Proper Manchester

Afternoon tea in a beautiful winter garden

THE NEW AFTERNOON TEA IN A BEAUTIFUL WINTER GARDEN The new afternoon tea at The Refuge’s beautiful winter garden has officially launched. James Green is the man behind the brews. He first learned about tea while serving in the armed forces with the world famous Nepalese gurkha regiment. His company Tea From The Manor is based in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire, and he’s blended a special brew for the Refuge’s new afternoon tea. The unique Refuge Blend, featuring rosehip, hibiscus, peppermint, blackcurrant, and strawberry leaves, joins a range of tea including Peppermint Black, Rum Arabica and Silver Needle. As for the food, there’s savoury ox cheek doughnuts, egg mayo sandwiches with truffle, smoked salmon and pickled cucumber brioche, miniature Opera cakes and an incredible lemon meringue pie. Get booked in here: https://bit.ly/3XNkaS1

The viral 'naanwich' kebabs

VIRAL ‘NAANWICH’ KEBABS AND INDIAN STREET FOOD AT BURNAGE HIDDEN GEM If you like naan bread AND kebabs, you need to get yourself a ‘naanwich’. Essentially a seekh kebab wrapped in naan dough and cooked in a tandoor, the revolutionary culinary delight is a must try. Pioneered by chef Akbar, the man behind the tandoor at Chef Platters, the naanwich isn’t the only thing worth heading to Burnage for. Their street food menu also includes buttery vada pavs, tangy and crispy pani puri and their aloo tiki chaat - a hit with their regulars. Get yourself booked in here to try it for yourself: https://bit.ly/4ixPPz2

Things I didn't know before my 30s

This guy's sharing all the amazing life hacks and tips he wished he knew before he turned 30... how did I not know any of these?! 😲😂

The award-winning Indian restaurant that's been going for five decades

THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHENTIC INDIAN RESTAURANT THAT’S BEEN GOING FOR OVER FIVE DECADES If you love authentic Indian food then look no further than Lily’s, a local institution which has been serving up quality scran since the 1970s. You’ll find proper Indian vegetarian dishes here, either at the original Ashton-under-Lyne spot of their newer restaurant in Chorlton. A family business, Lily’s was founded in 1972 by husband and wife Mr PG Sachdev and Mrs Lilawati Sachdev, meaning they’ve been serving their award-winning food to the people of Greater Manchester for over five decades. Back in the day, Lily used to make all the savouries by hand, which would sell out quickly in their small shop on Cotton Street East, Ashton–under–Lyne. Gradually their sons Harish and Rajesh joined the business, as did other family members, and working together they continued to freshly make all the Indian sweets. Sadly, Lily passed away before the restaurant opened, so the family decided to name it Lily’s in her memory. You can get 20% off (up to £10) when you spend £30 from today, Friday February 14th, to Friday February 21st on Uber Eats, here: https://bit.ly/3WJGlYs

This 219-year-old library is hidden above a pub in Manchester

Did you know there’s a 219-year-old library hidden above a pub in Manchester city centre 👀📚

NQ bar hides discount cards around town with offers like £2.49 pints

NQ BAR HIDES DISCOUNT CARDS AROUND TOWN FULL OF HUGE FOOD & DRINK OFFERS LIKE £2.49 PINTS Quarter House has launched brand new discount cards, and to celebrate they’re hiding some of them around the Northern Quarter for you lucky people to find. There will also be a load of them behind the bar for people to pick up. The recently launched discount membership cards give you HUGE offers on food and drink, with the cards normally costing £5. You’ll get exclusive offers and discounts each month, which will change month to month, and emails will be sent out to cardholders so they know what’s coming up. As an example, the February offers include house pints for £2.49, pints of Stella for £3.33, cider for £3.49, bottles of prosecco for £19.99, and 30% off burgers. So what are you waiting for, get out and about ASAP and find yourself a card!

Life hack to de-ice your windscreen quickly

Save time de-icing your car in the morning with this quick and easy hack 😮❄️

Drone footage of the greatest city in the world

The greatest city in the world… some fantastic drone footage of Manchester in the sunshine today, taken from Darwen 😍🐝 🎥: Danny Grear/retinair

Northern nan shares wholesome recipe videos

This Northern nan has been sharing her recipe videos online, and they’re incredibly heartwarming 🥹

Selfridges have curated a one-stop-shop for all things wellbeing

EMBRACE YOUR WELLNESS GOALS AT SELFRIDGES WITH EVERYTHING FROM BEAUTY TREATMENTS TO ACTIVEWEAR Selfridges have curated a one-stop-shop for all things wellbeing, and it’s the perfect way to embrace your ‘New Year, New Me’ goals. A slice of calm in the hustle and bustle, you’ll find innovative beauty treatments at Face Gym, stylish workout gear by Gymshark, Tala and Adanola, and supplements that’ll give you a boost from the inside out, like Dirtea. And of course there’s all your beauty and skincare favourites too, so don’t miss out. Make sure you head down to Selfridges if you need a little motivation to stick to your wellness journey in 2025.

A huge fire engulfed a merchandise stall at the Etihad last night, before Man City’s crucial Champions League clash with Club Brugge 🚨 🎥: Kevin Dinsdale

Bolton's new neighbourhood bar

BIG HOAGIES AND SMALL PLATES AT BOLTON’S NEW NEIGHBOURHOOD BAR If you head north out of Bolton town centre you’ll find Earls Deli, a brand new day-to-night deli, cocktail bar, sandwich joint and small plates spot. The aim is to keep it simple, with great coffee, pastries from Half Dozen Other, natural wines, classic cocktails, lager and stout from Thornbridge, and a couple more from Rivington Brew Co just up the road. This location used to be Coleman's bakery years ago, and co-owner Jonny used to get pies and pasties from here, as his nan’s house was round the corner. From Tuesday February 4th you’ll be able to get your hands on huge hoagies from the other co-owner Andy here as well, loaded with meatballs and marinara sauce, buffalo chicken, smoked turkey and deli meats. It’s all great value too, with cocktails at £8, pints for a fiver, and half a massive sandwich will set you back £6 (£10 for a full one). Get yourself down and try it for yourself!