Melton's Too

York Food and Drink Festival focuses on local and regional produce and is a full 10-day programme of both day and night time events. Amongst the things you can enjoy are dinners and wine tastings set in historical buildings; food and drink markets set in the heart of the city; workshops and demonstrations from many of our local and regional chefs.
Information can be found on www.yorkfoodfestival.co.uk

Meltons Too and the staff will be heavily involved in the festival, as always but with a difference this year.

For the duration of the Festival Meltons Too will be closed and our ground floor will be transformed into a new stylish bar.

All Wines at House Price, £12.50, before 7pm
(Valid until 30th November '08, excludes Champagne)

Also, we have a food offer that you may want to enjoy:

Two Course Lunch & Early Dinner Menu, £12.50
Starter & main course from the boards.
Vegetables & Potatoes or Green Salad included.
(available anytime before 7pm, vacate the table by 8pm)

Since our last update there has been some changes with our staff, most notably we said goodby to Flo. After being with us for over 4 years she has left to do teacher training, we'd like to thank her for all the hard work and commitment she gave to Meltons Too.

We welcome new chefs to the kitchen; Milan Macho and Calvin Miller. Front of house we welcome to our part time brigade; Amelia McPherson, Emily Mackinlay, Michael Pryke and returning to us is Sarah Waite.

We are delighted to find out that once again our restaurant has been put forward, this will be our 3rd year in a row.

UKTV Food, with Gary Rhodes, are looking for Britain’s local food heroes. Food establishments from cafes to restaurants to butchers, who are dedicated to selling British produce.

Michael and Lucy have always thought it important to support local suppliers and our menus since opening in 2001 have promoted this by using local produce wherever possible.

For Meltons Too to progress to the shortlist we need you to support us by voting.

We have recently said goodbye to Gemma Taylor from the kitchen and Tony Eckhart from Front of House.

We will be welcoming two new chefs over the next couple of weeks and are currently looking for a Part Time Waiting Staff (details can be found on our jobs page)

Don't forget to check our events page for what's happening this month. In The Loft we have two Acoustic Gigs and due to popular demand, two wine tastings!

Over the past couple of months we've said goodbye to Martin Hewitt and Terry Stott from the kitchen, Jo Llewellyn, Suzanne Goodwin, Gemma Morris & Abigail Pilot from Front of House. We wish them all the best.

We filled our recent Chef de Partie vacancies; Barry Trewin fills one and we welcome back Oli Stubbs to fill the other.

However the position has recently been advertised again (details can be found on our jobs page) because after working for us for six years, Andy Battson has decided to move on. This is his last week with us before he moves on to 4 High Petergate; good luck with the new job Andy.

Last month we welcomed two new Front of House Managers; Tony Eckhart as Restaurant Manager and Beth Wilson as Assistant Manager.

Along with Nick, Flo, Mel and Sarah we now have a lot of managers/supervisors however there is a reason for our madness! Lately Mel has been working quite a lot at our sister restaurant Meltons and will probably continue to do so. Also in September Flo will be leaving us to pursue a career in teaching. She found out the good news last month that she has secured a place on the Devon Secondary Teacher Training Group.

Event News:

As usual we have a wide range of events happening at both Meltons Too and Meltons; information about these events can be found on the events page.

However, we have introduced a new monthly event -

Whisky Tastings in The Loft
Hosted by The Whisky Lounge who are a company dedicated to the evangelism and enjoyment of whisky and will guide you expertly through the tastes and facts of the evenings whisky. Go along to our events page to find out more about our first Whisky Tasting on Friday 16th May.

At the end of March we changed our menus to combine our regular menu and bi-weekly specials.

Our regular menu now changes bi-weekly in order to use the best local and seasonal produce. At the same time we also introduced a new offer (replacing the early bird and tapas deal).

Two Course Lunch & Early Dinner Menu £12.50
Starter & main course from the boards,
vegetables & potatoes or green salad included.
Available anytime before 7pm, vacate the table by 8pm.
(Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer)

Wednesday 2nd April – As part of our Acoustic Gigs schedule, Tango for Two will be performing in the loft.

Wednesday 16th April – Another Acoustic Gig performance, this time by The Kimberlite Pipes.

Thursday 17th April – New Zealand Wine Tasting with Karen from Northern Wine Academy.

More information about each event and booking / cost details can be found on the events page.

Last month we said goodbye to Brien Pickering, John Weck, Jo Sohn-Rethel and Katrina Perger.
Katrina has finished her studies and moved on to become a teacher. She had been with us since July '03 and we'd like to thank her for all the hard work and commitment she gave to Meltons Too.

New front of house staff are Gemma Morris and Abigail Pilot. We also welcome back Oli Pearson to the kitchen.

Come and eat at Meltons Too during the Easter Holidays (Friday 21st March to Sunday 6th April) and all children will receive an Ice Cream Cone at the end of their meal.

Unfortunately we have had to say goodbye to Danni Martin, Tom Kershaw, Laura Wallace, Siobhan Bradshaw and Michael DesRochers.

On the other hand we would like to welcome to our kitchen team Tim Abel as Sous Chef and Celia Maria Marcos de Jesus Mendao as Chef de Partie. To our front of house team we would like to welcome Sarah Smales as a Holiday Cover Waitress and Terry Stott as our Cleaner and Wash Up.

Although not completely leaving the company Francesca Archer-Todde will be moving from M2 to become a Supervisor at Meltons.

On Sunday 17th February we will be saying a final farewell to our General Manager Richard Williams. Rich has been with the company since M2 opened in 2001. He was originally employed as a waiter and through the years had been promoted several times to Supervisor, Assistant Manager and finally General Manager. Rich has been an asset to the company, both professionally and socially and he will be greatly missed by all. We wish Rich and Siobhan good luck in Hertfordshire and their new jobs!

During the new year we have launched a new lunch menu. This menu includes our typical brunch items as well as an express menu.
With the express menu we are providing a delivery of food guarantee of 15 minutes from when the order was placed or the food is free.
(For tables of 6 or less, ordering exclusively from the express menu, between 12pm and 2pm.)
(The regular menu is still available upon request.)

Thursday 21st February – Organic and Biodynamic wine tasting with Karen from Northern Wine Academy.
Sunday 2nd March – Mother’s Day. We have a special offer – free dessert for every mum with the purchase of a main meal.
Wednesday 5th March – As part of our Acoustic Gigs, the two piece band, Pillowfish, will be performing in the loft.
Sunday 9th March – Litfest Litfeast. Enjoy a sumptuous four course meal with poems especially written for the evening by Anneliese Emmans Dean.
Wednesday 19th March – Another Acoustic Gig performance, this time by David Ward Maclean.
Thursday 20th March – Australian wine tasting with Karen from Northern Wine Academy.

More information about each event and booking / cost details can be found on the events page.

Customers might like to join us at the Press Launch of our Game Festival on Friday (4th). Come and pluck a pheasant outside the restaurant at 10.30 am!

From all at Melton’s Too we'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy New Year!

We would like to welcome 3 new members of part time staff to our front of house team. Danni Martin, Tom Kershaw & Harriet Hobbs. Harriet continues a tradition at M'too' following her sister Alice who previously also worked with us (and returned briefly at Christmas).

Our Events calendar kicks off in January, 6th to the 22nd, with our Game Festival. The festival uses local suppliers to bring you the best game that Yorkshire can offer.
Melton’s and Mtoo source most of our game from G Scotts of York (on Petergate) and M&K Butchers (of Bishopthorpe Road). Both are local, family run organisations.
The menu for the Game Festival can be found here.

Over the past month we've had quite a few changes to our menu, concentrating on regional and seasonal produce of course. If you've not looked recently, take a look by clicking on the links to the left.

Our last event of 2007 is coming soon, the Game Dinner on Tuesday 20th November. There are still a few places left and tickets can be bought by calling 629222. The menu can be found on our events page.

Our 2008 events listings will be available very soon. They will include 2 Week Food Themed Festivals, Regional Produce
Dinners and Wine Tastings.

Unfortunately we had to say hello and a quick goodbye to Jo Ford and Jo Bailey. Both had too many commitments with University and work respectively and had to leave. At least it means we only have two Jo's to mix up rather than four!

We are therefore currently looking for more part time waiting staff and also part time wash up staff. Details of the vacancies can be found here.

On Saturday all tables can be booked before or at 7.30pm.
When free they will be available on a ‘walk-in’ first come, first serve basis.

This year's Food Festival has been a roaring success. Michael and Lucy Hjort would like to thank all of their staff here at M2 for their dedication, hard work and participation within the Food Festival. Being bigger and better than ever all of the staff at M2 are now taking a long,deep breath to gain their bearings - an absolutely exhausting 10 days - although very enjoyable. They would also like to thank those of you that came along to support the Festival as you do year upon year - it's always appreciated! We had best start planning for next year!

Unfortunately we did not win the Taste of Yorkshire Award or proceed any further in the UKTV Food Local Hero but thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement.

We have had to say goodbye to more members of staff as they leave us to embark on University life. Our full time waitress Hannah Gregory has left to study Psychology in Newcastle. Chris Worth has gone to Birmingham to study medicine and Siobhan Foster has gone to Durham to study French. We are confident that they well return during the holidays!

We would like to welcome Jo Llewellyn to our part time waiting staff, to make 4 Jo's on our front of house team. Jo came to us on a two week work experience and was so wonderful that we offered her a job - thankfully she accepted.

It is that time of year again - the York Festival of Food and Drink is nearly upon us. The 2007 Festival is bigger and better with a focus on local and regional food and drink. The festival runs from Friday 21st September to Sunday 30th Septemeber and, as always, Meltons Too are taking an active role within the organisation and events.

This year M2 will be holding a stall at the Coppergate Shopping Centre selling breads, vegetables, fruit and herbs.

Below is a list of events that will also be held at M2 throughout this 10 week period:

An Introduction to Wine with a variety of specialists. These events will be held at 1.30pm - 2.30pm on:
Friday 21st, Sunday 23rd, Monday 24th, Tuesday 25th, Thursday 27th, Friday 28th.

Matching Food with Wine with Karen Hardwick. These events will be held at 1.30pm - 2.30pm on:
Saturday 22nd, Wednesday 26th, Saturday 29th.

Slow Food Taste Workshops -
Chocolate on Saturday 22nd at 3.30pm to 4.15pm
Traditional British Cheese on Sunday 23rd at 3.30pm to 4.15pm & 5pm to 6pm
Cured Meats on Thursday 27th at 3.30pm to 4.15pm
Presidium (products under threat) on Friday 28th at 3.30pm to 4.15pm

New Acoustic Venue - On Thursday 6th September we launched our all new acoustic venue in the atmospheric Loft of Meltons Too. The Kimberlite Pipes were our first artists to play and the evening was a big success with lots of people coming along to support our new venture.

Our next artist will be David Ward Maclean on Wednesday 12th September at 8.30pm. David has an excellent reputation for writing thoughtful poetic songs with sensitive guitar arrangements.

Staff News - This month we say goodbye to more of our part time staff. Hannah Beesley and Alex Gill have both left to go to Australia - Hannah for work and Alex for travel. Lesley Potts has left due to work commitments in her full time job and Jen Stevens has taken a position as a researcher in London. Our Kitchen Assistant Peter Ehn has also left due to family commitments but we are hoping he will return!

To replace those departing we have taken on some new staff. We welcome Suzanne Goodwin, Joanne Ford, Amy Edwards and Jo Bailey to our Front of House team. New faces in the kitchen are Sean Peart and Gary Wales who have both taken the job of Kitchen Porter.

Menu News - We have changed our seasonal dessert menu this month. We are now serving:
Treacle Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream
Apple and Blackberry Crumble with Custard
Warm Almond and Plum Slice with Vanilla Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate Mousse topped with Baileys Sauce.

We have also added homemade Scones to our menu served with Jam and Clotted Cream.

White Rose Awards - On Tuesday 11th Michael and Lucy are taking some of the key management staff to the White Rose Awards dinner to find out if we have won the Taste of Yorkshire award. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

UKTV Food Local Hero 2007 - The following day Martin Hewitt and Richard Williams will travel to Plymouth for the next round of filming for the UKTV Food Local Hero 2007. Martin will be cooking two dishes for Gary Rhodes to taste - our York Ham Salad with Seasonal Vegetables in a Mustard Mayonnaise dressing for starter followed by a main course of Pickering Trout with Wilted Greens and Whitby Lobster sauce. The show will be aired in the autumn on UKTV Food.

UKTV Food Local Hero 2007 -
Thank you to everyone who voted for us.

After the first phase of voting we were placed in the top 20 outlets for the region. Gary Rhodes and the judging panel then assessed these to determine the five businesses to go through to the finals.

We are pleased to announce that Meltons Too is in the Top 5.

We have now been filmed for the show which along with the other top 5 (and wildcard entry) will be shown later in the year. Once again a panel of judges will asses the establishments and decide the winner of our region.

Staff News - We continue to say goodbye to part time staff who have finished their University courses, in July we saw Charlotte Roper leave. We wish her luck for the future.

Menu News - Our Regional Produce Dinners return this month with a High Summer Menu. The menu can be found on our events page.

Award - The Yorkshire Tourist Board have revealed the finalists in the prestigious White Rose Awards for Tourism 2007. The Awards, now in their 18th year, recognise and reward excellence in tourism, and are the Yorkshire regional heats for VisitBritain’s Enjoy England Awards for Excellence.

2007 has seen the highest number of entries to date and Meltons Too was entered for the Taste of Yorkshire Award. The award aims to reward tourism businesses that use local produce and who, in turn, contribute to the long term sustainability of the local community in which they live and run their business.

We were delighted to find out that our entry has been successful and shortlisted as a finalist for the above award.
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 11th September.

Nomination - Thank you to everyone who voted for us at UKTV Food Local Hero 2007.

We have just recieved the news that Meltons Too was in the
Top 20 for the region.

We are now through to the next round which is a judging process to find the Top 5 establishments for the region.

Menu news - This month will see the return of the highly popular Lobster Festival.

Lobster is at its most plentiful at the height of the Summer season. We take advantage of this and give you a chance to indulge yourselves with the many dishes on offer made with fresh lobster from the Yorkshire Coast.

Staff news - We welcome Kelly Whiting to the kitchen. She first came to us on work experience in June and is now working for us part time.

It's the time of year when a lot of our part time waiting staff finish University and move away from York. Last month we said goodbye to Iain Savill and Sarah Moller. We wish them luck for the future.

We also welcome back Peter Ehn to the kitchen. This is third time he's come from Poland and returned to us, we just can't keep him away!

Menu news - Tomorrow we see our seasonal desserts change. Summer berries and light desserts are introduced ready for the summer season.
 Crème Brûlée
 Local Summer Berries set in Cider
with Yorkshire Clotted Cream & Shortbread
 Tuscan Orange Cake
 Yorkshire Berry Fool

We also have another of our Regional Produce Dinners this month. Information and menus on the Early Summer Dinner can be found on our events page.
There are a few places still left, to purchase a ticket call 01904 629222.

Nomination - You may remember that last year we were nominated for UKTV Food Local Hero 2006. We are delighted to find out that once again our restaurant has been put forward.

UKTV Food, with Gary Rhodes, are looking for Britain’s local food heroes. Food establishments from cafes to restaurants to butchers, who are dedicated to selling British produce.

Michael and Lucy have always thought it important to support local suppliers and our menus since opening in 2001 have promoted this by using local produce wherever possible.

We once again need your help! There are thousands of nominees and for Meltons Too to progress to the shortlist we need you to support us by voting.

Go to www.uktvfood.co.uk , search for Meltons Too and vote.
Voting is frozen on the 29th June – so please vote now.

Menu news - May usually brings the start of the Asparagus season but due to the unusually warm weather this years crops are already going strong. This has resulted in a couple of dishes trialed on our menu, ready for our Asparagus Festival.

The Asparagus Festival Menu will run from Friday 11th to Thursday 24th May. The event uses only locally grown Yorkshire Asparagus will use other regional produce, like York Ham, local Sorrel and Wild Garlic alongside the Asparagus.

We source the asparagus direct from Richard and Rhonda Morritt who farm at Sand Hutton.

Half-Term Bank Holiday Madness - Free Ice Cream Cone for Kids Come and eat at Meltons too during Bank Holiday Weekend (Friday 25th to Monday 28th May) and we're giving out Ice Cream Cones to all children at the end of their meal.