Friends of Ham, New Station Street

Friends of Ham has now been open long enough for pretty much most of the people involved in food and drink blogging (or should that just be enjoying…and then writing about it?) fraternity to have paid a visit. The vast majority have come away impressed, particularly in the beery circles that I inhabit.

There’s certainly something about FOH that charms from the outset. For me, it’s the fact that the bar area smells like a charcuterie; the heady scent of cured meat filling your nostrils, sweet, woody and slightly wild. It makes a change from bleach or stale beer; in fact, to the son and grandson of a butcher, it’s positively Proustian – instantly comforting and welcoming.

What is it? Is it a bar, a diner, a cafe…what? Well, the short answer is a little of all those. The beer range – my initial hook – is both proudly local and almost flashily national, with regular ales from Kirsktall and Magic Rock butting up against rarities from London’s Brodies and Kernel. If you’re a beer lover, you’ll find plenty to go at here.

The bar itself is all wood and chrome, with nice touches in the use of Bristol sinks to advertise the odd bits of produce you can take home – Pasta, Olives, and the like. There’s plenty of wine to choose from, including wares from Leventhorpe. If you’ve not tried the Woodlesford-based Vineyard, then now is the time; both the Madeleine Angevine and Seyval Blanc are excellent.

Downstairs, there’s a surprisingly large room with a charming shuffleboard table in the corner. Here, the lighting is low and the conversation muted, and again the clientele ranges from shirts and ties having a post-work beer to couples enjoying a pre-meal sharpener.  The staff are well-informed and polite, no matter whether recommending a Scotch Egg or a beer.

I guess the main aim to enjoy all this wonderful beer and wine with the array of meats and cheeses that adorn the menu. The couple of occasions I’ve visited I’ve noticed people nibbling, both at the bar and downstairs. As a concept it’s all very good; but the minute you try and pigeon-hole things, you  do a disservice to it. Friends of Ham is a place to come and enjoy cured meats and some good beer and wine. I know that the original concept for such a place came to owners Anthony and Claire Kitching after a visit to London’s Maltby Street; a collective of artisan food producers who work as a co-operative to provide an all-round experience (Kernel Brewery was born here), and I think they’ve captured something of that here.

Alongside Laynes Espresso and The Brewery Tap, New Station Street is finaly coming to life, and I’d say that the arrival of FOH has only contributed to that that feel. There’s nothing really like it in Leeds; once it really finds its feet it’ll be something to be really proud of. It’s a welcome – and different – addition to the wonderful array of drinking dens that Leeds offers.