The Generations-old Smokehouse In Cheshire
The Ward family smoked their first side of bacon in 1907 in Cheetham Hill, after founder John William Ward returned from Canada with one or two tricks up his sleeve.
Generations later, his great grandson Darren still runs the business as the Cheshire Smokehouse, having moved the operation to Morley Green near Wilmslow 33 years ago.
It’s changed a bit since the turn of last century, but the methods they used are still the same.
Now you can wander the aisles of this treasure trove of produce for everything from vegetables to pies to fresh bread baked on site to locally-reared and aged beef.
And, of course, there’s all that smoked bacon, salmon, duck…
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⏰ Mon-Sat 9am-5pm
📍 Vost Farm, Morley Green Rd, Wilmslow SK9 5NU
FIRST LOOK: HALF DOZEN OTHER TAKE ON GREGGS WITH VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL AT THEIR NEW CIRCLE SQUARE BAKERY
FIRST LOOK: HALF DOZEN OTHER TAKE ON GREGGS WITH VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL AT THEIR NEW CIRCLE SQUARE BAKERY
Half Dozen Other are one of the best bakers in Manchester. That’s just factual.
A spin-off from brunch masters Pot Kettle Black, they’ve gone from supplying themselves, to supplying other restaurants and cafes to opening their own bakery, to (now) opening another bakery, and it’s all down to hard work and the amazing stuff that comes out of the ovens.
This latest venture is a new unit at Circle Square, mostly a takeaway, but with some seating space to stuff down a pastry or two with a coffee, while watching the world do its thing in front of you.
It also happens to be opposite a certain well-known bakery chain, so their newly-formulated vegan sausage roll has a little bit of extra sass to it.
Head down to try it out from Monday….
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⏰ Launch Monday 9 December 9am - 3pm. Opening hours weekdays 7.30am - 5pm and 8am - 5pm weekends
📍 No.1 Circle Square, Oxford Road, Manchester. M1 7FS
💰 Pastries from £3.50, vegan sausage roll £5, lamb sausage roll £6.50
First Look: Trading Route Brings Its Hot Chicken and Cold Beer to St John's
FIRST LOOK: TRADING ROUTE BRINGS ITS HOT CHICKEN AND COLD BEER TO ST JOHN’S
Every neighbourhood needs a great neighbourhood bar, and St John’s has just got itself a cracker.
Trading Route - so-named for its proximity to the Irwell, and this corner of the city’s connection to Manchester’s industrial past - is a meeting of minds, a collaboration between Manchester Union, Trof and Wandering Palate.
Manchester Union will be supplying a constant stream of their craft lager (both the original and its black lager), served in custom glasses and with extra aromatic foam, thanks to specially designed beer taps which put froth at the forefront of your experience.
Meanwhile, Trof will be turning out perfectly browned rotisserie chickens, as well as golden roast potatoes, sandwiches, breakfast focaccia slices, with Wandering Palate taking on the provisions, with a store at the front selling great wine, cheese and a host of store cupboard treats.
The ‘home of foam’ opens its doors to all this Friday 6 December.
Tatton Park’s magnificent gardens have been transformed into a breathtaking light installation for the festive season.
The Glittering Trail snakes through the gardens after dark, featuring performers, puppets and dozens of dazzling light sculptures, recreating characters and creatures from folklore.
It makes up part of Tatton’s Yuletide with fire jugglers, folk music, traditional storytelling and festive folktales, as well as marshmallow toasting and mugs of hot chocolate
Put together by nonprofit organisation Wild Rumpus, the folk behind the brilliant Just So Festival and The Lanterns at Chester Zoo, it’s suitable for all ages, and you can grab tickets now.
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⏰ Runs until 23 December
📍 Tatton Park, Cheshire, Knutsford WA16 6Q
💰 Tickets £12 children, £20 adults (16+), Under 2s free
NORAH STORE INVITES YOU TO ‘GET MERRY’ WITH THEIR LUXURY CHRISTMAS LAUNCH
Norah Store in Ancoats are known for their stunning year-round collections, from fashion to fragrance to homeware. At Christmas though, they go all-out.
You can shop for beautiful, high-quality gifts from some of the most sought-after brands from across the UK and Europe, including exclusive Manchester-based creations like Sken Studios' silverware, NOTS' hand-knotted handbags and Sandwith Studio's knitted bonnets. There’s also complimentary gift wrapping on offer (and that wrapping paper is a joy).
Head down this evening for the glittering festive launch, ‘Get Merry with Norah Store’, where you can sip on Moth cocktails and be the first to browse the range. Christmas shopping has never been this chic.
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⏰ 5-9pm
📍47 Henry St, Ancoats, M4 5DH
💰Gifts from £7.50, clothing from £28, fragrance from £38
Michelin-listed Restaurant Launch A New City Centre Pop Up
WHERE THE LIGHT GETS IN OPENS A POP-UP IN MANCHESTER
“We’re not in Stockport anymore,” says Where The Light Gets In chef and founder Sam Buckley (to clarify, the restaurant is still very much open, but you get the gist).
He and his crew from the celebrated, Michelin-listed restaurant have traversed the A6 to arrive at arts and crafts space Altogether Otherwise on Shudehill for a very special pop-up.
It’s the first chapter in a series of residencies around the city that will showcase everything from cooking and gardening workshops to talks, film screenings, Q&As, DJ sets and, perhaps most importantly, feasting and great drinks.
This first event, which runs Thursday to Saturday until December 20, is called 'Man Eating A Leg Of Chicken' (the next one, in the New Year, is a fast food pop-up at Kampus). Sam and the team have devised a pared down menu, featuring sticky-glazed, barbecued partridge, oysters, lamb and lions mane skewers and - arguably the best bit - homemade ‘salt and shake’ crisp butties, served in a barm with loads of butter.
WTLGI wine legend Anna Frost has also selected loads of great wine and beer to get stuck into too, while the tunes will be supplied by the likes of Andy Votel, SK1 Records, Hannah O’Gorman, The Orielles and Living Room Dance Club.
This is special. Get down there immediately.
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⏰ Thu-Sat from 5pm
📍 6-10 Hanover St, Manchester M4 4BB
💰 Crisp butty £5, half partridge £9, oysters £9 for three
It’s our favourite day of the year, the day we pick up our office Christmas tree!
As always, a big thanks to Len from Northern Lights Home over in Ancoats for sorting us out.
If you’ve still not got yours, Len will sort you out with a free glass of mulled wine if you get a tree from him on Fridays or Saturdays.
He’s also doing 15% off trees for any local businesses. Just drop them a DM on Instagram for more info.
200 Free Sandwiches at Foldies
FOLDIES OPENS IN MANCHESTER AND THEY’RE GIVING AWAY 200 FREE SANDWICHES
From the folk behind Brewski’s and American Pies, Foldies reckon they’ve opened the ‘world’s greatest sandwich shop’ with this new take on the folded sarnie.
These are pizza dough balls, made with 00 caputo flour, cooked in 60 seconds in a 400c oven, before being opened up, stuffed with amazing stuff, and then rolled up again.
Think an open calzone. Or a fold up pizza. Either way, it’s ingenious. Fillings include everything from nduja honey pork shoulder, with crackling and chimichurri slaw, to lamb meatballs with mozzarella and chive ranch.
There’s even a take on Anthony Bourdain’s famous mortadella sandwich, as well as a veggie number with butternut squash, whipped hot honey goats cheese and beetroot crisp.
There will be breakfast options in the mornings too, with scrambled eggs, fennel sausage, bacon, avo… the works.
The best bit - they’re giving away 200 free sandwiches tomorrow (4 December) to Manchester's Finest subscribers when you order online to collect.
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⏰ Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8.30am-6pm (main menu from 11am)
📍 58 Mosley street, M2 3HZ
💰 Sandwiches from £9.50
The Middleton Community Chippy The Viral 'Deep Fried Chip Barm'
THE MIDDLETON COMMUNITY CHIPPY WITH THE VIRAL ‘DEEP FRIED CHIP BARM’
Hills Fish & Chips in Middleton has been at the heart of the community for more than 20 years, serving up fresh fish, hot chips and a few special extras you won’t find anywhere else.
Like their viral deep fried chip barm. It’s exactly as it sounds; an oven-bottom muffin stuffed with chips, curry or gravy, mushy peas, then battered, fried and served up with an extra pot of gravy or curry for dipping. It’s a revelation.
So is their homemade cheese and onion pie, a slab of goodness made to a secret recipe, best served under a sturdy layer of mushy peas and gravy.
Owners Gwen and John Hill put everything into this place. Knowing things can get tight, they offer a £5 lunch deal every day, and during the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, gave out over 800 free meals to those who needed a bit of help.
Good people with a big heart serving up great chips. Legends.
Hill’s will be offering buy one, get one free on jumbo sausage and chips from Tuesday 3 December to Saturday 7th December on Uber Eats
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⏰ Tue-Wed 11am-7:30pm, Thu-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 11am-7:30pm
📍 331 Oldham Rd, Middleton, Manchester M24 2DN
💰 Chips from £3, lunch special £5, fish & chips £11.95
There’s celebrating the festive season in style, and then there’s this… Fenix, Louis and Tattu are offering a pretty stunning £1,200 table package at their restaurants, over the Christmas period. It includes taking in Tattu’s new winter menu for four people, and a Supper Club table for four at Louis, the new New York-Italian inspired restaurant and cabaret. You’ll also be able to ring in the New Year at Fenix, with a table for four in the restaurant and then midnight onwards in The Nest bar with traditional Greek plate smashing. To win, you just have to sign up to Fenix’s newsletter, and if you sign up to the Louis and Tattu newsletter too, you’ll get two more entries. They’ll announce the winner on Thursday 5 December.
Holy Slice - The New York Style ‘Crispy’ Pizza Hatch Open Now On Deansgate
If you’ve been to new party venue Simmons Bar on Deansgate, you may have encountered the newest pizza on the block - Holy Slice.
These New York-inspired slices are big boys, priding themselves not only on the quality of the dough and ingredients but also the all-important crisp. These slices do not flop.
You Can Get 99p Kebabs This Friday From Burnage's Legendary Godfather
YOU CAN GET 99P KEBABS THIS FRIDAY FROM BURNAGE’S LEGENDARY GODFATHER
Yes, you read that right. For Black Friday, Burnage kebab institution The God Father are slinging ‘babs for 99p all day to celebrate their 40th birthday.
Owner Ali told us he used to sell his kebabs at this price back in the 80s to students, but is now bringing this crazy offer back for one day only.
The doner is all made in-house, where Ali spices the meat and layers the lamb himself. It comes packed in a fresh pita, topped with salad and a secret-recipe doner sauce.
Head over to Godfather this Friday, and wish this kebab-grilling legend many happy returns.
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⏰ Friday 29 November, 11-12am
📍271 Kingsway, Manchester M19 1AN
💰 99p kebabs
