This week: gin in a can, a roast in a box and an award in the bag
It can be hard keeping up with what’s going on in such a buzzing city like Manchester. But while we try and make sense of words we hadn’t even heard this time last year like ‘lockdown’ and ‘furlough,’ we need to remember that we are still a city of innovation and creativity.
Wheels keep on turning, doors keep on opening and interesting things are happening. On top of all the stories we’ve published over the past few days, we try and end the week with a round up of interesting news, snippets of info and things we know you’re not going to want to miss.
Here’s the latest Greater Manchester food and drink news….
Boxing clever
Dave Ashton, award-winning executive head chef of The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant, has launched an at-home cookery service for diners to enjoy AA rosette food with many ingredients from local Manchester suppliers. The new service called @ HOME by The Lowry Hotel means that sumptuous Sunday lunches and decedent afternoon teas are now available via a pick-up service from the River Restaurant and orders can be placed via the hotel’s website here.
Afternoon Tea @ HOME (£50 for two people - main image above) requires no more than a bit of an artful arrangement and consists of filled sandwiches, freshly baked scones with Cornish clotted cream and a selection of desserts including chocolate dipped strawberries, plus a brew from Tea from the Manor and a bottle of Prosecco.
The Lowry Hotel's famous Sunday roast is also available (£40 for two) and comes boxed with quality topside of beef, plenty of gravy and a methodology card which explains how to finish cooking this all at home with minimum hassle. Some assembly and cooking is required, but the package is 80% prepared for you and ready to go. The three course menu includes organic sourdough bread with chicken fat butter, crayfish and prawn cocktail, roast beef with all the trimmings and sticky toffee pudding with sherry soaked raisins and butterscotch sauce.
Orders for @ HOME Sunday Lunch and @ HOME Afternoon tea can be purchased here.
Gin Can
Award-winning distiller Manchester Gin has paired with the premium soft drinks company, Franklin & Sons, to bring the people of Manchester raspberry and lemon pre-mixed canned G&Ts.
Exclusively available in Tesco stores across Manchester and priced at £2 per 250ml, each can features the iconic Manchester worker bee and rose gold detailing,
The 5.5% ABV G&T is an alternative twist on the classic with the best selling Manchester Raspberry Gin paired with Franklin & Sons Sicilian lemon tonic water for the perfect mix of sweet and citrus. It’s the nearest most of us are getting to an Italian summer dream, so drink up.
Booths booze boost
Northern, family-owned, independent food and wine retailer Booths - which has stores across Lancashire and Cumbria as well as in Hale Barnes, Knutsford and MediaCity - has been crowned Supermarket of the Year at the Decanter Retailer Awards 2020.
Booths beat stiff competition including Waitrose, Marks and Spencer, Co-op and Aldi to win the award. Booths wine buyer Victoria Anderson - pictured above with Edwin Booth (L) and John Gill, head of marketing and trading) said - “Sharing our love of great wine is a big part of what makes Booths a very special business.”
Victoria aims to offer a wide eclectic range, value for money and uncompromising quality. But selecting the absolute best wines at a variety of price points from a range of growers and countries is a challenge and an art.
Decanter Award judge Peter Richards MW said: “Booths have got a great list, their wines are good, tastings are always strong and they’re quite bold in their buying choices.”
Edwin Booth, chairman of Booths, who served as the wine buyer at Booths for many years said: “I’m enormously proud of Victoria and this recognition for her work is richly deserved. Victoria is a buyer of exceptional taste and talent. She ensures that every bottle we stock at Booths is a joy to drink.”
Polish perfection
The Great Northern has revealed that Platzki (reviewed here) will be taking over its ‘Community Kitchen on the Square’ al-fresco dining space this week (10th-13th September) with a promise that every mouthful will transport you to the breathtaking mountains and bustling streets of Poland.
Expect modern interpretations of authentic Polish classics (£5-9), including traditional Polish smoked sausage with bacon, potato filled pierogi, deep fried pork pierogi served with homemade BBQ sauce, crispy black pudding balls served with apple gravy, steamed white cabbage rolls filled with either pork or mushrooms served with a tomato sauce. Traditional Polish tipples will include some good old fashioned Somplica vodka flavoured with quince, hazelnut or cherry. Na zdrowie!
The Platzki dining experience will be open from noon-9pm Friday to Sunday. No need to book. All diners will experience table service to reduce close contact and ensure social distancing be kept to at all times. Check out details of the community kitchen and the full menu from Platzki here.
Closing statement
Unfortunately (despite us having written about loads of new openings recently here, here and here) there have been a couple of notable closures we wanted to mention. As from 16th September 2020 (last evening of service) Samir’s Middle Eastern Cuisine (reviewed here) at 1116 Chester Road, Stretford, will cease trading.
Owner Samir is naturally very disappointed that he has been forced to make this decision, but the coronovirus pandemic has had a dramatic effect on his business and it has become uneconomical to run. In a recent Facebook post, Samir thanked all his valued customers, new acquaintances and friends who have supported him in this venture and hopefully he will be able to start afresh sometime in the future.
In the city centre, Earth Café, beneath the Manchester Buddhist Centre on Turner Street, will also not be reopening.
There’s been a vegan café in the basement since the Buddhist Centre opened in the mid-nineties, but in recent years it’s been run as a day-time café and juice bar by Patricia and her son Dexter, who found though that reopening was not viable in the current climate.
A statement on Facebook announcing the closure said: 'In countless ways, Earth is a major part of our history and also that of the Northern Quarter and the city as a whole. Its loss is very significant, to Patricia and Dexter of course, but also to our community and more.'
Patricia followed up in a later statement, saying; 'Although this is a significant loss for us, we can look back with wonderful memories of working with members of the Manchester Buddhist Centre as well as the wonderful suppliers who helped us provide the highest quality in every meal we served.'
Follow Manchester Buddhist Centre to get updates on the centre as well as any update on the space that the Earth Café once occupied.
