We've settled on a menu that pairs well with the wines we offer here at Ake & Humphris; single platters and sharing boards featuring rather wonderful meats, cheeses, boquerones (with further fish options coming soon), as well as fabulous olives and fresh bread accompanied by divine olive oil. Our grazing menu is available daily from midday to 8.30pm. You're very welcome to reserve a table with us by calling 01423 447888.
In choosing foods for our Oxford Street bar, we could have sourced generic meats and cheeses from the big wholesalers, but it is important to us here at Ake & Humphris to play an active part in the local economy, to choose products made by independent, often family-owned businesses. We believe the love and pride such producers put into their wares make themselves evident in the quality of the finished product. That has been our approach to the wines we sell, and we have applied the same principle to the food we offer at Oxford Street.
Our salamis come from Lishman’s of Ilkley. David Lishman is the son of a farming family. He trained as a butcher in Harrogate and opened his first shop at the age of 21. He began curing bacon and hams and expanded into continental meats and charcuterie about 15-20 years ago. He is still an everyday presence in the shop and curing facility on Ilkley’s Leeds Road, with his daughter now a partner in the business. As you might expect, the Lishmans are careful to select their meats from small, local farms. “Terroir” is a word we use a lot in the wine industry, and conversations with David show the same knowledge and respect for place: the manner of raising and feeding animals, the season of their slaughter and the climatic conditions in which the meat is kept and processed, all contribute to the taste of the final product.
Our aged Serrano ham and delicious olives are imported by Basco Fine Foods, Wetherby. Founded by former chef Javier de la Hormaza, Basco specialises in sourcing and importing high-quality Spanish foods and drinks. Javier's upbringing in the Basque Country, Spain's most acclaimed food region and home to over 40 Michelin stars, shaped Javier's vision of quality Spanish food and drink. From their base in Thorpe Arch, Basco now supply some of the best restaurants in the UK, as well as offering online retail services to enthusiastic home cooks.
Born in Sardinia and trained as a chef, Mario Olianas come to Yorkshire to learn English. He arrived with just £200 and a bag of clothes and, while he intended to stay just a few weeks learning English, life had other ideas. He met and fell in love with Sonia, a lively Bradford lass, and stayed. Mario started making pecorino cheeses in a converted room in their home. Always focused on working with local farms, his dedication kept at least one ewe’s milk dairy in production during the COVID crisis and lockdown a few years ago. Since then, he and Sonia have built a strong and successful business, now making award-winning cheeses from ewe’s, goat’s and cow’s milk, and we are delighted to include two of them on our cheese board.
The Cheeseboard of Harrogate has long been a friend of Ake & Humphris, supplying perfectly conditioned British and Continental cheeses to our cheese and wine tasting events. We have invited its owner, Gemma Aykroyd, to curate a changing “Cheese of the Month” on our boards, to show off both the quality of her cheeses and her skills as an affineur. The Cheeseboard has recently moved to larger premises on Commercial Street, and we look forward to continued and fruitful partnership working.
With their shop situated on the same street as Ake & Humphris, Bakeri Baltzersen is one of our nearest neighbours.
Upon opening, they quickly established themselves as a unique and popular feature in the Harrogate food scene. Since then, they have needed to separate the bakery from the shop, as popularity has pushed expansion. Now the bakery is based in Kettlesing, a few miles away, where they work their magic with long-fermented sourdough loaves, rye and more traditional yeasted breads. There was never any doubt we would want their bread on our tables, as the perfect partner to simple, good quality olive oil.
Talking of which, we love the olive oil we buy from Fotondi. We have bought their Chianti Classico wines for some years, and their oil shows the same obsessive care for excellence. The olives are picked by hand and carefully pressed on the same day in order to retain the maximum freshness and fragrance of the fruit. Ultra modern, stainless steel continuous presses are used to protect the paste and oil from oxidation. The result is clean, fresh-tasting oil that has notes of artichokes, herbs, fruity olives, and a perfect balance of bitterness with spice.
