Fold

In one of Stockport's more comely corners, Fold is a wine merchant out front and an umami dealer at the back. Generously proportioned seasonal snacks and sharing plates are loaded with ingredients that fill the 'fifth taste' bingo card. Truffles, pickles, black garlic and aged cheeses are deployed with a liberal hand, while Sunday lunch brings prime cuts 'fire-roasted over bincho embers' (check out the aged beef bavette with 'Yorkie bits' and smoked salt plus a wagyu-fat potato slice). A house favourite from the open kitchen that lines the back wall is the spring onion bhaji (green and pleasingly straggly in its spiced batter with a Westmorland smoked Cheddar sauce), and the ooze of a puffy, hot flatbread bathed in pork fat and topped with seedy dukkah indicates riches to come. Autumn slaw with hazelnuts, truffle and aged Parmesan is a veg dish with real savour and presence, while charred hispi cabbage comes with mussels in a pokey 'curry mile' sauce – one of several nods to the wider locale. To conclude, the 'Fold-teaser' – malted mousse and ice cream with caramel and crushed Maltesers – brooks no arguments, but maintains elegance in the snappiness of its chocolate shell and piles of airy mousse. The relaxed dining room (complete with mid-century modern furniture) feels all-day versatile, and while service definitely needs sharpening, the wine list is already on point. Drinkers with an interest in global curiosities and natural techniques will find some great matches – and they can always pick up a bottle to take home.