City swapping pretty green eyes for pies

THE organisers of some of the biggest music events in Liverpool’s club scene are to take on a new venture in the city centre.

The team behind Chibuku Shake Shake and Circus set up their own venue, The Merchant, in Liverpool city centre in April and are now to take a jump into the food and drink industry.

The team have been putting their incredibly successful Chibuku Shake Shake and Circus events on for 15 years in Liverpool. However, since opening up their own venue on Slater Street, they are wanting to join in with the food buzz currently taking over the city.

Co-owner of The Merchant, Lewis Boardman, said: “We come from a dance music background and we have spent over 15 years putting on bands and DJs in club venues all over country, but we have noticed a massive shift in culture. Kids aren’t starting techno labels anymore, they’re starting pop-up restaurants. Food and drink is a huge thing in the city now.”

The Merchant is putting on its first food and drink festival this weekend. Its ‘Look into my Pies!’ event will be the first of what the team are hoping will become many over the next year. The event, which will take place across Saturday and Sunday, will be celebrating the very best local pies and ciders.

“We thought it is a bit of fun, but people are really into it and are supporting us and it has had a great response so far,” Lewis said. “This is our first food event and we want to show some of the best talents in the North West, from bakers to butchers. It is really exciting to be able to put something like this together and it seems to have caught a lot of people’s attention.”

Pies available for locals to enjoy will include flavours including pork, haggis and chorizo from Crosby’s Satterthwaites Bakehouse. There will be a range of pies to enjoy from Homebaked who are based in Anfield and M Rays Bakery on Allerton Road. There will also be a range of gluten free pies and pastries to indulge in too.

As well as pies, there will be a wide selection of different ciders to enjoy and there will also be local DJs and musicians playing at the event, with entertainment continuing into the night.

Lewis explained what has made him and the organisers want to do something different. He said: “We normally spend money on big DJs on a bank holiday weekend, but this time we have gone complete opposite way and spent a load of money on pies!”

“In our venue, we’re seeing a shift and want to put more effort into food and drink than the music side. The music we can do because we have done it for years, but the food side is new, fun and exciting. It is great to get to know local chefs and entrepreneurs as it is becoming a big community in the city.

“We are aiming to establish ourselves on a different level and away from the music now.”

Look into my Pies will start at 12pm and will run until 6pm on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.