Chatting food, cooking and Italian families with restauranteur Lidia Shinwell
Well what can we say about Lidia? Well firstly, she is clearly a very busy and very driven lady which is undoubtedly something that has been passed down from her dad as she grew up seeing him really make something of himself, his tale is literally a classic rags to riches one and you cannot fail to be inspired by his story. He came to the UK from Italy with nothing, worked in the mines and made some 'danger money' which he invested in an ice cream van he then sold imported Italian produce from to the growing Italian community each evening. He continued to invest everything he made and the family now own two of the best Italian restaurants and hotels in Huddersfield - links to which are below. Lidia grew up in a big traditional Italian family, surrounded by amazing chefs both from within and outside of the family. Not many people can say they went to Uni and avoided the kebab shop, knocking up a quick pasta dish at 3am for their housemates - but Lidia can. Clearly the passion for food was in her blood but she didn't really want to enter into the family business and studied Business, Marketing and French at university. However, dad had other ideas, of course he did, and being a persuasive kind of guy and having a requirement for someone to really put Da Sandro's restaurant and The Briar Court Hotel on the map and Lidia having the newly acquired skills from her degree, into the business she went, and there she remains almost 30 years later. The family also own and run Prego Restaurant and The Waterfront Hotel & Venue in Brighouse and have set up, owned or had a hand in various other successful venues such as Ciao which Lidia set up with her brother. It doesn't stop there though, Lidia and the family do a lot, and we are talking A LOT to help the local community. The Brighouse canal clear up was Lidias brainchild about 7 years ago and continues to be part of the wider community clear up to this day, she also volunteers with Food4Hope which is a Brighouse based charity that feeds the homeless (obviously in this case with restaurant quality Italian meals) and since lockdown happened in the UK 5 weeks ago and still going at the time of recording they have switched to feeding the housebound. So it comes as no surprise to learn that during this enforced lockdown where restaurants and hotels are closed, Lidia has found herself with a bit of time of her hands and her love of cooking and sharing that love with others was having to take a back seat. Egged on by her teenage daughters she has recently launched Lidias Italian Kitchen on facebook and instagram where she shares time served family recipes in a relaxed and friendly manner, often with a glass of wine in hand. We are loving the recipes she is sharing and are definitely giving them a go, give her a follow and send in pics or videos of your own efforts for a bit of fun. Hearing Lidia talk about food during this interview was so inspiring and we are definitely craving a night out in a great restaurant when this lockdown is over, and we want to go to Lidias for tea of course!! Meanwhile, we will have to settle for watching the videos and doing our best to create the meals at home. All the links are below if you want to find out more www.instagram.com/lidiashinwell www.facebook.com/Lidias-Italian-Kitchen-104326631269352 www.waterfronthotelandvenue.co.uk/Prego-Restaurant/ www.dasandro.co.uk www.briarcourt.co.uk