Greater Manchester will stay under Tier 3 restrictions until at least the end of 2020.
It was hoped that with average Covid rates in Greater Manchester currently lower than they were in places like London and Liverpool at the moment that they were placed into Tier 2, that the region would be moved down a tier. However, it has been confirmed today that Greater Manchester will stay in Tier 3.
These announcements were made by Matt Hancock in an address to the Commons. The fact that Greater Manchester is recording rates that would have seen it put into Tier 2 at the last review was not even addressed.
Only two areas, Bristol and North Somerset, were moved out of Tier 3 restrictions in the review today.
Following London’s move to Tier 3 this week, more areas in the east and south east such as Portsmouth and Hastings have now been moved up into the highest level of restrictions. Herefordshire was the only area to be moved down to Tier 1, with new restrictions coming into force from 00:01am on Saturday 19 December.
So, the rules for us stay the same for now. There is no mixing of households allowed indoors and a maximum of six people allowed to meet outdoors in specific places. All hospitality venues will remain closed for dine-in customers and can only operate through takeaway, drive-through or delivery. Retail, gyms, personal care and education will remain open.
The tier review comes the day after it was confirmed that the five-day Christmas relaxation will go ahead as planned from 23 to 27 December.
All hospitality venues will remain closed for dine-in customers
Despite pressures on the government to reverse the laws over to allow up to three households to form a ‘Christmas bubble’, Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty announced yesterday afternoon at a press conference in Downing Street that the rules will not be changed.
However, there was a change of tone yesterday, as the prime minister and Chief Medical Officer encouraged people to have ‘smaller’ and ‘shorter’ gatherings over the five days.
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, and I’m afraid this year I do mean little,” said Boris Johnson.
For Manchester’s restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs, the tier review had been a small glimmer of hope, but one which faded fast. We spoke to a couple of hospitality venues to see how they’re feeling following the announcement today.
Independent wine shop and bar, Salut, has been operating solely as a shop since Greater Manchester went into the second national lockdown. They had opened previously under former Tier 3 restrictions, serving drinks with a substantial meal.
Sara said “Why don’t we rename England, London? I think what’s happened to us is just unfair and extreme in that our numbers are so low now compared to what they were, compared to what London’s were when they were put back into Tier 2 and what Liverpool’s were when they were put back into Tier 2.
Salut is currently operating as a wine shop with orders for collection and delivery
“It feels like they’re getting at Manchester because Andy Burnham stood up to them and if we went back again, I’d want him to stand up for us again but I feel like we’re being punished for it. I think if it was for health reasons, they wouldn’t be allowing families to get together for five days over Christmas. So I don’t think it’s that.
“I think it’s just punishment for the north for standing up to them. But if we had to go back, we’d stand up again, because I tell you what, we will never forget this, we will remember what this government has done to us.
“If it was just for health reasons and everyone was being treated the same, I would be the first to stand up and say ‘I am 100% behind that’, but because it feels like we’re not being treated the same… I don’t believe a word that comes out of their mouth and I don’t believe the reasons that they give us.”
Salut will continue to operate as a wine shop until further notice, with orders available for collection and delivery.
The Feel Good Club opened in October, just a few days before the tier system came into force. And despite not being able to open fully since they launched, the wellbeing cafe has been unable to claim any furlough support.
Feel Good Club opened just a few days before the tier system was originally introduced
Kiera Lawlor, owner of Feel Good Club said: “To be honest, with all of the ups and downs we’ve learnt to expect the worst, we braced ourselves for it and we’re trying to stay positive and focus on the things we can do during this time.
“It’s extremely frustrating for us as a business, especially with our struggles being deemed ineligible for furlough we are trying to navigate this period with no support and like many other businesses, having an ever changing plan is wearing thin, preparing the team to come back in and having to plan for every scenario.
“We’re in limbo and just feels so unfair that the north find ourselves in this position with every announcement – feeling gutted to say the least but we get back up and keep adapting.”
The next tier review is expected to be carried out on Wednesday 30 December, with any changes to come into force on January 2, 2021.
We’ll keep you updated on those changes if they happen and in the meantime, we’ll keep sharing all the brilliant and innovative things that hospitality venues are doing to keep ticking over.
It’s been a truly torrid year for the food and drink industry, which makes us even happier to see some exciting new openings on the horizon.
The Northern Quarter is set to welcome two new food operators serving Detroit-style pizza and kebabs, both 100% plant-based. It’s great timing, too, as we approach the increasingly popular Veganuary month.
So whether you’re already vegan, you’re trying it out, or you just fancy some delicious vegan food, you’ll soon have two new options to enjoy in the city centre.
Four Side is set to take over the site next to the Buddhist centre, previously occupied by Earth Cafe, which closed at the end of August after saying it wasn’t viable to open the café again.
The basement venue will now become home to the plant-based restaurant, serving Detroit-style vegan pizzas.
Detroit-style pizza is a four sided deep-dish pizza hailing from the birthplace of Motown. Its chewy crust is similar to focaccia but crispier and with smaller bubbles. The pizzas are baked in heavy steel pans and are traditionally loaded up with Wisconsin ‘brick’ cheese and then a tomato sauce layer on top.
The new vegan pizzeria is being set up by Dan Hope, behind popular street food brands Firebird Hope and Krum doughnuts. The menu looks to feature classic tomato and cheese, a white pizza with oyster mushrooms and a what looks like a Mexican-inspired fusion, topped with corn, coriander and a slice of fresh lime.
Vegan Detroit-style pizza is coming to the Northern Quarter
Announcing the opening on Instagram, the post read: “We’re thrilled to announce that we will be firing up our new pizza ovens and putting some Four Side energy into this much-loved NQ basement space. Expect 72-hour proved Detroit-style pies, house-made vegan cheeses + meats, killer sides and beautiful drinks. More news as we get it, including an announcement from our pals with the vegan doughnut skills @krum.mcr.”
There’s no specific date of when Four Side will be open but we’ll keep you updated as we know more.
The second plant-based opening set for Manchester’s Northern Quarter is What the Pitta, serving a menu of vegan kebabs.
What the Pitta serves vegan version of classic kebabs including vegan doner. Their signature spiced, meat-free doner pieces are loaded into wraps and topped with a choice of salad including lettuce, onions, tomato, pickled red cabbage, jalapenos, humous and tzatziki.
There are also falafel wraps, vegan gyros, chip boxes and mezze boxes topped with doner or falafel.
What the Pitta’s vegan gyros
For dessert, there are vegan ice creams from Booja Booja and Ben & Jerry’s, as well as Baklava and ‘Retro Skool cake’, sponge with a layer of thick vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles.
Manchester will be What The Pitta’s first location up North, with sites already in Boxpark Shoreditch, Boxpark Croydon, Brighton, Camden and Battersea. They will take over the site on Back Turner Street, which has been vacant since El Taquero closed its doors in December 2019.
Christmas is undoubtedly the season of indulgence, but unfortunately it’s often the season of waste too.
According to Respect Food, approximately seven million tonnes of edible food is thrown away in the UK every year over Christmas. That includes two million turkeys, five million Christmas puddings, and 74 million mince pies.
On the other side of the production line, an estimated 20 to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables are rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they don’t meet supermarkets’ strict cosmetic standards.
Although festive gatherings may be a little smaller than usual this year, we’re going to assume that the portion sizes definitely won’t be, nor necessarily should they be.
We’re all about eating, drinking and being merry, but what’s important is to be smart about what you buy and cook to make sure to waste as little as possible.
74 million mince pies are thrown away in the UK every year
To help combat the amount of food thrown away, Open Kitchen MCR has launched ‘Zero Food Waste’ private cook-along events; a 60-minute Christmas zoom party with a focus on reducing food waste. The meal box is made from beautiful (and perfectly edible) rescued ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste.
Every family who celebrates Christmas has their own classic leftovers recipes, but Open Kitchen hopes to give guests some new ones they might not have tried before.
The ingredient boxes can be delivered to your home or workplace. The Open Kitchen MCR chefs will guide guests through one of their recipes; choose from Japanese gyoza filled with classic Christmas ingredients; Turkey samosas and brussel sprout bhajis; or Italian gnocchi made from ‘yesterday’s roasties’.
There will also be time to ask the team about how to have a more sustainable kitchen.
As well as the live cook-alongs, Open Kitchen are offering Christmas party dinner deliveries, with festive canapes (£8.50 pp) of a two course dinner (£15pp) prepared and delivered, ready to enjoy at home or work.
Profits from the meal boxes will help Open Kitchen continue to their work supporting people in crisis across Greater Manchester.
Earlier this year, in response to the Covid-19 crisis, Open Kitchen MCR transformed their service to deliver nutritious meals to vulnerable people across the city. They have now provided more than 140,000 meals and are continuing their work delivering food to those living in homelessness hostels and supported by food banks. This work will be directly funded by the meal boxes.
Guests can choose to make gyoza, samosas or gnocchi
Corin Bell, director of Open Kitchen MCR said “This year has been far from normal for us and we have learnt to pivot very quickly. We’re really excited to venture into live virtual cook-alongs to keep everyone cheery, social, inspired, and of course reducing food waste, for the festive season.
“The fact that your cook-along party will help feed someone in a crisis this Christmas will hopefully bring an extra smile to your event … who’s hungry?”
Open Kitchen MCR’s festive cook-alongs cost £15 per person and are for a minimum group of seven people.
Guests can choose to have local, organic and sustainable wines, beers and non-alcholic drinks delivered alongside the meal boxes too.
It’s starting to feel like quite a familiar experience, getting your head around yet another new set of restrictions and what it means for everyday life.
And, for Greater Manchester, it pretty much feels like banging your head against a brick wall, repeatedly, for months. It hurts.
Following four weeks of enforced national lockdown, and the government’s many announcements this week, the UK will be returning to a regional tiered system of restrictions from Wednesday 2 December.
The tiers are similar but not quite the same as before – no, that would be too easy.
Greater Manchester has been placed in Tier 3 and the restrictions this time around are tighter than before.
What are the rules?
Under Tier 3, all hospitality will remain closed; there are no real changes for this sector under Tier 3 compared to lockdown.
Restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes will only be able to operate through takeaway, drive-through or delivery.
It also means no mixing of households in indoors or ‘most outdoor spaces’ and no more than six people can meet outside in specific spaces like parks.
Unlike hospitality, all retail, gyms and hairdressers and other personal care businesses can reopen. Exercise classes can take place outdoors but people are being told to avoid higher-risk contact sports. Weddings are again permitted for up to 15 people and funerals for up to 30 people, but no wedding receptions are allowed.
What about the other Tiers?
The restrictions will be reviewed every two weeks and it is possible to move up or even down the tiers if the numbers supported doing so. So if we are able to move down to Tier 2, it’ll be pretty much like the ‘old’ Tier 3, sort of.
There’s still no mixing of households allowed indoors, apart from support bubbles, and there is a maximum a six people allowed to meet outdoors. So this means that you would be able to meet up to six people at an outdoor restaurant or venue.
Pubs and bars must close unless they are operating as restaurants. Hospitality venues can only serve alcohol with a ‘substantial meal’.
All hospitality venues will remain closed in Tier 3
The controversial 10pm curfew has been relaxed slightly, with last orders being called at 10pm and closing by 11pm.
Gyms, hairdressers, hotels and retail will reopen under Tier 2. Wedding receptions are allowed for up to 15 people and funerals up to 30.
Large events like sport matches and live performances can restart under Tier 2 with capacity limited to 50% or 2000 people outdoors, or 1000 people indoors (whichever is lower).
If we ever get there, restrictions for Tier 1 mean that all businesses can reopen and groups are limited to a maximum of six people indoors or outdoors. The 11pm curfew will still apply but alcohol can be served without necessarily providing a substantial meal.
Sport and live performances can have an audience of up to 4000 outdoors or a maximum of 50% capacity and still 1000 people indoors or 50% capacity (whichever is lower).
The impact on hospitality
Today’s announcement is another huge knock to the hospitality sector as a whole and for restaurants and bars across Greater Manchester who were hoping to reopen next week.
The vast majority of the country is now under the stricter Tier 2 or Tier 3 restrictions but compared to many of these places, Greater Manchester has been under these rules for such a long time. And the industry is suffering.
Speaking on Twitter, the night time economy advisor Sacha Lord, who is currently pursuing a legal challenge against the government for implimenting Tier 3 restrictions on Greater Manchester without sufficient scientific evidence, said: “Tier 3 is yet another hammer blow for hospitality in Greater Manchester. Another day of the Governments game of carrot and stick.
“Our R rate is plummeting thanks to the public. Lets see if they try to point score again, as we head nearer Tier 2. We will keep fighting.”
For many of the restaurants, the four weeks until the end of the year could have been a huge help in terms of turning things around. But even if we drop down to Tier 2 in two weeks, it’ll be mid December before these venues can reopen.
Ruby Fryman of Salvi’s, said: “We and many other restaurants have been relying on Christmas trade to carry us through into the New Year. These new restrictions seem heavily biased against hospitality and we’re all very confused as to why we can’t open. Our staff want to come back to work and we want to be able to bring them back as soon as possible.
“Financially it’s having a big impact, we’ve had to really think outside the box in order to make things work. Obviously we’re lucky that we have the Salvi’s Deli which has been open throughout however we were definitely relying on being able to open the restaurants for the Christmas period.”
Another venue which has been left reeling after the announcements is Ducie Street Warehouse.
Jacqui Griffiths, General Manager of Ducie Street Warehouse, said: ‘The latest government announcement is yet another bitter blow for the hospitality sector and the Greater Manchester region as a whole. For all those who have put everything they have into creating a safe environment to be told they can’t operate in what should be the busiest time of year is just devastating. Whilst a review in 2 weeks may see Manchester move down to tier 2, is it too little, too late.
“For the time being, people can still collect cookies, doughnuts and coffee from the Gooey cabin, with Gethin’s batch cocktails coming soon, and we look forward to the day we can open our doors once more.”
For at least two weeks from 2 December, restaurants will have to continue to operate as takeaway and delivery only. But for many, this simply isn’t a viable long term option.
Owner of Common, Charlotte Heyes, said: “After months of uncertainty and ever changing rules it’s getting harder to pick ourselves up after another knock down. There’s talk of pushing to move to tier 2 on 16 December, but that still means operating under severe restrictions and will keep wet led sites fully closed.
“In many cases we’re still paying full rent and have done throughout. As the region most badly affected by this and for the longest period of time, Greater Manchester desperately needs further support to ease restrictions as soon as possible.”
Mital Morar of the Store Group which includes Ancoats General Store, Groceries and Beer and Stretford Foodhall has been able to open the grocery side of their sites as essential retail, but lockdown and Tier 3 mean that they can’t open the food and drink side of the business.
Like many restaurants they have been operating as takeaway only, and will continue to do so once we come out of lockdown, but it has had a huge impact on their business.
Stretford Foodhall
Speaking of the dine-in side of the business, Mital said: “It’s wiped out, I mean it was already wiped out. Whatever little trade we’re trying to get, this second lockdown has been completely the opposite from the first one, especially with the weather, people’s exhaustion with it all and people just aren’t coming out as much.
“We’re lucky we’ve got the retail side just ticking over still, ever so slightly more than normal so that helps keep certain things afloat. I wouldn’t say we were winning at all from this but I feel very grateful that we’re able to trade in some capacity, at least we’ve got some kind of ability to keep bills paid.
“It’s hugely detrimental. It’s not just something you can switch back on overnight anymore. It’s going to take generations to get back to how we were before.
“I think the world is scarred, I think people are going to change their habits, how they work, how they operate, how they spend time with family, everything will change.”
For now it’s business as usual, which for Greater Manchester means continuing to operate and live under the weight of these heavy restrictions.
Let’s just hope that the brilliant independent businesses that make up our vibrant food and drink scene are able to make it through Christmas.
Open for just a few days before the national lockdown, the newly-developed Ticket Hall is the second phase of the project following the hugely successful Platform 15. And now, to give more people a chance to visit, the Freight Island team has announced that the venue will be open seven days a week in December.
Plus, taking over the outdoor area at Freight Island will be the Winter Island which will now run until January 2021.
Dan Morris, Managing Director of Escape to Freight Island said: “We opened The Ticket Hall for just five days before we had to close for the national lockdown. This meant disappointing thousands of people booked in during November.
“To make sure we could rebook everyone back into the Ticket Hall and Winter Island, which is located in our outdoor space next to the new Ticket Hall, we have opened up reservations for seven days a week throughout December in both areas and extended Winter Island into January, which means another month of cosy vibes, hog roast, delicious sausages and mulled wine seeing us into 2021.”
The Ticket Hall
The Ticket Hall is located inside the cavernous industrial space of the Mayfield Depot building, opposite Manchester Piccadilly station, which has housed events like Warehouse Project and Manchester Pride.
The fully-heated area has plenty of table seating and lots of new food and drink vendors.
Ticket Hall is fully heated and has plenty of table seating
Now in the Ticket Hall for winter are some of existing Freight Island favourites including Voodoo Ray’s, Patty Queen, Baratxuri, Madre Tacos and Krum Doughnuts.
There are some new faces in the line up too including, popular Northenden Vietnamese restaurant Mi & Pho; Ancoats and Altrincham favourite Sugo Pasta Kitchen; and Plant Grill, a vegan offering from the makers of Fire Bird Hope and Krum.
Joining them are critically acclaimed Liverpool restaurant Belzan Pasta Kitchen, and El Boleto, a San Sebastian style deli serving delicious small plates and fresh produce to enjoy on site or take home.
For drinks, visitors can enjoy beers from the Ticket Hall’s two taprooms, Pomona Island and Camden Town. There’s wine too from independent shop Forever Changes.
Set high up in the heart of the Ticket Hall, The Jane Eyre’s cosy cocktail bar offers great views across the space, and will be serving a selection of classic and signature cocktails.
A bike cloakroom in partnership with Rapha cyclewear is in situ too, meaning that bikes can be parked safely while visiting Freight Island.
The Ticket Hall is now also home to Manchester’s first ice curling rink. Pretty exciting stuff for those of us who got really into the sport at the most recent Winter Olympics – sweeping brushes at the ready! If you don’t know what we mean, bear with us, you’ll be superfans in no time.
Existing food traders will be joined by an exciting bunch of new names
Winter Island
Alongside the Ticket Hall, the outdoor space has been transformed in the Winter Island, which also hopes to reopen on December 3.
Nestled underneath a 45ft Christmas tree, a fully heated outdoor event space with a 1500 sq ft tent which will host new festive traders and stalls.
Visitors to Winter Island will be able to enjoy all the classic festive favourites including traditional hog roast, bratwurst, mulled wine and hot cider. There will also be a local chocolatier and artisanal cheese stall.
The Winter Island has announced it will stay open until January 2021, to give us all the dose of festive merriment we deserve.
Live entertainment
The entertainment schedule has also been re-scheduled allowing for the cancelled shows in November to move into December. The line up includes DJ sets from Hot Chip, Rhys from The Horrors, Huey Morgan, Mr Scruff and DJ Paulette. Plus, festival collaborations from the likes of We Out Here festival and Festival No.6.
Amuse Bouche will continue with its Sunday Drag spectacular with special guests Charlotte Church’s Pop Dungeon, and there will be a weekly Christmas cabaret from The Untold Orchestra performing David Bowie and Stevie Wonder favourites.
For the kids, there will be a big brass band Disney sing-along and some events from The Playhouse Project and Born to be Wild Child.
A comedy night called Just the Tonic joins the line up, plus local talent takeovers by Reform Radio and The Golden Lion.
How to book
Escape to Freight Island is currently accepting bookings from Thursday 3 December for up to six people from the same household both indoors and outdoors.
Amid hundreds of thousands of job losses since the start of the pandemic, it’s unsurprising that food banks and charities that support people in poverty have seen a surge in demand over the last few months.
The Greater Manchester Poverty Action Monitor reported that the number of people living in poverty in Greater Manchester has risen to 620,000, and the number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose by 93% between May and August.
In September, Manchester Evening News reported that the Manchester South Central Food Bank, which supports people in Hulme, Whalley Range, Old Trafford and Moss Side, had seen a 250% increase in demand in August compared to last year. Earlier in the year, they had seen a 400% increase.
In the lead up to Christmas, the food bank is gearing up to offer increased support to individuals and families living in poverty.
They have partnered with the Co-op to provide 500 food parcels which will be delivered over Christmas. This is alongside 180 school holiday hampers in partnership with primary schools to support vulnerable families and 80 hampers for the elderly community which includes treat items and activities like adult colouring in books.
Normally, on Christmas Day, like many food banks, Manchester South Central Food Bank would host a community Christmas meal to provide a meal and a sense of community for those with nowhere else to go.
Unfortunately, this year they are unable to provide that service and so they have created a Christmas dinner in a box which includes all the ingredients needed for people to cook a Christmas dinner along with a supermarket gift voucher to buy fresh meat.
Jo Warmington from Manchester South Central Food Bank
Alongside food provisions, one of the biggest challenges for the food bank, especially around Christmas time, is the mental health and wellbeing of the people they support.
Manchester South Central Food Bank’s project manager Jo Warmington, said: “It isn’t just about feeding people, it’s about giving people a sense of community and company really at Christmas time, particularly for those people that are alone and don’t have support networks and family around.
“A big part of what we do is around signposting people and our aim is that somebody should only have to access – I mean people should never have to access a food bank – but when they do, we only want them to have to access it once or twice. And really part of our role is to help them access longer term support and advice services so they’re not trapped in poverty and they’re not having to rely on a food bank to feed themselves or their families.”
“I think now’s the time for us to be able to put a bit of pressure on the government to make sure that people have the money that they need to support themselves.
“We shouldn’t be relying on food banks to have to support people and families. The welfare systems should be able to do that. That was a challenge prior to Covid. I think what’s happened is Covid has just really highlighted it because a lot more people have been thrown into that poverty and that crisis.”
As well as food banks, charities that support those living in poverty and homelessness are struggling to keep up with the increasing demand.
Coffee4Craig provides vital support for Manchester’s homeless and people in crisis, operating an out-of-hours drop in service in the heart of Manchester city centre seven days a week, where they offer hot food, showers, food parcels, medical support and mental health crisis intervention.
In February, they had vacated the building as it needed to be refurbished, and so when lockdown first hit they were unable to offer many of their services.
Risha Lancaster, co-founder and general manager at Coffee4Craig said: “We were in full swing of the refurb when lockdown struck! As you can imagine, building slowed remarkably, many of our team had to shelter and we were left with two staff and a couple of volunteers to continue the refurb.
“We completed the majority of the refurb on our own.”
Coffee4Craig were in teh middle of refurbishing their building when lockdown struck
The building is now back up and running and Coffee4Craig is working with other charities and services to ensure it is used fully, as they only operate there on evenings and weekends.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of people living on the streets have been significantly less due to the Covid hotels providing accommodation and Andy Burnham’s A Bed Every Night scheme.
However, Coffee4Craig have noticed the numbers of people sleeping on the streets starting to creep up.
“I think this is probably due to the issues surrounding lockdown [for example] job losses, with new faces popping up regularly,” said Risha.
“The demand for food parcels has increased dramatically and people calling for help due to poverty has increased and of course we are still providing meals for the people in the hotels.”
Another Greater Manchester charity, Mustard Tree, aims to transform the lives of people in the region living in poverty and homelessness, by giving them the skills, opportunities and self confidence to reach their full potential.
The charity has community shops in Ancoats, Eccles and Little Hulton and provides a range of services for vulnerable people. This includes access to low cost food through their Food Club, as well as clothing and household essentials such as furniture, pots and pans. Mustard Tree also provides volunteering opportunities, vocational training, help finding work placements, creative programmes and wellbeing support.
Since the start of the pandemic, Mustard Tree’s monthly food costs have increased by more than six times, with more people than ever visiting the Food Club for support.
Jack Barton, communications manager at Mustard Tree said
“We went from supporting 500 clients a month to up to 1,000 a week at the height of lockdown, [both] through on-site Food Clubs and the delivery of food parcels to people self-isolating.
“Winter is always going to be tough, as this is the time of year where more people are relying on our services to make-up shortfalls in their finances, i.e. more people may need to use our Food Club as their heating costs increase, meaning they have less money to spend on food.
“This year has taken all that to another level, including much more people coming to us in crisis for emergency support.”
During the first lockdown, Mustard Tree delivered 14,500 food parcels, supported 4,648 families and gave 1,000 people living in extreme poverty food, toiletries and clothes.
While demand soared for food distribution, the charity had no choice but to stop the other services including community shop, on-site training and creative programmes.
“It turned the charity upside down,” said Jack.
The queue outside the Mustard Tree Food Club during the first lockdown
Having to constantly adapt their model to meet the growing demand and stick to government guidance and restrictions has been a huge challenge for all of the charities.
This time around Mustard Tree are much more prepared to operate under lockdown. However, there is concern over the long term impact of the lack of a physical space on some of the people they work with.
Jack said: “There are a lot of people who are really suffering from mental health problems as a response to having to isolate. A lot of these people cannot access our online services due to lack of hardware, digital illiteracy etc. This is something we’re really concerned about.”
How you can help
Donations are vital to charities and food banks to continue delivering the support that they provide in communities.
What’s heart warming to see is that despite the challenges many are facing, the number of people wanting to donate is rising too.
Jo from Manchester South Central Food Bank said: “I guess one kind of positive of the situation this year, from my point of view I’ve really seen the response of the community and the absolute generosity of people both with their time and their money.
“We’ve had a lot of people offer their time to volunteer. We’ve had probably more donations than ever as well.”
Coffee4Craig, too, has been overwhelmed with messages of support and people wanting to donate.
Risha said: “Trying to juggle the balance of donations coming in the numerous messages and phone calls from people wanting to give us donations, which is amazing, but trying to ascertain what we need balanced with what some people want to give us, finding space for it all sort it all, and move it on is a full time job in itself!”
Last week, Stretford Food Bank announced that it is no longer accepting donations of food as they have been overwhelmed with support from the local community. Their website reads: “We are enormously grateful to the community of North Trafford for their fantastic support, especially over recent months.
“We understand that many in our community wish to collect on our behalf but our stocks are now very full as we approach Christmas and we are confident that we have enough to feed our clients over the coming weeks.”
Many food banks and charities of course still require donations so please don’t let this put you off giving. What’s important is to check with the organisation you wish to give to for what they need at any given time.
There are many ways you can give which include donations of money, food and volunteering time.
Donations are vital to the work that food banks and homelessness charities do
Jo said: “Donating food is always useful for us and we really rely on those donations of food and cash to keep the organisation going.
“When it comes to donating food, we always share on our social media our most needed items and I think that’s a great tip because sometimes food banks can end up with, for example, a mountain of pasta but no pasta sauce. It’s often specific items that we’re in need of.
“The other thing I would say is ongoing support is the most valuable. So if people are able to give a few pounds a month but every month, or a few tins but it’s every month.
“Christmas is always a time when you get lots of donations, but we also need to make sure that in January, in February, in March that we still get that support.”
You can find your nearest food bank on the Trussell Trust website, just make sure to check their website or social media to find out exactly what items they need.
Similar to the food bank, small monthly donations are vital to Mustard Tree and Coffee4Craig, as it means that they can attribute funds to where they are most needed within the charity each month.
If you’re able to give, whether that’s food, money or your time, please consider supporting some of these local charities on an ongoing basis.
As Jo from the food bank said, people shouldn’t have to rely on food banks to feed themselves. Similarly, food banks and charities shouldn’t have to rely on donations to survive. But the sad reality is that they do.
So, please consider giving whatever you can to help these organisations which support the most vulnerable members of our community to get the support they need during an incredibly challenging time.
If you would like to donate to Blackpool Food Bank, please get in touch via e-mail on info@blackpoolfoodbank.co.uk and they will get back to you with the relevant information.
Flyde Food Bank
Not currently looking for volunteers, information on how to donate financially and food donations they need can be found here.
Fleetwood Together
Fleetwood Together are currently looking for Christmas gift donations for families that are struggling at the moment. They are also potentially looking for drivers to help deliver food items.
Blackburn Food Bank
Blackburn Food Bank is requesting certain food items including tinned food, they are also looking for volunteers (warehouse, web editor and more) and also accepting financial donations. You can find all the information here.
Burnley Together
Are on the lookout for local services and volunteers, call 01282 686402 if you’d like to help. They are also currently running a Christmas Present appeal, which you find details of here.
Colne Foodback
Couldn’t find any details, will update when we know more.
The food bank is ran by a collection of local churches, information is hard to find but if you’re wanting to help then we’d suggest looking here.
Rossendale Food Bank
The Rossendale Food Bank updates their Facebook page with donation requests, their latest appeal went out on Nov 21st and you can find it here, as well as information on where to donate.
Morecambe Bay Food Bank
The Morecambe Bay Food Bank has quite a long list of urgently needed food items, which you can find here. The food bank has over 80 volunteers and isn’t currently looking for any more. Financial donations are needed too.
Noor Food Bank – Preston
Preston’s Noor Foodbank has provided over 75,000 meals throughout the pandemic, you can follow them on Facebook here where they are most active. They are currently holding a Christmas food item fundraiser, details here.
As much as we can’t wait for restaurants to reopen, DIY meal kits have been a happy by-product of national lockdowns.
A box full of ingredients and pre-prepared dishes, ready to assemble at home in your own kitchen. They are a great thing to tide us over until we can head back to restaurants and it’s a brilliant way to support independent businesses at this challenging time.
From grilled cheese to pizza, ramen to fine dining, here’s our round up of some of the best DIY meal kits money can buy in Greater Manchester right now.
Higher Ground
Higher Ground has launched meal kits for Lockdown 2
Higher Ground’s meal kits a.k.a. Joe’s 29 Minute Meals are now available for 14-15 and 28-29 November in very limited numbers.
The meal kits are £40 which comes with four dishes for two people, designed to be shared. It comes with a donut for dessert in collaboration with Gooey bakers and there’s a selection of natural wines which can be added to the order.
You can collect your kit from Ducie Street or have it delivered in an carbon-friendly electric van.
Arguably the best thing about the Manchester Christmas Markets, the Northern Soul Grilled Cheese ‘Crimbo Dinner’ sandwich, is back for 2020 in DIY kit form.
Loaded up with turkey, cranberry sauce, pink lady stuffing, gravy and topped with homemade pig in blanket lollypops.
As well as the Christmas special, there’s also; the ‘New Yorker’ with pastrami, house pickles and pretzels; ‘Get Your Goat’ with goat’s cheese , caramelised red onion and beetroot chutney; and a range of other classic flavours like Mac Attack.
All Grill it Yourself kits cost £30 and include a £10 voucher to spend once they’re open, plus goodies like stickers and postcards.
Put away that Pot Noodle! You can now order restaurant-quality ramen and have it delivered to your door.
Yaoyao noodles make everything themselves, including the broths, garnishes like Tamago eggs and even the fresh ramen noodles.
Choices include Pork Tonkotsu with Shiro Miso, Shiitake mushroom & Kombu broth and Shoyu Tori Paitan with Sichuanese chilli oil. Plus, there’s a rotating limited special too.
Kits cost £18 which makes two generous servings. Plus, there’s free delivery if you order two kits or more and extra discounts for spending over £30.
So much more than chips, cheese and gravy, Blue Caribou has compiled a range of poutine kits for you to make this Quebec classic at home.
There’s the classic kit with cheese curds and gravy, the Reuben with pastrami and pickles, Buffalo poutine kit with crispy chicken and blue cheese, a Doner poutine kit, and more to choose from.
All of the kits can be made vegetarian and vegan too, as all gravy, meat and cheese can be swapped for plant-based alternatives.
You may need to dust off your chef’s hat for this one…
Wood’s five course tasting menu for two box is an extra special treat and includes all the pre-prepared ingredients and full cooking and plating instructions. They’ve even included some small plates which you can keep afterwards. Sommelier-recommended wines can also be ordered, as well as their popular cheese board.
The boxes cost £110 for the standard menu and £95 for the vegetarian and vegan versions.
Deliveries are on Fridays and Saturdays, and collection is available from the Manchester restaurant on Saturdays only between 9 and 11am.
Another fine dining experience to have a go at is from Adam Reid, chef at The French and former Great British menu winner.
His three course ‘Saturday night in dinner box’ is a changing selection of dishes each week. Designed as a generous meal for two people, the box is delivered as a package of pre-prepared food with simple instructions to be finished in your own kitchen.
Take your pick from their menu of dishes such as Braised featherblade of beef, a smoked and glazed ham hock sharer, and Sumac roasted half cauliflower. Drinks can also be arranged, and they’ve made some recommendations for wines that work well with particular dishes.
Settle in for the ultimate steak night with a DIY kit from Hawksmoor.
The latest instalment of the Hawskmoor at Home kit is the Rib Eye box includes two British 35-Day dry-aged steaks from the same grass-fed traditional-breed cattle they use in the restaurants, along with bone marrow gravy, creamed spinach, Matt Brown’s Ultimate oven chips and their famous sticky toffee pudding.
It also includes drinks paired by drinks specialist Liam Davy who has chosen a Fuller Fat Old Fashioned, ready-mixed to enjoy at home, two Hawksmoor lagers and a bottle of red wine, Quinta da Boa Esperanca ‘Guilly’s Blend’.
The box serves two people and costs £125 (with alcohol) and £85 (without). Order by noon on Monday for delivery that Thursday or Friday.
This at-home experiences follows a similar format to the restaurants Six by Nico.
A rotating four-course tasting menu inspired by memories or places, Home by Nico provides two people with all the elements to create a fine dining experience at home. This month’s edition is inspired by Bangkok and is available from 25 to 28 November.
The team has also a vegan option called 24 Carrot, with no less than eight vegan dishes made for sharing.
Much-loved Ramsbottom tapas restaurant has just launched it at-home offering, so you can create Baratxuri dishes in your own kitchen.
The menu features classic tapas like croquettas de jamon, gambas pil pil, anchovies, Serrano ham and lots more. Drinks can also be arranged and they’ve made some recommendations for wines that work well with particular dishes.
Local delivery is available on Fridays and Saturdays for £1 per order to Ramsbottom, Stubbins, Edenfield, Helmshore, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Baxenden, Accrington, Holcombe Brook, Greenmount, Hawkshaw, Tottington, Walshaw, Bromley Cross, Edgworth, Bury, Whitefield and Prestwich. Collection is free from the restaurant.
I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink right now.
With pubs, bars and restaurants now shut for at least four weeks, it’s time to get planning your at-home booze deliveries. But just because you’re in lockdown, it doesn’t mean you need to lower your standards.
We’re lucky in Manchester to have a cracking array of local breweries, and of course some fantastic pubs and bars.
Read on for some of the best places to order your lockdown booze for delivery or collection.
Hawksmoor
With impossibly perfect timing, Hawskmoor have just launched their range of at-home cocktails.
A mixture of new and much-loved favourites including Ultimate Dry Martini, Sour Cherry Negroni, Fuller Fat Old Fashioned and Hepple Gimlet.
Delivery cost is £8.50 under £50 or free delivery over £50.
The small Stockport pub, Petersgate Tap offers a wide range of craft beers.
Delivery is free to local postcodes (SK1-5, SK8) and for £2 for other local deliveries, SK6,7,9-17, SK22-23, with minimum orders of £20. Outside of that, the minimum order is £50 and delivery costs £6.99.
Having recently opened their Chorlton bar over the summer, Fell has now set up as a bottle shop for sales over lockdown. They sell cans and 750ml bottles of beer, as well as mixed cases of the two.
This Northern Quarter specialist craft beer shop offers free local delivery on orders over £20. Orders under £20 can be collected from their store 11am to 6:30pm Tuesday to Sunday and 11am to 4pm Monday.
Deliveries are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This covers all M postcodes, as well as OL9, SK1, SK3, SK4, SK5, SK8 and Altrincham.
Runaway’s selection of unfiltered and unpasteurised beers are available to order in bottle, case and mini kegs for home delivery and click and collect.
Order online for home delivery (normally next day) or collect from the Runaway Brewery Tap Room, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm. Over the weekend, pre-arranged orders can be collected from neighbours Grub by emailing sales@therunawaybrewery.com.
Blackjack are delivering cans, bottles and mini kegs to your door, as well as 5 and 10L cask ale boxes which last seven to nine days in the fridge once opened.
There’s free delivery inside the M60 as well as Sale, Altrincham and SK1-12.
The Track web shop is packed with lots of great beers by the can or mini keg with delivery to all M postcodes, as well as SK1-12, SK14-16, OL5-10 and WA14-15. Order before midday for next day delivery.
Plus, get 15% off your order using code TIER3… What’s a tier again?
Alphabet Brewing Co’s web shop is packed full of lovely beers and merchandise.
Local deliveries are £3 or free for orders over £30 with code MCROVER30 at the checkout. Same day delivery for orders place by 2pm within the M60. Or pop into the brewery on Northern Western Street Saturdays from 12pm to 2pm for free collection.
Alongside deliveries of their Bavarian-inspired classics like kebabs, wursts, burgers and schnitzels, Albert’s Schloss is also delivering booze to your door this lockdown via Deliveroo.
Enjoy a selection of bottled beers, 1 litre growlers of Paulaner Munich and cocktails like Apple Strudel and Black Cherry Kaiser. Plus, wines and homemade schnapps.
Available Thursday & Fridays from 5pm till 9:30pm and 12pm till 9:30pm on Saturday & Sundays.
The Green Quarter based brewery is providing home deliveries on their selection of cans. They also have mixed cases including Pale Ale, Sour, and the Hops, Hops & More Hops case.
Order before 12 noon for next day delivery and after 12 noon for deliveries in two working days.
Minimum orders £20, £5.95 standard delivery but free over £60 and included in mixed case orders.
Northern Quarter pub, Crown and Kettle had only just reopened after a stunning refurb before being asked to close again under Tier 3 restrictions.
But now, they have opened a new takeaway shop, where you can order a selection of kegs beer, cask ale, ciders and craft cans. Plus, there’s 20% off for a limited time only.
Containers are included or you can bring your own. Open 2pm-8pm.
Delivered across Manchester in refrigerated vans, Cloudwater’s beers are cold and ready to enjoy as soon as they arrive.
Orders over £30 will be delivered from 11am until 8pm daily. On Saturday and Sundays, there are additional delivery windows from 10am until 2pm and 2pm until 6pm available.
Currently delivering to postcodes: M1-9, M11-23, M25, M27-28, M30, M32-35, M40-41, M43, M45, M50 SK1, SK2, SK3, SK4, SK5, SK8.
Marble delivers bottles, cans and mini kegs from their Salford brewery.
There’s free local delivery from Monday to Friday to all Manchester postcodes and Stockport postcodes SK1-9 and SK12. Orders placed before Midday will have next day delivery.
Run by seven actual brothers from Salford who love beer, Se7en Brothers are delivering individual cans and mixed cases.
There is free delivery on all orders over £50. Order before 2pm for next day delivery from Monday to Saturday. Orders made on a Friday after 2pm and on Saturday and Sunday will be dispatched on the Monday.
Collections can be made from the brewery, Monday to Friday 11-4pm.
Manchester’s first and only dedicated craft lager brewery located in Ardwick, Manchester Union Brewery are delivering their central European-style lager.
Available in cases of 12 or 24 cans, or as a 2 litre growler refill (growler must be bought first). Delivery to M postcodes only which is free for cases and £2 for growlers. Order by 10am on Thursday for delivery on Friday.
Greater Manchester is still in Tier 3, which means that for now, our restaurants can only operate as takeaways.Compared to pre-Covid times, there are many more operators set up to deliver takeaways so the choice and quality of what you can get delivered is much higher, with more and more places announcing takeaway options with each set of restrictions.
So, that means we don’t have to go without our favourite dishes for too long. And, more importantly, it means that we can continue to support independent restaurants in Greater Manchester.
We’ve rounded up some of the best options from across the city, with a mix of restaurants, cafes and street food traders that can now be ordered online.
City Centre
You can order Salvi’s Neapolitan dishes to takeaway
As you know, we’re heading back into a national lockdown this week. (And, if you didn’t know, where have you been hiding?)
This means that all hospitality venues, leisure businesses and non-essential retail will have to close from 00:01am on Thursday 5 November.
Well, where restaurants are concerned, it’s last orders and out the door by 10pm this Wednesday.
We know the score, we’ve been through a lockdown before and we’ll come out the other side but independent hospitality businesses need your support more than ever to keep going through the second round of enforced closures. And over the next four weeks, we’ll keep you updated with lots of different ways to support our city’s indie operators.
With the limited warning that restaurants have been given, many have found themselves with lots of stock to clear before the end of Wednesday and are putting on offers to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. Others are keen to get as many people, safely, through their doors as possible before they go.
So if you are heading out for a final meal before the new restrictions come in, we’ve rounded up some of the best offers available at Manchester restaurants today and tomorrow.
Elite Bistros (Hispi and Kala)
Parent company of Manchester bistros Kala and Hispi, have brought back a version of August’s government scheme, called Elite Out to Help Out.
Until Wednesday, diners can get up to £10 off person person on food and non-alcoholic drinks at Elite Bistro restaurants.
Unlimited prosecco for just ONE POUND with a substantial meal
Peru Perdu
Peruvian restaurant, Peru Perdu are hosting a Pisco Disco this Wednesday – celebrating one final night in style before lockdown.
There will be 2-for-1 Pisco Sours, £2 draught beer until the kegs run out, plus takeaway wines (25% off) and 2-for-1 takeaway cocktails like espresso martini or kula negro.
To book a table, visit peruperdu.com or call 0161 549 000.
2 for 1 cocktails, £2 draught beers and more deals at Peru Perdu
Elnecot
Bring empty milk bottles (or another container with a lid) to Elnecot and they’ll fill them up with beer for just £2 a litre.
They’re of course also open for brunch, lunch and dinner 10am to 10pm Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the back of the infamous slicegate, family pizza restaurant (don’t think about calling them a bar), Common have created a new ‘substantial’ meal deal
Before 6pm Tuesday and Wednesday, you can get a cheese slice and a drink (choose from ⅔ pint house lager, IPA or a glass of wine) for £5 from Nell’s Pizza at Common.
There’s half price food at The Northern Quarter Restaurant all day plus, 50% off takeaway bottles of wine.
That means 50% off the A la carte menu and express menu ‘as a thank you for all of your support during out time back open’.
Simply ring and quote ‘TNQ50’ on 0161 832 7115
Half price food at TNQ
Pico’s Tacos
Pico’s Tacos is offering nachos for a fiver, plus there’s 3 tacos and a margarita for £15.
Available at their sites in Altrincham Market and Mackie Mayor until they sell out.
No bookings, walk-ins only.
New Wave Ramen
Steaming bowls of authentic ramen are just £10 at New Wave Ramen as part of their ‘closing down sale’.
Open in Mackie Mayor from 12pm and 9:15pm. No bookings, walk-ins only.
£10 ramen bowls at New Wave Ramen
Honest Crust
Get any pizza and dip from Honest Crust for just £10 until Wednesday. There’s also two pizzas, two dips and garlic bread for £20, two pizzas, two dips, olive, seasonal salad and garlic bread for £30.
Available at Altrincham Market, Mackie Mayor and Picturedrome Macclesfield. No bookings, walk-ins only.
£10 pizza and dip at Honest Crust
Tender Cow
Tender Cow have a range of different offers available at their three sites. At Mackie Mayor, enjoy £6 burgers all day. At Altrincham Market it’s two steaks and two sides for £30. And, at the Macclesfield Picturedrome, kids can enjoy 6oz steak with triple cooked chips for a tenner.
No bookings, walk-ins only.
£6 burgers all day at Tender Cow in Mackie Mayor
Dive Bar and Grill
This Wednesday, Northern Quarter bar and grill, Dive is hosting one last ‘Closing Down Dinner Club’ with 2-for-1 drinks during happy hour – 4pm to 6pm.
Plus, delicious food from the grill, video DJ Vinnie B playing the best in 90’s, 00’s, 10’s & 20’s RnB and Hip Hop.
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With impossibly perfect timing, Hawskmoor have just launched their range of at-home cocktails.
The small Stockport pub, Petersgate Tap offers a wide range of craft beers.
