Meet the woman championing Chester's indie food scene
I'm sat in Chalk on Watergate Street.
Opposite me is Stephanie Bath, Cestrian born and bred, who has led food tours across country for a number of years.
During a 'Chester on a Plate Tour', guests will explore all the city has to offer, trying interesting dishes whilst meeting the food heroes behind some of the city's best independent businesses.
Over the course of the next hour and a half, Steph and I bond over a passion for Chester's indie restaurants and a hope for what's to come.
At just 24 Steph had launched her own food business making chilli sauce and jams, selling it at food fairs and local delis.
She recalls the support the Chester community gave her at the time, with many local businesses showing their strong support.
Following years of kidney issues and the persistent constraints of working for other people whilst on dialysis, the start-up led her to gain a newfound independence and freedom of working to her own schedule.
After further career moves, she decided to sell up and travel.
On her return she knew she had to work in food in some capacity so she honed her skills for a number of years, whilst working for Manchester-based food tour company, 'Scranchester'.
Having lived in Chester for most of her life, she finally made the leap and decided to start her own food tour last year.
Combining her love of the city she grew up in and good quality locally-made food, she launched Chester on a Plate Tours.
Besides her local roots, she cited the resurgence of independent eateries in the city as one focus for basing the business in Chester.
"I am a massive foodie", she said.
"The culmination of that was I realised you can go to really small independent restaurants and get exactly the same quality.
"And that's the key; it's why independents needs support and there's loads of them in Chester.
"It wasn't really a foodie destination ten years ago but now I think it is.
"Everywhere you go in Chester a new place has popped up. It's like a rejuvenation."
Steph focuses on introducing participants to independent eateries and the people at the heart of Chester's food scene.
Pointing to the creativity of these spaces, she said: "It's the passion and innovation.
"I am interested in food culture. Particularly in places that are a little bit more unique and a little bit more different."
After a bit of probing, Steph revealed some of her favourite spots found through the tours, highlighting Dabba, Augusto Pizzeria and Providence Gin - just to name a few.
Chester seemed a natural choice when choosing a city to work in Steph revealed, pointing to her local roots and a deep passion for its history and population of story-tellers.
She said: "With Chester I think even if you're not mad into history or sightseeing, people seem to enjoy the experience.
"Even locals actually being like a tourist in a small city. You go on the walls and get a beer, you walk past the river, hear some stories, then you're back in a venue.
"I really wanted to do it with some of the interesting parts of history.
"There's loads of different funny facts and quirky things that people don't know about.
"I would say that Chester is giving a really decent run.
"Having decent food place, being able to go inside and meet the people that run them - seeing how much they care, and also getting to know them is a massive bonus."
During her tours she makes a conscious effort to introduce guests to the owners of the places they visit, so they can learn more about how the food got to their plate.
"Because they're small independents, they can tell you specifically about what you're eating, and why you're eating it.
"It's a huge, huge bonus, and it's really good fun," she added.
For Steph 'Chester on a Plate' is more than just a food tour. She explained how the experience reveals more of the city than one would expect, for locals and tourists alike.
She added: "The people in the independents tell you stories and so do locals.
"It's not just a food tour: it's food and drinks pairings, it's sightseeing, it's a walking tour and it's a really great day out for the family, or groups of friends, couples, solo.
"It's half a day of hearing a little bit about the city and eating great food.
"There's always something to talk about and I don't think anybody's ever walked away from it not wanting to go back to certain places and not having the odd fact that they didn't know.
"To be honest it's just a laugh."
The 'Chester on a Plate' food tour is priced at £85 per person.
Over the course of four hours you'll walk from venue to venue, hearing stories and insights from the city whilst trying out some of Chester's best food and drink spots.
You can book on here.
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