Oldham chef hunts Michelin star with new dining experience

Simon Wood, originally from Chadderton, runs Wood restaurant on Jack Rosenthal Street which has now added Homage, a combination of the words home and fromage, with the focus on unique cheeses and wines.

The former Masterchef winner is on the hunt for a Michelin star and is hoping this niche cuisine will help him to do that.

Describing Homage, Wood said: "It's not your everyday cheese and biscuits.

"This is something that you can't get at home, it's opulence."

Homage is a tribute to great cheese and wine (Image: Simon Wood).

Homage is situated in a former private dining room in Wood's flagship restaurant that had become defunct. Dining in the room is an intimate affair, with the largest table seating six people.

A standout feature on the menu is the Owd Yonner Cheese Pie with pinto baked beans. Wood said that when he heard about the cheese named after an Oldham derogatory term, he knew it "had to go on the menu".

He said Homage features a range of niche artisanal cheeses, chutneys, crackers and "all kinds of weird and wonderful things" which are locally sourced and foraged by local producers.

Homage serves all sorts of unique food (Image: Simon Wood).

Asked for his own favourites on the menu, Wood points to the Vacherin Mont D'or and the Truffle Baron Bigod, both washed rind soft cheeses that he says he could "eat by the spoonful".

Food is served with a choice of wine, champagne or beer, including some beer from Donkeystone brewery in Saddleworth and some liquors from Defiance Spirits in Springhead.

For Wood, Homage is his way to paying tribute to cheese.

Wood said: "It's a homage to cheese, a celebration of great cheese and wine."

Homage is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5PM until late and on Fridays and Saturdays from 12PM until late.

The 2015 Masterchef winner is chasing a Michelin star (Image: Simon Wood).