When aether opens its doors later this year, it will offer an effortless airport experience in which every aspect of the pre-flight service has been reimagined. A key part of this service is having the right chef behind the food offering, and aether has found its perfect partner in award-winning Adam Reid.  

Traditional in-airport food consumption can often be rushed or even side-lined completely in the hurry to reach the gate on time. At aether, every detail of the airport journey is taken care of, giving much more time and space for the dining experience to take centre stage, preparing guests for their onward journey.   

When creating aether, it was clear that fully realising the effortless airport experience would involve finding the right chef to curate the food offering; someone with the vision to reimagine what is possible in airport dining. The chef would also need to be able to produce modern British cooking with a distinctly local flavour. 

aether found that chef in Adam Reid, the visionary Chef-Patron of Manchester’s The French. As well as being a central figure in the city’s gourmet scene, Adam has achieved national celebrity, winning the BBC’s Great British Menu competition with his signature Golden Empire dessert.  

Adam is a Manchester native, and his illustrious career started in the city’s Bridgewater Hall. With a string of positions under his belt, he returned to the city in 2013 to launch The French at The Midland Hotel with Simon Rogan.  

Accolades including The Caterer’s Acorn Award and Manchester Food Festival’s Chef of the Year quickly followed for Adam, while the French has retained the four rosettes it was awarded in 2018’s AA Guide ever since. The highly regarded restaurant, a staple of Manchester fine dining, has a ‘recommendation’ in 2023’s Michelin Guide. 

It was obvious from the start that Adam was the perfect fit for aether, in terms of both his food and the ethos behind it. The relaxed and accessible atmosphere he has achieved in The French mirrors perfectly the experience that aether will deliver when it opens: an inviting space, open to all, that projects understated elegance. 

Adam Reid is carefully curating an elegant menu that will showcase his signature modern British cooking while championing local produce. Rather than the grab and go or express dining often found in airports, Adam Reid’s aether menu will completely reinvent the idea of airport dining. 

While Adam won’t be unveiling the full details of his menu until September - ahead of aether opening its doors in November - it will be a dining experience, in Adam’s signature style.