Independent cafe and sourdough bakery Trove has announced the opening of their third site in Manchester.
Originally established in Levenshulme in 2011, Trove has become known for its artisan coffee, sourdough and other bakes.
The second site in Ancoats opened in 2018 and this summer, Trove will open its third cafe in Manchester, this time in the city centre.
Trove will take over the 1,000 sq ft ground floor space in the new Bloc development by Bruntwood Works. Also in the building will be a restaurant and bar by BrewDog and their new Doghouse Hotel, as well as FORM fitness, offering yoga and fitness training.
Launching in June, Trove will serve up a menu of nutritious breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, with their freshly baked bread at the heart of the menu. There’ll also be pastries, cakes and organic raw cold pressed juices by One Zero Zero.
Trove has become known for its artisan coffee, sourdough and other bakes
Marcus Saide, founder of Trove, said:
“The Bloc ethos fits perfectly with what Trove is all about – taking care of ourselves and investing in wellness. We’ll be serving up all our classic dishes including our freshly baked breads, pastries and our homemade pickles and chutneys, as well as some specially created new menu items for Bloc. As we approach our 10-year anniversary of Trove I can’t think of a better place to create our latest brunch destination.”
The transformation of Bloc is part of Bruntwood Works’ £50 million Pioneer programme which will see buildings across the North West, Midlands and Yorkshire reimagined into forward-thinking workspaces.
The building, which will open in May, will feature a sleep pod to help workers, technology to monitor and optimise air quality, a programme of yoga and fitness classes by FORM and a cascading garden in the foyer, with living walls throughout and on the building’s exterior.
External CGI for Bloc
Charlotte Wild, Head of Retail at Bruntwood Works said:
“We have long been fans of Trove’s approach to food and drink, and we’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming them to the Bloc community. It will create a fresh independent cafe destination for the city too with freshly baked bread and their incredible patisserie offering sitting alongside salads and juices – whether it’s treats or the healthiest of options everything is seasonal, sustainable and good for the soul. The ethos perfectly complements what we’re all about at Bloc too – bringing balance to business and ensuring our customers can take care of themselves.”
Trove will open on 1 June and will be open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm.
For more information on the launch, visit the Trove Instagram page and to read more about Bloc click here.
It started back in early March didn’t it, that slight panic you have about not booking anywhere?
When places began opening up their booking systems and you forgot to sort it. Restaurants with outdoor space went first. That’s to be expected isn’t it? Not as many of them. I’m sure it’ll be fine. But then Freight Island sold out for April and you began to panic. Well don’t worry, here’s a complete guide to all the restaurants, bars and pubs with outdoor seating + taking walk-ins from next week.
Cutting Room Square
Jane Eyre, Nam, Canto, Seven Brothers, and Second City are all taking walk-ins in Cutting Room Square. Jane Eyre are mostly booked up on weekends but have more spaces midweek, Second City aren’t taking bookings so will have spaces. Elnecot have walk-in spaces at the start of the week but are very busy over weekends.
Trove
Trove in Ancoats have set up a lovely little area for walk-ins, 6 tables overall. No bookings for now.
Open from Monday, the Ancoats wine bar will also be housing House of Habesha, a new duo who are making Eritrean & Ethiopia Cuisine.
Counter House
As they only take bookings for 4 or more people, Counter House are trying to hold back spaces for smaller groups walk-ins every day. If it’s sunny, it’ll be busy.
Seven Bros (Ancoats + Middlewood Locks)
Seven Bros in Ancoats will be open from April 12th and Middlewood Locks will be open from April 14th, both with walk-in outdoor tables available all week.
Edinburgh Castle
The beautiful pub in Ancoats from the team behind Cottonopolis will have spaces for outdoor seating, with a new menu released just for outdoor dining and plenty of bevs on the menu to go at. They’re also doing bottomless brunch but you’ll need to book for that!
Rudy’s – Peter St and Ancoats
Rudy’s are holding back 50% off their tables for walk-ins at both sites. As you’ve probably experienced before, both restaurants can get busy at peak times so you might need to leave your name and come back in an hour or so.
Ducie Street Warehouse
Ducie Street recently announced they’ll be opening a new heated and covered terrace for up to 60 people in time for reopening next week. Bookings went live this morning – we expect there to be space most days for walk-ins.
Crown + Kettle
Crown + Kettle might not be somewhere you immediately think of for outdoor drinking but they’ve been teasing new seating out front this week on Twitter and have also said ‘wait until you see what we’ve done out back’. Walk-ins only, open from April 12th.
Ciaooo have been operating as a takeout right through lockdown. They’ll be opening up for outdoor dining and walk-ins only BUT (and I think this is completely fair) only if the weather is nice!
Cafe North
The independent breakfast and brunch cafe will be open from Monday April 12th with no bookings, walk-ins only! Open from 8am until 4pm every single day.
Birria Brothers Tacos (at Koffee Pot)
Birria Brothers Tacos have been a huge lockdown hit and will be staying at Koffee Pot until at least May 17th. They have 10 tables on their side street which can hold up to 60 people. Owner Sam says it’ll be ‘Pints, tequila cocktails, mex bottled beers, birria tacos and some specials like taquitos’. Sounds good!
Black Milk
Black Milk have outdoor seating on their side street, they’ll be open each week from Wednesday onwards.
Common (+ Beagle in Chorlton)
Common in the NQ are taking walk-ins only, after a successful summer slinging Nell’s Pizza + pints they’re going to be doing much of the same from April 12th.
Yard and Coop
Yard and Coop is next door to Common on Edge Street. The buttermilk fried chicken restaurant will be open from April 12th for alfresco dining. They’ve kept half their space back for walk-ins.
Trof
Trof is doing strictly walk up tables, no reservations. Starting with Drinks only, but that might change in the coming weeks. Opening Times: 4pm – 11pm Friday’s // Saturday & Sunday’s 12pm – 11pm
Port Street Beer House
Port Street will be open from Monday 12th, 4pm until late. 10 tables, no bookings, walk-ins only.
The Crown & Anchor
There’s two of these, this is the one on the corner of Port St + Tib St in the NQ, they have a relatively unknown beer garden out back that they’ve told me has been refurbished for tomorrow.
The beer garden at the back of The Crown & Anchor
Feel Good Club
Open bright and early Monday, the Feel Good Club team are putting together a terrace garden out front today in preparation for tomorrow
Siop Shop
Siop reopen Tuesday, they’ll be serving coffees, donuts, soft serve + more with first come first served tables out front
Almost Famous – NQ
Walk-ins only! Almost Famous have a fair bit of outdoor space out towards the old Smithfield Market which gets plenty of sun (I know, I’ve seen the forecast).
Wolf at the Door
Wolf at the Door have just announced they’ll be open from Monday 12th April. No bookings, walk-ins only from 12pm until late everyday. Plus £1 baos, tacos and tasty bevs.
4 more days, 4 more days, 4 more days… – Photo from WATD social
Bay Horse Tavern
Bay Horse Tavern is one of the bars in the NQ that really benefitted from the pedestrianised roads, they’ll have spaces held back each day for walk-ins, again on a first come, first served basis.
Cane and Grain
The same as Bay Horse Tavern, open for walk-ins on a first come, first served basis.
Night and Day Cafe
Night and Day open from Friday 16th onwards. Tables and benches on Oldham Street and serving drinks and handmade pizza Neapolitan style
The Shack Grill and Bar
The Shack have a new extended outdoor area outside, they’re taking reservations Monday – Thursday but weekends will be left as walk-ins only!
Another spot doing walk-ins only (which means more chance of tables free!). Alvarium is a vegan friendly kitchen + bar that’s also just a very nice spot to sit and have pints in the NQ.
Flok + Eastern Bloc + For the NQ in General
If it’s busy, sunny and close to the weekend (a recipe for extremely busy) we’d just recommend starting at one side of the NQ and walking up via Thomas St into Stevenson Square and down to Dale Street for places to go. One of the above places mentioned should have spaces, or there’ll be outdoor seating in Stevenson Square from the likes of Flok, Easter Bloc, Lost in Tokyo or Ply2.
Most of them will be serving food as well.
Shambles Square (The Old Wellington + Sinclair’s Oyster Bar)
Both pubs in Shambles Square hold a special place in our hearts. From memory, The Old Wellington has the better cover from the rain with it’s outdoor seating but expect both open for walk-ins from April 12th.
Banyan, The Cosy Club, Delhi House Cafe, Salvi’s, Vapiano and Zizzi’s will all be open from April 12th with outdoor seating. They are asking for bookings at the moment but are withholding limited spaces aside for walk-ins each day.
Bunny Jacksons
Bunny Jacksons have just announced that they will be open 7 days a week from Monday April 12th, opening hours will be noon til 3am. No bookings, walk-ins only.
The Oast House
The Oast House sold out on all bookings quickly as one of town’s biggest sun traps / beer gardens. However they’ve announced that they’ve reserved space every day for walk-ins. On a first come, first served basis.
Tampopo
Tampopo has reopened its restaurants in Corn Exchange and Albert Square, both with plenty of outdoor seating. Tables are available to book but they’ll also be accepting walk ins across both sites.
20 Stories
Whilst reservations for food bookings at 20 Stories are completely booked up. The cocktail bar terrace will have spaces for those just wanting drinks. Available every day. First come, first served.
The Alchemist
The Alchemist has took the decision to go walk-ins only which means no reservations for its outdoor terrace at any point, expect it to get busy on the weekends.
Lawn Club
Lawn Club in Spinningfields will have walk-in spaces everyday, decking to expand their outdoor terrace is being built this week too.
Impossible MCR – (Walk-ins available Tuesday/Wednesday and some on Sunday)
Similar to Oast House, this is the type of space that people sought out for Summer drinking. They are booked up for weekends but have walk-ins available midweek, and potentially on Sunday.
YES MCR
It looks like YES are holding back all tables in their opening week for walk-ins only, which includes the beer garden + terrace.
Hatch
Hatch are sold out for bookings BUT they’ve held back 50% off their tables for walk-ins on the day. We have seen queues on sunny weekends but it should be easy enough to get a table.
Photo by Adam Pester
White Lion
One of our favourite pub beer gardens in the city centre. No word from White Lion on their socials of whether they’ll be open but they don’t seem like the type to be arsed using social media anyway.
Dukes 92
Dukes are only taking reservations for the areas covered by their canopies. Which means if the weather is good, there’ll be plenty of space (if you get there quick enough) for walk-ins.
Castlefield pub The Wharf have teased a huge new covering being installed in their courtyard this week. We expect them to be open for walk-ins from Monday April 12th, we’ll update here when we know more.
Let us know if you find this guide useful and tag us on your stories. Enjoy!
Home, Manchester’s huge arts, theatre and cinema venue has announced the opening of Homeground this summer, a brand-new temporary outdoor venue offering live entertainment, cocktails and food.
The space will include a 400-seat socially distanced outdoor theatre, and a second stage with free live performances.
The huge sit to the back of First Street where the outdoor venue will be. Pic credit: Drew Forsyth.
The temporary outdoor space will be located on a 80,000ft2 future development site on First Street, just behind HOME at the back of First Street. A specially designed outdoor theatre space, made especially to be Covid-safe will be the main feature.
The venue will open on Friday 28th May, and run throughout the summer.
There will be also takeovers from the likes of local comedy club Frog & Bucket and Contact Theatre.
It will also host work by partners including Frog & Bucket, local theatre Contact and Trans Creative, as well as music, cabaret, and comedy.
More Details
HOME’s press release via Visit Manchester said “The project will create 450 new employment opportunities for freelance artists and creative practitioners, supporting the freelance economy which has been so badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Thanks to generous support from partners, tickets for the two HOME productions will be just £10 for adults and £5 for children. HOME will also be offering free performances for school groups.”
Dave Moutrey, HOME’s Director and CEO, said: “As we start to emerge from the strangest year many of us have ever experienced, arts and culture play a vital role in the recovery of the country. We all want to bring a sense of hope and joy back to our communities, and to provide more opportunities for an artistic freelance sector decimated by the pandemic. And we want accessibility for all to be at the heart of this project, which is why there is a low-cost or free programme, as well as free performances for schools. People in our city, especially young people, have been deprived of live theatre for the past year – we want this to be a celebration of Manchester’s creativity and resilience.
“I’m delighted to announce Homeground, which will be a safe and enjoyable space for the people of Manchester to have fun, reconnect and celebrate the city’s artistic talent in all its forms.”
Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 20 April, with early booking available for HOME Friends and members.
Alongside the main performance programme, there will be a free stage in the food and drink terrace. The Manchester Stage will have a different curator from the city every week, including Manchester Folk Festival, Contact, and DJ slots curated by DJ Paulette.
There will also be food and drink from stallholders including Black Market Espresso, Brazilico pizza, Wolf to the Door cocktails and Tibetan Kitchen.
The exciting announcements for new openings set for this year just keep coming.
Common & Co – the independent bar and restaurant group behind Common Bar, The Beagle in Chorlton and Nell’s Pizza – has announced the opening of two new venues for this summer.
A new pub called Cornerstone and a Nell’s Pizza shop will open at Kampus; the new £250m ‘garden neighbourhood’ which is being developed by developers Capital&Centric and HBD.
Founded by husband and wife team Jonny and Charlotte Heyes, Common & Co is the first operator to join Kampus, having run Northern Quarter bar Common for the last 15 years.
Jonny and Charlotte Heyes, Common & Co
Cornerstone is their latest concept which is being described as a ‘traditional boozer reimagined for the 21st century’.
Next door, Nell’s will be cook up their absolutely massive (and delicious) 22 inch New York style pizzas. Like at Common and The Beagle where they are currently served, the pizzas will be availale by the slice or as a whole pie.
Jonny Heyes, Common & Co said:
“Kampus represents to me a development with a sense of purpose, it kind of knows what it’s about, what it’s for. Lots of developments end up being a bunch of buildings searching for a reason to be, furiously post-rationalising.
“We got the impression that the vision for Kampus would be something we, as an independent operator could get on board with. It will be a thoughtfully curated selection of independent businesses as part of a neighbourhood ecosystem, which is nice. All it was lacking was a pub (and a pizza shop).”
Located between Piccadilly station and the Gay Village, Kampus will be a mix of residential apartments, retail space and food and drink operators. The neighbourhood has taken over Grade II listed warehouses and canal shipping buildings constructed in the 1860s, as well as a 1960s tower block and former MMU campus building.
Set to open in July, there will also be plenty of outdoor seating next to the Kampus garden, overlooking the canal.
There will be plenty of outdoor seating overlooking the canal
Adam Higgins, co-founder at Capital & Centric said:
“Kampus is all about the lush green garden and having the best independent food and drink operators in amongst it. Cornerstone will be at the heart of the Kampus community, just like the local pub should be. And if you fancy a bite to eat, you can walk right through to Nell’s to grab a slice of pizza to have with your pint
“More now so than ever, we really wanted to work with independent Manchester businesses and help them recover from what’s been a pretty crap year. Common were one of the first bars in the Northern Quarter and have become a Manchester institution. They’re going to be setting the tone for what we’re creating at Kampus: independent, laid back and for everyone. And the timing couldn’t be better as people start coming back into the city and life gets back to normal.”
Cornerstone and Nell’s Pizza are set to open at Kampus in July. For updates, visit the Cornerstone Instagram page here: instagram.com/cornerstonemcr.
To stay up to date with the Kampus neighbourhood, visit their website: kampus-mcr.co.uk.
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 open air venue within short walking distance of Piccadilly station will host events all summer with live music, sporting fixtures and street food vendors all set to feature
This we believe is directly linked to Square One, the new outdoor music venue which garnered a lot of attention this past week when it announced their opening day lineup.
O’Shea’s co-owner had this to say “This is for the people and for the city. We celebrate a return for hospitality and have been given the opportunity to utilise an amazing new outdoor space to come back. The beers are cold and the welcome is warm. We have missed you all dearly and we can’t wait to see you in the garden!”
BOOKINGS
The sporting and music calendar for the outdoor venue will be announced in the coming weeks, and it’ll include the Euros, as well as a fixture of bands and local performers. Table bookings will be on a first come first serve basis for groups of 2-6 people and they’ll go live from 11am tomorrow (Tuesday March 30th) here: www.osheasbeergarden.co.uk
History of O’Sheas Irish Bar
O’Sheas have built a reputation for pouring some of the best Guinness outside of Ireland, brilliant live shows and heart-stopping sports since opening in 1994.
The converted, turn-of-the-century packing and shipping warehouse is set between the traditionally Irish area of Little Ireland and St Austins on Princess Street. Since opening, it has been a destination point for Irish hospitality and traditions, and during the government-enforced closure, the operators have extensively refurbished the interior. The food and drink menus focus on the abundance of Irish made ingredients served as modern takes on traditional dishes.
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.
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.
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