After months of planning, acclaimed Manchester chef Adam Reid has unveiled the aether Dining Experience at an exclusive press event. Combining the best ingredients from local partners with Adam Reid’s flavour-forward style of cooking, the menu promises to elevate airport dining to new heights. We spoke to Adam about his inspiration behind the menu, and the dishes and ingredients that bring it to life. 

Adam Reid x aether partnership 

At aether, the dining experience is a central feature in our reimagining of airport travel, blending high-quality cuisine with convenience. Adam Reid is the perfect chef to deliver this vision: his signature style of accessible yet refined cuisine, and the relaxed and accessible atmosphere he has achieved in The French, both mirror the aether experience.  

For Adam, the partnership was a great fit: “aether was a very exciting project that as soon as it came along, I knew was right up my street. It's offering a high-end quality-driven experience, accessible to everybody. It’s really about giving people a seamless experience.”  

A set menu to complement the aether journey 

To align the food offering with the seamless nature of aether, Adam Reid has curated a bespoke set menu. Aside from the main course, guests don’t need to make any decisions around what to eat but are instead guided through a dining experience that leaves them ready for their onward journey. 

The meticulously crafted menu is “unashamedly focused on tasty food”. The aim is to make sure guests get just the right amount to eat. Each course perfectly complements what came before, so our guests are fully fuelled for their onward journey”. 

Adam Reid’s take on the perfect menu 

To Adam Reid, a key part of the perfect menu is how it’s delivered. Our chefs personally serve the food, offering customers as much or as little information as they desire about the provenance, ingredients or preparation of the dish.  

To achieve this, Adam has designed the aether food offering to not be a formal service, instead creating an “experience of being welcomed – a level of hospitality where guests leave feeling that they’ve been well taken care of.” 

As with his other establishments, the aim is to bring the kitchen into the dining area. He wants guests to feel that they’ve been personally invited into the space, as if it were someone’s home. 

Three thoughtfully curated menus to redefine expectations 

The food offering will comprise of three set menus, one for each meal of the day: The Breakfast Dining Experience, The Lunch Dining Experience and The Dinner Dining Experience. Each menu has been carefully put together to leave guests ready for their onward journey, no matter what time of day they’re travelling.  

Highlights from the Breakfast Dining Experience include hot smoked salmon & scrambled crumpet or Adam Reid’s signature breakfast bun, with stewed fruit, granola and yogurt. The Lunch Dining Experience features crumpet topped with shrimp and tomato butter & salad or seeded rye bread with grilled Kirkham’s cheese & mushroom with walnut ketchup. 

For the Dinner Dining Experience, meanwhile, guests can indulge in roasted Cornish day boat cod with brown shrimp & tomato butter; stewed beef cheek with crispy sage; or glazed hen of the woods mushrooms. The lunch and dinner menus will be rounded off with seasonal stewed fruit crumble, or cheese, crackers and chutney.  

Carefully selected ingredients from expert suppliers 

A key part of designing the menu was choosing the local suppliers who would provide the ingredients. We're proudly championing local produce and businesses in our menu, so we’re excited to include key ingredients from Pollen, Cheshire Smokehouse and Chorlton Cheesemongers.  

Family-owned farm Cheshire Smokehouse will supply ingredients ranging from smoked salmon to English honey made onsite from their own hives. Chorlton Cheesemongers will be supplying their award-winning Mrs Kirkham’s Creamy Lancashire Cheese, while bakery and café Pollen – voted one of the best places to eat in Europe – will be supplying a wide range of its iconic staples, including their sourdough and potato bun. 

Dining at the airport will never be the same 

Adam Reid commented: “We’ve crafted a delicious and thoughtful dining experience, marking a first for UK private terminals. With a guided set menu, guests can enjoy a stress-free and effortless journey, allowing them to fully relax before they travel." 

“aether is a completely new, unique offering – no one else is doing airport travel this way. I’m really excited to be involved and to be able to bring an essence of my usual casual dining – or Northern hospitality as we like to call it at The French – to a new setting.” 

Bookings are now open for travel from November 4. Reserve your aether experience today. 

View the full menu here.