Liverpool Life: Restaurant review: Tinker’s in Southport

Alistair Houghton tries a taste of Tinker’s in Southport

THANKFULLY, I no longer associate the word Masterchef with Vic Reeves’ nightmarish vision of a bulb-headed Loyd Grossman hovering over a darkened studio.

Because today, Masterchef is a gladiatorial cookfest where shouty hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode pile the pressure on a parade of wannabe chefs.

Just as the X Factor has spawned a new generation of chart stars, so Masterchef alumni are now turning their TV success into reality across the country. Just to the left, for example, is the latest recipe from winner Claire Lara, of Oxton.

And now Southport has its own piece of Masterchef magic, with series finalist Jay Tinker’s eponymous restaurant.

Former doorman Tinker has used his TV success as a springboard into the restaurant business. And that, as I found, is good news for this corner of Southport.

A couple of Saturdays ago, on a whim, M and I decided to head to Southport for some sea air – and I thought we could give Tinker’s a try. I called that lunchtime, expecting it to be fully booked, but was able to get a table for 6pm.

“I should let you know”, added the Tinker’s spokeswoman, “that we’re having problems with our alcohol licence so we can’t serve alcohol tonight. But you can bring your own.”

So I did. Not that I need an excuse to pop into Southport’s Inn Beer Shop, the narrow treasurehouse of bottled beer that’s packed with fine ales to take away. We grabbed a couple of bottles, walked to the other end of Lord Street and headed into Tinker’s.

There was only one server on, handling four tables, but she did so with aplomb.

Once we’d ordered, we were given a basket of bread with cream cheese and herby oil on the side while we perused the menu.

Before visiting I’d toyed with trying Tinker’s mini fish and chips . But in my day job I’m a regular at business networking bashes, where cones of mini fish and chips have become a bit of a staple. So in the end I went for another deconstructed classic Brit dish – a breakfast salad.

With wee wedges of black pudding, chunks of hot fried potatoes, deliciously richly crispy bacon, a delicately poached egg and some leaves, the ensemble was topped with tomato sauce reminiscent of but superior to Mr Heinz’s.

At breakfast, you want a full English to leave you heavy bellied and waddling. But, as befits a salad starter, this dish was light enough to leave me wanting more.