to make it permanent. A handful of Sunday services in friends’ restaurants laid the foundations before Covid put the project on hold. Six years on, Winsome has matured into a collaborative, three-person venture.
Even in its short life, the restaurant has continued to evolve. The Winsome operating now is more confident and fleshed out than the one that opened its doors in March. Within its first months, it also earned a place in the Michelin Guide — a remarkable achievement for a restaurant still finding its footing.
At its core, Winsome champions British food. Influenced by chefs like Fergus Henderson, Moffat believes British produce needs attention rather than reinvention. The menu is dictated by what local farmers and suppliers have available, sometimes changing several times a day. There is no grand statement on the plate — just an intention to make people happy — and at Winsome, that intention is clear.
All this considered, Winsome does deliver, as its three-course menu might have been the best British food I’ve ever tried. The first dish to be served was a koral kale, Garstang blue cheese, and buttermilk salad topped with some fried breadcrumbs. The obvious protagonist was definitively the blue cheese, which had a strong yet not overwhelming presence. However, it was the buttermilk that tied together the dish: it gave the salad a lovely creaminess and balanced the saltiness of the breadcrumbs, which incorporated a nice crunchiness to the suave and creamy texture of the salad. Overall, the taste was gentle without being shy, it was a perfectly thought salad and a marvellous first dish as it was a generous portion without being too filling.
Credit: Guillermo Saenz Rubio @ The Mancunion
The second dish didn’t fall behind in terms of quality: it was a perfectly cooked Jane’s farm beef on a fried slice of bread and accompanied by some chips. If the salad was a gentle taste formed by a harmonic equilibrium of its ingredients, the beef reigned its plate and used the rest of the elements to elevate itself. The meat itself was tasty, juicy, fresh, and cooked to perfection. The beef was a bomb of overwhelming intensity, putting to shame nearly any other beef slice that I’ve eaten, and used the flavour of the cheese and the saltiness of the bread slice to transform into something more interesting than simply a well-cooked fresh cut of meat.
Its side salad, although nothing comparable to our first dish, also played a role in the experience of the tasting as it gave the heaviness of the beef something lighter to compensate, its slightly vinegary flavour helped develop some depth of the beef. The chips, although nothing flamboyant, were perfectly cut and fried. In the end, it was an unapologetically satisfying plate, it didn’t need any surprises or gimmicks to prove its worth. It was a perfect representation of Winsome’s philosophy: when the ingredients are this good simplicity is more than enough.
Although full, I had a sweet treat as a dessert: jelly and custard, a sine qua non of British gastronomy. The first bites seemed somewhat disappointing, coming from the flavourful main, and the timid and gentle sweetness of the desert was a bit lacklustre. However, this was only the beginning, as, although the taste seemed meek during the first bites, it never ended constructing itself in the palate. Every bite let you taste more flavours than the last, more aspects of the simple dish. In the end the dessert completely flipped over the experience, and my only regret was that I couldn’t appreciate the richness of the flavour of the custard nor the fruity sweetness of the jelly until the last half of my tasting.
This menu was around £40, quite out of price range for most students. It is true that it is filling enough that could be the only big meal of a day or that you could trade one of its dishes, making it a two course, to bring the price down to £35. But, the reality is that it is a difficult justifiable treat for a student budget. Nonetheless, if you are interested into stepping into Manchester’s food scene, are looking a restaurant for a celebration or simply want to try some good British food, Winsome is a restaurant more than worthy for your consideration.
This menu made a banner of traditional British cooking and decided to trade novelty or excitement for well-thought and comforting menus. Moffat said during the interview that originality wasn’t needed in high gastronomy, and now we understand why: there is no grand statement on the plate. The intention is simpler. “You know when you go to someone’s house and they make you food?” Moffat asks. “I want that feeling here.” At Winsome, that warmth is exactly what defines the experience.
Winsome opens Monday to Saturday 12 until 3pm for lunch and from 5pm until 10pm. It also opens on Sundays from 12 until 8pm. For more information visit its website or its Instagram page.
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