STARTING on Monday 9 July we’re going to feature a new section called the Best of Manchester.

This will look at various aspects of Manchester life, weigh them, judge them and package them for your delectation.

Essentially it’s our guidebook for visitors and locals.

It will grow to vast proportions we hope and be a proper insider look at what makes Manchester tick. It will mainly be sensible but it may also include the odd eccentric or daft 'best of'. Maybe even the some 'worst ofs'.

Of course it will include food and drink, museums and galleries, theatres and hotels but it will go much further.

Each ‘Best of’ will have an introductory paragraph, then a short description of each place or item we’ve selected. Most will be in alphabetical order, the idea being that if they've made it on to our list we don't need to put in a hierarchy.

The list will be increased on a weekly basis.

We’re starting first with Best Bars and then it will be Best Buildings and so on. Most of the lists will concentrate on the city centre and university areas but some will spread further afield.

These are some of the ideas we’ve had so far.

Best fine dining restaurants, Best working artists in Manchester, Best independent gyms in the city, Best bars for a classic cocktail, Best steak restaurants, Best emerging actors in Manchester, Best creme brulee, Best traditional pubs in the city centre, Best mid-range restaurants, Best antique shops in Greater Manchester, Best meals for under a tenner, Best restaurants never to have featured seabass on their menus, Best outdoor statues in Manchester, Best nudes in Manchester art galleries, Best restaurants for veggies, Best churches in Manchester, Best suburbs to live in, Best places to de-stress, Best long stay car parks, Best bars in the NQ to have a drink in without a hat, Best buildings with plants growing out of them, Best coffee meeting spots that aren’t Starbucks, Best emerging comedians (comes with bespoke jokes from each one), Best salons that offer wine, Best pubs for a cheeky post work pint, Best wine merchants in the region, Best toilets in Manchester, Best handmade furniture shops in the region, Best bacon sandwiches in the city, Best staircases in Manchester....you get the idea.