An exciting new opening for Manchester has just been announced. Chef, owner and creative director of El Gato Negro and Canto, Simon Shaw has revealed plans for his third restaurant; a Middle Eastern restaurant and bar called Habas.
There will be a modern Middle Eastern menu, a bar providing premium drinks and live music until late.
Speaking about the new opening, Simon said: “It will be the type of venue that I like to go to, somewhere that you can settle down for the night with great table service and music too.”
Following on from his Spanish and Portuguese menus at his other two restaurants, Habas’ menu is inspired by Simon’s long term love of Middle Eastern food.
Simon Shaw said:
“I was probably into Middle Eastern food before Spanish if I’m honest. It was back in ‘98 when I was living in London that I first became interested in it; going for a shawarma late at night was our thing.
“We’d go to these incredible places on Edgeware Road or in Bayswater after work, or even after we’d been out, it was quite a social thing. I remember thinking wow, what a great style of food this is; it’s amazing, so fresh and vibrant.
“I knew then that I wanted to open a modern Middle Eastern restaurant; this isn’t a new thing. I’ve directed some of that influence into dishes at El Gato Negro as there’s so much overlap in styles and ingredients, but it’s really exciting to focus on this diverse region’s many cuisines with Habas.”
Habas will be located on Brown Street, on the lower ground floor of a Grade Two listed heritage building owned by Bruntwood, which has been fully renovated ahead of the opening.
This new opening has been in the pipeline for some time but has been delayed due to obstacles during the renovation process and, of course, due to the pandemic.
“Habas has been a long time in the making. It’s been a good couple of years since we first acquired the site and commenced construction work. We hit a couple of obstacles early on, as is to be expected when renovating a heritage building, and that required us to revise our timings. And then came the pandemic.
“It’s been tough as you’d expect, but abandoning plans for Habas was never an option, if anything it’s given us a greater appetite. We’ve had time to really develop the concept and focus on what we want it to be. We’re in a good place; I’m really excited to be entering this final stage of work and am looking forward to opening Habas later this Spring.”
Habas will launch in June. To keep up to date, visit habas.co.uk to sign up to the newsletter or head to their Instagram page.
The Easter Bank Holiday weekend is upon us – four days off in the sunshine (or potentially the snow if you believe the forecast).
With Covid restrictions having eased at the beginning of this week, there’s now potential to get together in groups of six or two households for meet ups in the garden or in a park.
Whether you’re staying in or heading round to a friends garden, we’ve rounded up some delicious Easter treats to enjoy from a range of independent restaurants, cafes, bars and retailers in Manchester.
Cocoa and Bloom are crafting some of the prettiest Easter Eggs we’ve seen. Available in dark, milk and white chocolate, the eggs are filled with 12 of their chocolates. There is a vegan option available too.
They are also doing limited edition boxes of hot cross bun chocolates made with caramelised white chocolate and hot cross bun ganache. Everything is available for collection from their unit in Pollard Yard. Order at cocoa-bloom.co.uk.
The classic Easter treat, warm and spicy, soft and sweet; perfect fresh out of the oven or toasted with butter.
Longbois Bakes in Levenshulme will have fresh hot cross buns on the counter at the weekend, as well as Creme Egg pop tarts, chocolate caramel Easter nest tarts and mini egg cookies, alongside their our usual menu. They are open as usual on Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.
Now for a sweet treat that’s a little less traditional but one that still screams Easter – Siop Shop‘s mini egg doughnut – topped with a chocolate nest and a cluster of Mini Eggs.
They’ve also got a sticky hot cross bun doughnut. Both Easter specials will be available Wednesday to Sunday this week. For more information visit their Instagram page.
Gooey has revealed their Easter special cookie which is – you guessed it – a hot cross bun cookie.
Available for one week only, it’s got milk and dark chocolate chips, raisins sultanas, mixed peel and hot cross buns spices and it’s finished with a buttercream cross.
For the bank holiday weekend, Pollen Bakery will have lots of Easter Egg cruffins on the counter. Croissant dough, swirled into the shape of a muffin, filled with a silky chocolate cremeux and topped with Easter Egg chocolate.
Salut has created a special wine box for Easter including three bottles of wine – perfect for the Bank Holiday weekends – as well as chocolate bunnies from Cocoa Tree in Chorlton.
The box includes a luscious Spanish white to pair with Good Friday fish, an elegant red to go perfectly with a juicy leg of lamb and a rosè to enjoy in the sunshine!
Similar to a Pannetone, the Colomba di Pasqua is a dove-shaped sweet bread traditionally eaten on Easter in Italy. Salvi’s has different varieties at their deli in the Corn Exchange.
They did even have some limited edition Dolce and Gabbanna cakes in stock but these are always pretty popular so you’ll have to pop down to see if there’s any left in store.
Easter French Toast
Federal is serving up a special Easter French Toast this weekend for takeaway from their Northern Quarter and Deansgate cafes.
The brioche French toast is served with chocolate orange sauce, vanilla mascarpone and Mini Eggs. Available from Saturday to Monday this week, pop in to order.
Vibrant vegan baker, Drizzle City Bakes has a range of Easter treats available to order for this weekend including vegan Creme Eggs, cakes and cookies.
Baratxuri are offering BBQ kits for the Bank Holiday weekend with a selection of tapas dishes designed to feed two to four people. Dishes include Basque chorizo, Iberico pork, Galician octopus and Argentinian red prawns.
The dishes can be cooked on the BBQ or in your kitchen. They also have Basque burnt cheesecake available to order for this weekend. All kits and dishes available to order via their website.
Rudy’s has the announced the arrival of its latest restaurant, which will open in Stockton Heath this spring.
The new pizzeria will be the seventh in the Rudy’s portfolio and seems to be part of a new approach for owners Mission Mars of opening in suburban locations.
Previously, the focus had been on opening city centre restaurants in other large cities. The original Rudy’s opened in Ancoats in 2015, which was followed by another one on Peter Street in 2018, and three more sites in Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds.
Similar to their most recent opening in Sale, which opened towards the end of last year, Rudy’s in Stockton Heath will be more of a neighbourhood pizzeria.
On the menu will be Rudy’s authentic Neapolitan style pizza, including favourites like Marinara, Margherita and Calabrese.
Rudy’s pizza is made in accordance with Neapolitan tradition
Rudy’s dough is made fresh daily using Caputo ‘00’ flour which ferments for at least 24 hours, alongside the best quality ingredients imported twice a week from Naples, including San Marzano tomatoes grown on fields next to Mount Vesuvius, and Fior di Latte mozzarella.
The pizzas are cooked in specially built wood fired ovens for just 60 seconds in accordance with Neapolitan pizza tradition, leaving it soft and floppy with a leopard patterned cornichon (crust).
Beth Sinclair, General Manager of Rudy’s Stockton Heath said: “I’m really excited about living in Stockton Heath and getting to know the area more.
“It won’t be long before we are able to fire up the oven and serve delicious Neapolitan pizza. As a team we can’t wait to meet the locals and neighbours and become part of town life.”
Rudy’s are recruiting now for pizzaiolos and front-of-house staff, to find out more visit: rudyspizza.co.uk/joinus
The exact launch date has not been confirmed yet but for further updates, head to their Instagram page.
A short walk from the Holt Town tram stop through some pretty unsuspecting backstreets, it’s not necessarily where you’d expect to find a hub of creative activity.
But strolling through Pollard Yard on a sunny afternoon, between its rows of multicoloured shipping containers strung with festooned lighting, in the shadow of an old mill, you can practically feel the creativity oozing out of every perfectly painted interior.
If you haven’t been to Pollard Yard before, it’s essentially a piece of formerly derelict land on the outskirts of New Islington which has been filled with a maze of shipping containers, providing affordable and flexible workspaces to a range of small businesses entrepreneurs and start ups.
What starrted out as a pilot scheme of 30 businesses in June 2019, Pollard Yard has now grown to house more than 130 containers.
It’s unlike Hatch, the other shipping container village in Manchester, in that the focus is not primarily to draw in crowds with food and drink offerings. In its current set up, although many of the containers have ‘shop fronts’, it’s not a place that actively encourages passing trade. Most of the businesses use the spaces as offices, studios or as a space to fulfil delivery orders.
Nevertheless, Pollard Yard is currently full and has a waiting list of small businesses waiting to get their hands on the reasonably priced workspaces.
It seems that Pollard Yard has been the perfect solution for the many new small businesses we’ve seen pop up since the start of the pandemic. And, although it wasn’t initially known as a place for food and drink businesses, a few more have found their homes there in recent months.
The most recent addition to the collection of food traders is chocolatier Cocoa and Bloom.
Owner Darcy had always wanted to be a baker, but she was told that she had to go to university first, which is what she did. But then in 2019, Darcy quit job her job as a Business Development Manager in 2019 to pursue her dream of working in pastry. She is currently study at Hopwood Hall College in pastry and confectionary.
Darcy had originally thought about opening a baking business but she spotted a gap in the market for selling beautiful chocolates of the kind you’d find in the windows of chocolatiers in France.
The perfectly crafted and wonderfully glossy chocolates come in a range of shapes, colours and fillings. There are ones that look like shells, others that look like gemstones, and many splatted with vibrant colours.
There is a changing selection of flavours which, for March, includes Lemon and Raspberry Cheesecake, Maple and Pecan, Jam on Toast and Chocolate Guinness Ganache.
More than half the menu is vegan too, but it’s not the grainy, tasteless, vegan chocolate you might have tried before. In fact, it’s barely distinguishable from the rest. As Darcy tells us, just because the chocolate is vegan, it doesn’t mean it has to be healthy.
All made using local ingredients where possible and there is a big focus on sustainability. She uses no plastic in production or packaging. Chocolates come in reusable tins lined with paper, which can be returned and refilled.
The business has been growing steadily and just a few months after she started trading in December, Darcy is now looking to hire someone who she can train in the lead up to Christmas. They don’t need to have any experience in pastry or making chocolate, her only criteria is that the person is creative.
It’s not just Cocoa and Bloom that is flourishing in Pollard Yard. Walking inside the Loaf MCR container, it’s an explosion of pink – pink counters, pink walls and a mural in varying shades of pink. As we arrive, the doors to the container were also being repainted in light pink as the previous pink was apparently a little too ‘pornstar’ for owner Aiden’s liking.
“Pink is really my colour,” laughs Aiden, from behind the pink face mask which sits atop his long beard.
Currently on furlough from his job at clothing company Belstaff, the idea for his venture came about after he wanted to inject some fun into his company’s instagram feed during the first lockdown by organising a weekly bake off. When Loaf Week rolled around, Aiden knew he didn’t want to make bread and so many a loaf cake instead – and was pleasantly surprised with the results.
His loaf cakes come in a range of flavours like lemon drizzle, cherry Bakewell, chocolate orange and carrot cake, each loaded with a variety of icing and toppings.
Aiden wanted to make cakes that were delicious and also reasonably priced. When he first started out, he was selling cakes to raise money for the NHS and he was then approached by Northern Quarter cafe Ezra and Gill to start supplying cakes to them.
Loaf predominantly operates as a wholesale bakery but does also sell to individuals and Aiden is thinking about expanding that customer facing side of the business. When you walk into a container, it does feel like a shop, with a small reception space, shelves displaying other small brand’s products and a counter to order from.
Loaf has also been collaborating with other businesses in the Yard like Cocoa and Bloom, where they have made limited edition cakes for occasions such as Mother’s Day. Aiden says that being surrounded by such a diverse mix of creative businesses has really encouraged these types of collaborations and the strong sense of community that he feels there has been a great support to him as a start up.
Next we popped round to see Le Social Wine who – just my luck – were about to start a wine tasting for some of their new bottles.
Owner, Jerome, who originally comes from Nantes in France, moved to Manchester in 2012. When he was first put on furlough from his job as an alcohol sales rep, Jerome missed that regular conversation with people that he was used to, and so, he decided to start up Le Social as a way of keeping that face-to-face contact, even if it was just a quick chat on a doorstep.
Describing himself as ‘the milkman of wine’, Jerome spent those first few sunny lockdown months, cycling around (often, as he tells us, in mini shorts), delivering bottles of wine, with profits being donated to Black Lives Matter charities and organisations connected to Pride Month.
Jerome was running this delivery business from home for a little while from home before deciding he needed a proper space to run the business. He moved into Pollard Yard in August last year and now sells his range of sustainable, organic and natural wines to both retailers and individuals. Jerome has also worked with Escape to Freight Island to set up a natural wine bar which will be reopening with the rest of the site in April.
Like Cocoa and Bloom and Loaf, Jerome is also growing his team and has just taken on another member of staff, Sarah, who will be working with him on Le Social.
Sarah and Jerome from Le Social
Finally, we popped in to see Rachel from Palms Bakery who launched her business just before the first lockdown, as she handed in her notice at her job in early March last year.
The self-proclaimed ‘home of the shaggy cake’, Palms Bakery is based in one of the larger units in Pollard Yard. Rachel started off from home, making mini lockdown birthday cakes and weekly treat boxes. When she moved into the larger unit, it meant that she could create more cakes each day, rather than just one or two at home.
Her larger cakes are mainly bespoke, she has a chat with whoever is ordering and comes up with a design for them. Rachel says that many people just send her a picture of a cake they’ve seen on her Instagram feed for her to replicate, but she loves it when people allow her to get creative and make something totally new. The orders can be collected from the unit in Pollard Yard or they can also be delivered locally.
Rachel loves being part of Pollard Yard and says that the community of traders around her are very helpful. If she were to leave it would be because she needs more space or to take on more team members to help her complete orders.
A shaggy cake from Palms Bakery
We’ve seen in recent months the rise in the number of people starting up their own businesses, many of which are due to redundancies or lack of work, or simply from people having more time to devote to something that they are passionate about.
Pollard Yard is providing these businesses a foothold, a space where they can experiment, find their feet and eventually grow.
Lucy Hackett, Community and Site Manager of Pollard Yard, said: “What started off as a derelict piece of land back in 2019 has since flourished into an aspiring community of entrepreneurs, creatives and small businesses.
“The best thing about Pollard Yard? Easy – the people. It’s so wonderful to watch tenants network, collaborate and generally support one another to achieve their personal and business goals. We’ve got lots of exciting things lined up for the future which will hopefully enhance the experience of being a tenant here at Pollard Yard. So watch this space.”
As well as the affordability and flexibility of Pollard Yard, it’s being surrounded by so many creative minds that seems to be really helpful to the businesses located there.
It’s having someone next door to ask for advice, to collaborate with, or simply just that ineffable atmosphere of creativity I felt walking into the space.
It’s easy to see why so many start ups are signing up to have a container there and it’ll be exciting to see where these businesses are in the next few months, and who else will find their home there.
Manchester’s baking boom is set to continue with the opening of a new artisan bakery in South Manchester.
Located in Withington Public Hall Institute, Batard is a small batch community bakehouse which will be serving ‘well good bread, bangin’ bakes & proper food’.
Pork Pies fresh out the oven. Photos by Adam Pester
Owner, Lewis, has worked with various Manchester bakeries and cafes over the years, including Pot Kettle Black and Takk.
Along with his partner, Dorothy, Lewis had been about the set up a shop in Hebden Bridge, where they used to live, selling classic sandwiches. However, in early 2020, just when they were about to open, the site flooded and so they pulled out of the lease.
Batard is operating from outside Withy Public Hall whilst lockdown restrictions are in place
Lewis then went on to work on the launch of cookie and doughnut bakery Gooey last year, before deciding to set up Batard.
On the menu at Batard will be classic sourdough loaves and other bakes. Lewis’ approach to his menu is to ‘bake by fancy and feel’ and many of the bakes will be things he grew up with like Bakewell tarts and vanilla slices, alongside croissant buns and other pastries.
Eventually, he would like to start using heritage grains and even mill their own flour on site. Lewis also wants to get as involved in the community as possible and would one day like to put on free classes for local kids to teach them how to make bread.
Lewis with a tray of Steak Bakes
Sourdough Loaves will be a permanent fixture too
Lewis said: “We basically want to be as sustainable as possible, and as nutritious as possible, but approachable as well. You can alienate people, I think. I really want to try and get away from that.”
Alongside Batard in Withy Public Hall are other small food and drink businesses including Burton Road Brewery and Basilico who make Neapolitan pizza.
Batard is planning to launch fully on 20 March but they are also doing a little pop up this Sunday ahead of the opening where they will be serving a small menu including a porchetta sandwich with slow roasted & deep fried pork belly, sourdough stuffing, anchovy aioli and rocket.
Batard will be open from 10am Saturday and Sunday on a first come first serve basis until sold out. Whilst they find their feet, there’ll be no collection/preorders but that will change in a few weeks.
The other traders at Withy Hall can be found and ordered from here: goodeats.io/wphi.
To keep up to date with the latest news on Batard, give them a follow on Instagram: instagram.com/batardbread.
The day is finally arriving when we’ll be able to, once again, head out of our homes to eat food and drink drinks at restaurants and bars.
From Monday 12 April, you’ll be able to visit venues to order food and drink outside. There’ll be no substantial meal rule and there’ll be no 10pm curfew. Hallelujah.
But with restaurants’ diaries understandably filling up fast, it’s a bit tricky to know where you’ll actually be able to get a table.
Here, we’ve rounded up places that still have availability for bookings and the times when you have your best chance of securing a table, as well as places that will have tables available for walk-ins.
This list was correct when it was last updated on 17 March.
Elnecot
Apart from the first weekend after restrictions ease, Elnecot has good availability for tables in April. They’ll have their outdoor tables in Cutting Room Square and will also be accepting walk ins.
After being inundated with requests after they opened their terrace for bookings, El Gato Negro announced last week that they are taking bookings for their ‘pavement terrace’ on King Street.
Even these are filling up fast with tables only available in the daytime and later on in the evening for the first few weeks of April.
Also taking part in the ‘tapas on the terrace event’ is El Gato’s sister restaurant Canto. There will be 50 covers on Blossom Street, looking out onto Cutting Room Square.
Both events will run 12pm to 10pm in the run up to the restaurants’ official reopenings on May 17. Fridays and Saturdays are busy but other than that there are tables available.
Having recently announced their transformed outdoor terrace, The Refuge by Volta still has some limited availability for online bookings. These bookings will be for dining only but there will be limited opportunities for walk-in drinks, especially towards the end of the night.
They’ve also told us that there is availability that opens up each day as people change there plans, so it’s worth checking back regularly if you fancy dining at The Refuge.
Escape to Freight Island
Freight Island has had huge demand for bookings since they were announced so as you’d expect, availability is quite limited. However, they do have evening slots free each week from Sunday to Wednesday, so you should still be able to get a table if you book soon.
They’re currently taking bookings until 16 May via their website, where you can also sign up to the mailing list to get early access to bookings next time around. Book here.
Hatch
Hatch is taking bookings for half of their available tables and saving half for walk-ins. The two opening weekends are sold out but there are still lots of options throughout the week. Take a look at what’s available here.
Freight Island still has a few tables left from Sunday to Wednesday
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is taking outdoor table bookings for food or drinks only. Friday and Saturday evenings are quite full but there is still decent availability during the daytimes and plenty of tables during the week. Walk-ins will also be available.
Taking bookings at its Ancoats and Peter Street restaurants from April 12, Rudy’s is totally booked up for the first weekend after reopening but apart from that there is still decent availability for lunchtimes and throughout the week. You can book a table via their website here.
Crazy Pedro’s – NQ
Crazy Pedro’s NQ has JUST released more availability for Bottomless Brunch bookings, most of them are just before 5pm if you’re struggling to find free spots. They’ll also have space for walk-ins on the day too.
Tampopo
Tampopo will be opening the outdoor seating area at Albert Square restaurant from 12 April. There’s still plenty of availability at the moment. You can book a table here.
Salut
Wine bar and shop Salut will be open for drinks, small plates and sharing boards in their outdoor area from 12 April. It’ll be walk ins only and you can find out more on their Instagram.
Oast House
The Oast House has midweek availability for table bookings but they will still be accepting walk-ins on the weekends at their large Spinningfields outdoor areas.
Scene Indian Street Kitchen is taking bookings for their outdoor terrace, they’ve got lots of room at the back looking over the river and heated seating areas at the front too. They are fully booked the first Saturday back (April 17) but apart from that they have lots of tables available. You can book here.
Common
The outdoor tables on Edge Street will be returning and Common will be open for walk ins only from Tuesday to Friday 4pm until late and from 12pm on weekends.
The Beagle
With tables available in their conservatory, The Beagle in Chorlton is taking walk ins only from Tuesday to Friday for drinks and slices of Nell’s Pizza.
Hatch
The first couple of weekends at Hatch have sold out completely but there are a few tables left here and there during the first few weeks of opening. They are also saving half the capacity for walk ins so even if you’ve not booked, you should still be able to get a table.
There are plenty of tables still available to book for The Botanist Media City’s outdoor area when they reopen on 12 April. Book here.
Levanter, Ramsbottom
Levanter is taking bookings for their covered and heated outdoor space on Square Street. Aside from the opening couple of weekends, they still have good availability, especially midweek and on Sundays. Towards the end of April there are still some tables available on Fridays and Saturdays, and May bank holiday weekends still have availability too. Book at levanterfinefoods.co.uk.
Nutters, Norden
Fine dining Rochdale restaurant, Nutters is taking bookings for their terrace for nibbles, desserts and drinks. They opened the phone lines to start taking bookings at the weekend so there are still plenty of tables available. To book, call 01706 650167.
Nutters in Norden
Sugo, Altrincham
From 13 April, Sugo is taking bookings at their Altrincham restaurant only. The Ancoats restaurant isn’t opening until May for indoor dining. For Altrincham, there is very limited availability in April but if you’re desperate for a helping of Sugo, we’ve just seen two tables open up for dinnertime on 15 April and there’s one late table on 21 April too. There’s some more availability in May.
Volta announced they were taking bookings this week and they have already filled up pretty fast. The first week and first couple of weekends are pretty full but there’s still the odd table here and there, and there is more availability for evenings during the week.
The Hive has created a brand new covered and heated outdoor area outside their restaurant and bar in Stretford Mall. They are taking bookings from 15 April.
A new sandwich deli is now open in town, serving up deli-style subs for weekend collection.
There aren’t enough great sandwich places in Manchester in our opinion, so we were pretty happy to see Bada Bing launching their new concept.
Owners Sam and Meg were inspired to open Bada Bing after their time spent working in an Italian/US style deli out in Melbourne.
As well as their love for sandwiches, Bada Bing has also been inspired by Sam and Meg’s favourite TV show, The Sopranos.
The current menu consists of five different subs, which they are hoping to develop whilst working on a permanent site in the Ancoats area.
The menu is headed up by the ‘two fisted’ hoagie sandwich called The Bing. It is packed with cold cuts including Gabagool, mortadella, Napoli salami, Ventricina salami, sharp provolone, tomato, lettuce, red onion, giardiniera (house pickles) and mayo.
There’s also the ‘Muffuletta’, a classic New Orleans sandwich with a twist, with smoked ham, chicken, Napoli salami, sharp provolone, olive salad and gochujang mayo.
The meatball sub has fennel sausage meatballs, red sauce, mozzarella, rocket, pecorino and basil salsa verde.
For non-meat eaters, there are two veggie/vegan options; the Roasted Cauli with pumpkin seed romesco, rocket, red onions; and Paulie Walnuts (“an ode to our favourite guy from our favourite show”), with mushroom shawarma, artichokes, balsamic caramelized onions, walnuts rocket, vegan truffle mayo and gouda.
Bada bing, bada boom.
Currently open for collection only, sandwiches can be pre-ordered for the following day from 4pm and collected from Friday to Sunday from 12 to 3pm.
Could it be happening? Could things be starting to return to normal just a little? Could the events we know and love be sliding back into our calendar?
It certainly looks like that might be the case, as one stalwart event of the foodie calendar, the Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF), has announced it is returning to the city this autumn.
Set to take place from Thursday 16 to Monday 27 September, MFDF’s Festival Hub will once again take place in Cathedral Gardens, alongside other fringe events across Greater Manchester.
There had been hopes to open up the Festival Hub next month as part of the postponed 2020 festival, but that has not been possible due to the enduring restrictions.
The Festival Hub on Cathedral Gardens
The Festival Hub will be free to enter with a limited number of tables available to book. Visitors can guarantee a table and skip queues by reserving a table for a fee of £5.
This year, the Festival is once again sponsored by Just Eat.
The MFDF awards and Gala Dinner awards ceremony will also return for 2021, following a virtual ceremony last year. Each year, the awards are a celebration of the very best of Manchester’s food and drink scene and their achievements over the past year.
The event will take place on Monday 27 September at Manchester Hall where the winners of the awards will be announced – categories will be revealed soon.
Festival Director, Alexa Stratton-Powell, said:
“This year’s Festival is about celebration, reflection and recovery. It has been an extraordinarily difficult time for the hospitality industry, and so too for the Festival and all the events companies and professionals around the country. Postponing last year’s MFDF was a very difficult decision, but the right one.
“This year we’ll come together to do what Manchester does best – support each other and our city. We want to create the most exciting Festival yet; celebrate as many of our hospitality businesses as possible and make sure everyone has a brilliant time enjoying the region’s amazing food and drink.
“We’re particularly excited to be announcing the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards are back! They give everyone a chance to recognise the achievements of our unrivalled hospitality community. We will be back soon to announce the award categories, nominees and how to vote- giving everyone the chance to get behind their food heroes.
The Festival programme will be available on the MFDF website and via their app which can be downloaded by searching ‘Mcr Food and Drink Festival’ in the App/Android store. And to keep up to date with updates, head to the MFDF Instagram page.
Mother’s Day last year was the very first event that we spent in lockdown. I remember, during the first few weeks, walking past closed pubs with signs for Mother’s Day roasts and free prosecco deals for weeks.
As we roll around to another Mother’s Day in lockdown and with pub doors still shut for now, sons and daughters are going to have to get creative once again for the day dedicated to mums and mother figures.
As ever, let’s all try support independent businesses.
Food
So, you can’t take your mum out for a meal just yet but at least there are more at-home options compared to last year including roast deliveries, afternoon tea and brunch boxes.
Rudy’s bake at home pizza kits and Cocoa & Bloom’s beautifully designed chocolates
Afternoon tea
Nibble NQ has a range meal boxes which can be delivered across the UK. The afternoon tea box includes herby cheese scones and sweet scones with clotted cream, lemon curd and compote, mini quiches, sausage rolls, brownies with creme egg, Turkish delight and beetroot fudge, banana bread, treacle tart flapjacks and rhubard crumble cake.
The box costs £30 and deliveries are on Friday 12 March. There’s also a vegan version, plus a ‘breakfast in bed’ box and cake boxes too. Order here.
So we’ve had afternoon tea, now for the other classic Mother’s Day meal – the Sunday Roast.
Albert Schloss has announced they are delivering three-course Mother’s Day Sunday lunches, with a choice of Cheshire chicken supreme, roast Lancashire beef, slow cooked porchetta or pumpkin, beetroot and lentil wellington for mains, plus a choice of starter and dessert. They can be ordered here.
If you’d normally go out for a nice meal with your mum, then delivering her a takeaway or meal kit might be the closest you’ll get this Mother’s Day.
Some new cook-at-home options that you might not have tried yet include Tattu‘s new sharing menu which includes a selection of their most popular dishes and Nell’s new ‘grandma style’ bake-at-home pizzas for a more budget-friendly option. Rudy’s are also doing Mother’s Day Bundles which include pizzas, desserts, and drinks.
Pasta Factory has also created a lasagna kit especially for Mother’s Day, with their fresh pasta sheet, traditional beef ragu, bechamel and parmesan.
Grand Pacific’s High Tea at Home and Palm’s Bakery’s cakes
Hampers
Whether sending it to someone you can’t be with, or enjoying it together as an outdoor picnic, a hamper full of goodies is a wonderful gift.
We’re a big fan of Abeja Tapas Bar’s board-in-a-box hampers which include a choice of wine, Cava or Sangria, a sharing board (with meat, cheese or both), olives, sesame flatbreads, extra-virgin olive oil, handmade chocolates, hand-tied bouquet of dried flowers and a personalised message. Order them here.
Eat Well MCR’s luxury weekend hamper includes bagels to boil and bake at home, smoked salmon, eggs, apple juice and milk all from local small producers. There’s also a bottle of natural fizz. Profits fund meals for vulnerable people in Manchester, including many mothers sheltering with their children in temporary accommodation. Available to order for shipping across the UK if your mum isn’t Manchester based. Order here.
Elnecot have created a special Mother’s Day selection including homemade scones and miso caramel brownies made by Elnecot, as well as other products from local companies including smoked salmon and paté from Manchester Smokehouse, Companio Bakery sourdough, three cheeses from The Crafty Cheese Man. The Elnecot box also includes a 20% discount voucher for when they reopen.
You can also order hampers from traders at Altrincham Market by emailing order@marketoperations.co.uk who will send through all the information.
Vouchers
As we approach reopening, many restaurants are now beginning to take bookings for diners from 12 April outside and from 17 May inside. And, another way of supporting these places ahead of the reopening is by buying a voucher.
Most restaurants will do vouchers for you, so it’s just a case of picking one your mum will love and giving them a call.
Sweet treats
If your mother figure has a sweet tooth, there are plenty of small bakery businesses in Manchester to support this Mother’s Day.
Manchester Brownie Box are doing brownies with edible flowers, there’s the Mother’s Day edition box from Get Yer Macaron and a Mother’s Day cake collab between Pollard Yard neighbours, Loaf Manchester and Cocoa and Bloom. Sam’s Bakehouse is doing cannoli treat boxes, there are cake hampers from All Day Cake, cupcake boxes from Little Moon Bakery and Mother’s Day sweet treat boxes from Sweet Chorlton with cupcakes, mallow pops and cookie sandwiches.
Drinks
If your mum is more of a liquid lunch kinda gal, there is plenty of great drinks and experiences you can get delivered for Mother’s Day.
Wine picks from both Le Social (left) and Isca Wines (right)
Wine
Grape to Grain is hosting one of their regular virtual wine tastings on the day itself with a Mother’s Day / International Women’s Day theme. It’s all about celebrating women as all the wines are from female wine makers and each ticket includes a donation to women’s charities. Wines can be ordered in 100ml tasters, 500ml carafes or full bottles. Link to book is here.
Other brilliant wine shops in Manchester include Le Social in Pollard Yard, Isca in Levenshulme, Salut in the city centre and Reserve in Didsbury.
Gin
Ah the old Mother’s ruin – a great gift for mums and plenty of Manchester distillers to choose from including the new Prestwich Gin, which launched at the end of last year. It’s a small batch gin made in Prestwich with 12 natural botanicals.
Other local distillers include Manchester Gin, Didsbury Gin, Four Sis4ers, Thomas Dakin, Manchester Three Rivers, Worsley Gin and Zymogorium
Gifts
If you’re looking for a gift of the non-edible kind, why not take the opportunity of Mother’s Day to support some small Manchester makers with an order.
A Northern Flower bouquet and a cup from Grace and Greene Clayworks
Ceramics
We love the small-batch ceramics by Grace and Greene Clayworks like beautiful mugs, vases, bowls and plant hangers. You can shop all the products on their website here.
Flowers
Of course, no Mother’s Day guide would be complete without flowers in what must be one of the busiest days of the year for florists. So, if you’re looking to bag yourself a beautiful bunch, it’s time to get those orders in.
National food days come and go. There seemingly isn’t a food on earth that doesn’t have a day dedicated to it. National Banana Bread day, National Hummus Day, National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day (?!).
But one thing we can’t let pass us by is the opportunity to celebrate the humble British pie. A food so important, it warrants a full week of revelry rather than a measly 24 hours.
British Pie Week starts today (1 March) and runs up until Sunday, and we’ve rounded up some of the best pies from across Greater Manchester for to enjoy this week and beyond. There are traditional pies, curry pies, sweet pies, and lots more in between.
The menu at Lord of the Pies in Chorlton features four pies which have been recognised with awards at the British Pie Awards (how much I would love to be a judge at that). Said accoladed pies are British pork and cider, beef and blue cheese, mixed cheese and onion, and beef and ale with roasted mushrooms.
There’s also meet and potato, pork and black pudding, chicken balti and ‘The Chorlton Pie’ which is filled with a superfood vegan stew with kale, edamame beans and celeriac puree.
If choice is what you’re after, then check out Pieminister‘s 15-strong range of award-winning pies which includes classics like steak and ale and chicken, ham and leek. There are more unconventional fillings too like Indian butter chicken and beef and stilton. Plus, there are six veggie pies (of which three are vegan) including jackfruit ‘steak’ & ale, Saag Pie-Neer, and goats cheese, sweet potato and spinach.
All their classic pies can be served as the ‘mothership’ with creamy mash, minted mushy peas, crispy shallots, cheddar and gravy.
It’s becoming abundantly clear that pie and curry is an absolutely killer combination. Well, how about a full menu of them?
Patel’s Pies make Indian inspired pies which can be found at Bernie’s Grocery Store in Heaton Moor, Nordie in Levenshulme, Groceries and Beer in Sale and Stretford Foodhall. Fillings include Keema Lamb, Desi Chicken and Aloo Matar (potato and pea).
Currently in testing – the mac and cheese pie from Great North Pie Co
MACARONI CHEESE PIE?! A topic that caused great debate in the EATMCR camp this week when we spotted this creation on Great North Pie Co’s twitter. Before you get too excited/outraged, we must stress that it’s only being tested at the moment and is not actually available yet but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.
On the menu at the moment is Swaledale beef and onion, roast chicken and ham, Lancashire cheese and onion, spinach and cheese, and keema and peas. They are available to order in boxes of four or eight for home deilvery and they can also be collected from their bakery in Wilmslow (Tue-Fri 10am-2pm) or from Altrincham Market from Tuesday to Sunday too.
Stockport restaurant Ate Days a Week serves up a menu of handmade pies, alongside sandwiches, fish and chips, and ‘proper’ meals. They had opened a stall at Hatch for just a day last year before Manchester went back into lockdown, but they’re still doing deliveries from Stockport at the moment.
Their ‘Pie of the Tiger’ menu includes slow braised steak and ale; rosemary lamb, potato & mint; caramelised red onion, cheddar and brie; tandoori chicken pie; and cottage pie. They also do any of their pies ‘Died in your Barm’ with minted mushy peas and proper gravy on a buttered barm.
Made by ex-offenders with produce from local prison farms and gardens, Bolton-based H.M.Pasties makes handmade pasties and pies which can be delivered to your door.
Fillings include steak and stout, cheese and onion, aloo saag, jerk chicken, and leek and mushroom. There are also pasties, sausage rolls and a DIY pasties kit.
Beehive Food is a small batch food provider which normally provides food to restaurants and bars around Manchester. They create high end pub food, including a range of handmade pies and scotch eggs. They’ve got pies filled with pork and Bramley apple, goat’s cheese and red pepper, tarka dhal, and a homity pie.
There’s free delivery on orders over £20 and they are delivered every Wednesday if placed by Monday.
Rhubarb and Blood Orange Meringue Pie from Idle Hands
Just in case you thought we were all about savoury pie, this sweet beauty deserves a mention this week – the rhubarb and blood orange meringue pie from Idle Hands. This can be ordered as a whole pie alongside a range of other sweet pies which are available for home delivery.
Other pies include smores pie, salted caramel brownie pie, vegan bakewell pie and banana cream pie.
View the full selection and order via their website here.
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Tapas on the Terrace
