Plus: Super Bowl, Valentine's treats for singles and more | Week 5 Feb 2021
This week's food and drink round-up brings a belly full of bacchanalian delights to brighten up your bleak and boring lockdown.
Read on for weird pizzas, American football feasts and new menus from old favourites.
Nut your average pizzas
Rudy’s is flinging a Nutella pizza for one day only. On sale for world Nutella day (today, 5th Feb) the pizza features a single cream base, Nutella, crushed pistachios and amaretto mascarpone cream drizzle. You might not know that Naples is the Nutella capital of the world with Nutella desserts in pizza joints across Italy. This one's available for collection or local delivery on Friday 5th only via Deliveroo.
Crazy Pedro’s has launched a pizza special (/spelling test) too, this one's in collaboration with Jose Cuervo tequila. The £8 Margarita Margherita features pizza dough fermented in Jose Cuervo tequila for 24 hours and tomato sauce marinated in triple sec. It comes with a free pizza-inspired Margarita (the cocktail) made with fresh lemon juice, basil, fresh tomatoes and tequila. Pre-order from today (5th Feb) for delivery on National Margarita Day, Monday 22nd Feb.
Supersize me
Several local places are offering special Super Bowl menus for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs event this weekend. At Hickory’s Smokehouse, whose owner Jason Bligh is ‘a die-hard NFL fan’, there’s an ‘epic Super Bowl Box’ to accompany your late-night American football party (with your own household or bubble this year, obvs). There’s fresh brioche buns filled with hand-pulled barbecue pork, a full rack of baby back Memphis ribs, 24 smoked wings with blue cheese dip and celery, corn dogs, tater tots with American cheese and four of Hickory’s special edition Pale Ale cans for £70. Available for nationwide delivery from 4th-7th February, boxes come with step-by-step instructions.
Hard Rock has Ultimate Wings (25, 50 or 100 from £19.50) and Smokehouse BBQ Bundles with BBQ baby pork ribs, wings, twisted macaroni and cheese, ranch-style beans, coleslaw, garlic bread & extra BBQ sauce for up to 12 people (from £40). All orders placed for 7th February get free popcorn. Email or call 0161 831 6700.
Fridays has burgers, mozzarella dippers, sesame chicken strips and ribs as well as veggie and vegan options hot and ready to eat via click and collect. Or if you prefer, similar dishes are available in meal-kit form to cook at home. There’s also a range of seven cocktails from Long Island Iced Tea to Espresso Martini ready mixed in individual 200ml bottles or mixed packs. Order them here.
Pick-up artists
Several local food stars have launched new takeaway and delivery options.
Evelyn's cafe bar in the Northern Quarter has temporarily rebranded as The Pitta Shop with a menu based on chef Phil Cardy’s Israeli upbringing. The bijou menu features fresh pitta from Pittanoor bakery stuffed with chicken or lamb shawarma, Gentleman’s relish, hummus, zingy dressings and crunchy veg; there's house-made mixed seed falafel too. A lot of love has gone into developing this menu. We can’t wait to try it. Order on Deliveroo from Saturday 6th Feb.
The Edinburgh Castle Ancoats and Cottonopolis have launched a team takeaway. Thursdays and Saturdays you’ll be able to grab items from Cottonopolis’s Omasake menu: perhaps California roll, karaage chicken or spicy Korean cauliflower. Friday nights there’s chippy tea from the Edinburgh Castle with battered fish, suet pud, Cumberland sausage or halloumi parmo and beer-battered banana flower. Sundays are roast day with lemon and thyme stuffed chicken, beef rib, Old spot pork belly or vegan cashew nut roast. Email or call 0161 414 0004 to order.
Hip Hop Chip Shop has gone back to basics and hauled out its signature, boombox-shaped food truck to bring its grandmaster fish to Whalley Range. The truck will be parked up at The Carlton Club which is currently closed along with pretty much everything else we love. Locals can hook a great lunch and for every order of £25 HHCS will donate a hot meal to a local person in need.
Meat market
Hawksmoor is on Ocado. Its signature steaks (including ribeye, sirloin and porterhouse) will be available from Feb 10th. If you don’t (or don’t want to) shop at Ocado, they're also now on Hawksmoor’s online shop. With a lot of talk about ethically produced meat, this is a welcome addition to a supermarket range. Hawksmoor founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott believe that animal welfare, sustainable farming and supporting independent farmers are not just the right thing to do but also guarantee better tasting beef. The beef comes from British farms with cattle reared to lead stress-free lives and fed on a grass and forage-based diet. Hawksmoor’s farmers follow bio-diverse regenerative farming practices. Designed in house by Hawksmoor, the packaging is made with recycled board and is recyclable. Prices start at £12.
Manchester bee-r
Local indie beer box delivery service Hip Flask has launched a new Best of Manchester craft beer box. It features 12 craft beers sourced from 12 different independent local breweries. Breweries are really suffering due to pubs being closed so this is a great way to support them and treat yourself (or someone you love for Valentine’s Day, maybe) at the same time. Breweries represented include Cloudwater, Track, Pomona Island, Blackjack, Thirst Class Ale, Marble and Manchester Union Lager.
The daily grind
Instant coffee isn’t exactly known for having ‘notes of chocolate and cherry’ but Manchester's Grindsmith reckons its newly launched instant coffee has just that. The independent coffee roastery has got together with the bods at Nescafé Azera to create 'the UK’s first’ instant ‘craft coffee’. So if you don’t have space or finances for a fancy-pants coffee machine, this might level up your morning brew. Apparently, coffee has to score above 80/100 on the Speciality Coffee Association scale to be regarded by the industry as 'a speciality craft coffee'. This one scored 82/100. The blend uses Arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia, including the highly prized Quindio bean. An 80g tin will set you back £5.49 from Sainsbury's.
Melting hearts
A 19-year-old student from Trafford College who launched his gourmet chocolatier business during lockdown has developed a new Valentine's range. Ben Metcalfe from Cheadle was made redundant as a waiter in the first lockdown and decided to start a chocolate delivery service from his home kitchen - with his parents as chief taste testers. Ben is taking orders for collection of his special range of Valentine’s flavours (Morello Cherry and Amaretto, Raspberry Caramel and Orange and Hazelnut Crunch) until 7th February via his Facebook page.
Single and legally not allowed to mingle
Salut has launched a Valentine’s Day wine tasting experience for singletons. The 'Half the Bottle, All the Bottle' box contains six 37.5ml bottles of wines - including NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Argentinian Malbec and Spanish Rioja - as well as tasting notes for each wine, and a link to an online tutored tasting video where the Salut team will guide customers through each glass. Get your single pals to order one too and you can sync up online to do the tasting together.
Piccolino has also put together a solo dining bundle with a three-course meal, side dish and bottle of wine for £40. There’s a couples bundle too for £45pp with three courses for two and a bottle of fizz. Both are available to pre-order now from Alderley Edge, Bramhall, Chester, Didsbury, Hale, Knutsford, and Stockton Heath.
Think abed
Kimpton Clocktower has put together some vouchers perfect for Valentine’s Day that can be redeemed for a stay at the hotel when it reopens. The Romance Package includes accommodation for two, a rose petal display in your room, chocolate strawberries, Prosecco and (the ultimate in romance) a full English breakfast. The Suite Celebration package includes accommodation for two in a luxurious suite with separate lounge area, a single boxed red rose, Tattinger Brut champagne, chocolates and a full English. Gift certificates can be bought here. Use promo code LOVE21 at checkout to receive 20% off with a £100 minimum spend.
Manchester’s Right To Food
While we love talking about treats and indulgences from our local food businesses, it’s important to recognise that they are a privilege. Disgracefully, our region is still home to an unacceptable amount of food poverty and the pandemic has only exacerbated the problem. In a statement made by Cllr Bev Craig, executive member for adult health and wellbeing, at a meeting of the full Council, she committed Manchester to becoming a Right to Food City, and to join Fans Supporting Foodbanks in their campaign to ensure that all people have the legal right to access food. The ‘Right to Food’ campaign wants to change the law to make access to food a legal right for all and believes the 11 million people currently living in food poverty in the UK must be at the heart of the National Food Strategy. A letter will be sent from Manchester City Council to the government, outlining its position and affirming the goals set by the Right to Food campaign.
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