‘I don’t think you can really find any other pasta like ours in Manchester, to be honest’
The Social, in Poynton, has won an award naming it one of the best trattoria’s in the UK(Image: The Social Trattoria)
A cosy Italian restaurant on the outskirts of Stockport has been named as one of the best in the UK – and it’s trying to ‘broaden people’s horizons’ when it comes to pasta.
The Social Trattoria, on Park Lane in Poynton, first opened its doors in August 2022 and has become known for its authentic Italian cuisine. The venue is led by Jeremy Hague, Daniel Barron, and William Okill, who are also part of the team behind the Edgerton Arms in Knutsford.
At the end of last year, the trattoria, which is regarded in Italy as a small restaurant serving homely food, was the recipient of a top prize from the annual Italian Awards 2024, which celebrate the best of Italian cuisine in the UK.
Awarded the Best Trattoria award in the country, the Poynton restaurant has since been garnering a big reputation for its selection of pastas and fresh Italian food from head chef Justin Ashwin.
Justin, who spent more than two years working at Sugo Pasta Kitchen before joining The Social Trattoria at the start of last year, said he ‘lives and breathes’ pasta and was super proud of his and his team’s achievements with the award.
The restaurant has been praised for helping ‘broaden the horizons’ of how pasta can be made(Image: The Social Trattoria)
“It felt amazing for us to receive the award,” Justin tells the Manchester Evening News. “It feels like the restaurant and Poynton as a whole has started to get a lot more interest from people outside of the area these days. We’re really trying to do something special here.”
Justin, who spent more than two years working at Sugo Pasta Kitchen before joining The Social Trattoria at the start of last year, said he ‘lives and breathes’ pasta. Having been brought up with a chef for a stepfather, he often finds himself travelling around Italy to pick up new inspiration to bring back to his kitchen.
“Pasta is my thing,” Justin explains. “I’ve been doing it for years and years now. I spent my whole childhood going around Sicily and the north of Italy with my family. I still go to Italy around five or six times a year. A lot of what I do is based around what they do in Italy and also a lot of inspiration from my time at Sugo.”
The Social Trattoria’s head chef Justin Ashwin(Image: The Social Trattoria)
Asked what makes the food so special at The Social, Justin says it’s about the labour of love they have for what they serve the customers. “The idea of a trattoria is that it’s a less formal setting, it’s somewhere you come because of the food – it’s not somewhere for a date night or to celebrate big occasions with family, it’s to eat home-style food.
“It’s a home away from home. It’s not really about overly-fancy things, it’s more about big hearty bowls of pasta that are full of flavour and make you want to have a nap afterwards. All our pasta is cooked fresh in-house and we make our tortellini to order every day. We don’t stick to the whole cream or tomato bases, we tend to do a lot of bisques and stock.
“I’m a bit bored of what British people think pasta is, basically. I’m trying to broaden people’s horizons to what it can be, you know? It’s very hearty food and I don’t think you can really find any other pasta like ours in Manchester, to be honest.”
Head chef Justin said The Social’s pasta menu is all about creating the best dishes possible(Image: The Social Trattoria)
The menu includes the likes of classic and speciality egg pastas, like spaghetti al pomodoro and mushroom tagliatelle, with their best-seller their king prawn tortellini, which includes a lobster bisque. “It’s the most labour intensive meal we have and it’s also the most popular by far,” he laughs. Outside of pasta, there’s also pizzas, grilled meats, cicchetti small plates – like a ‘ultimate’ bite of fried lasagna or creamy barrata – and desserts.
Going forward, Justin says he and the team at The Social will continue to do what they do best. He has his eyes on a mention in a few more prestigious lists and guides, whilst the owners are also considering opening a new spot.
“We want to get in the Good Food Guide next year, for sure,” he explains. “The plan is also to open a couple more restaurants in the next few years. And we want to do different concepts, we don’t want them all to be the same.”
The Social Trattoria team collecting their win at the Italian Awards 2024(Image: The Italian Awards/Stuart Churchill Photography)
And Justin says that he believes their recent award-win has seen more people take notice not only of The Social, but the number of bars and restaurants that are also dotted around Poynton.
“I don’t think we can take all the credit,” he laughs, “but it seems to be getting a bit busier in terms of the food and drink. It used to be a quiet little village but there is definitely a bit of a reputation at the moment. It’s great to see and hopefully more people will come and visit the area.”
The Social Trattoria is on 13-15 Park Lane, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1RD. Follow on Instagram here.