Plus north-west’s hottest wings, luxe crumble, McMuffin upgrades

What a time to be alive. England through to the semi-finals, Big Ben on tour and the complete annihilation of Stevenson Square’s planted areas in the name of it coming home. Fantastic. With great power comes great responsibility and well, not to sound like a fun sponge, but if you think you’re not getting pinged on that app after all those shenanigans, think again. If you’re hitting up a local COVID-19 flashmob in the near future, we’d recommend a mask regardless of what Boris says.

There were some real highs this week in the Mancunian content-sphere, notably the chaps who’ve been raising money for Manchester Arena bombing survivor Martin Hibbert by eating Bunny Jackson’s ‘hotter than the sun’ wings (the Mount Chilimanjaro Challenge). There’s also been cured meats, Mediterranean meals in Ramsbottom and our very own pizza knockout tournament which is shaping up nicely. Go vote so we can end the heated office debates once and for all and crown Manchester’s best pizza.

Scroll on for our weekly round-up of full-fat social media content from Manchester's food and drink scene.

Fly on the wings of love

Legendary wing bravery on show at Bunny Jackson’s this week as two chaps took on 19 "hotter than the sun" wings each in the name of charity. James and Dan took on the eye-watering gauntlet in support of their friend, Martin Hibbert, who suffered life-changing spinal injuries during the Manchester Arena bombing. The money raised will go towards Martin’s charity climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the Spinal Injuries Association (which you can still donate to here). You’ll be pleased to know the lads finished all 19. Let’s hope they left some toilet roll in the freezer overnight.

Hail the awesome Ness

No doubt the house prices in Ramsbottom went up a few extra quid this weekend as chef Ness Cohen revealed her Eastern Mediterranean takeaway menu which touches upon the tastes of Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. Headlining the menu, which was available for pickups or delivery in Ramsbottom, was this chicken thigh dish with sherry, clementines and roasted fennel.

Can they fix it? (Yes they can)

Ever wondered what a sausage and egg McMuffin would look like if it wasn’t made from things that degrade slower than chewing gum on a pavement? Well, Coffee Fix in Gatley have been making the premium version throughout lockdown and they’ve taken a photo of it with god-level angles that Kim Kardashian would be jealous of. Now officially called The Fix, it's the sausage, bacon, egg and grilled cheese bagel you need in your life.

We’re gonna eat one more pie than you

It was only a matter of time before the heads at Patel’s Pies took one for the (England) team and filled one of their glorious pies with a certain song’s namesake curry. Available at Bernie’s Grocery Store (Altrincham and Heaton Moor) and Batch Deli (Altrincham) this weekend in limited numbers, don’t be surprised if there’s more coming this week.

A cure for challenging times

Spare a thought for Erst. The NQ restaurant has really taken a battering from the NHS Test and Trace app of late and deserves a break. The good news is that it's back open and serving Goat Sujuk from Manchester charcuterie duo Northern Cure. That’s it, that’s the tweet.

Proof that it’s coming home

We don’t want to jump on any populist bandwagons here but if you're not arranging the red part of your meal this week in the shape of the England flag then you’re not doing your part. Even if it’s just a choreographed application of ketchup. Proove Pizza did their bit and look what happened. Four goals and a nice spot in Hashtag. Follow their lead.

Let’s get ready to crumble

Whatever will they come up with next? Is a persistent question in the office as we always, always tuck into whatever is next. This week it was little pots of fancy crumble from Crumbled at Wolf in Spinningfields. Fresh, 100% British produce and vegan and gluten-free options available too.

Museum food upgrades

Remember when art gallery and museum food options were, like, a bit crap? Sad canteens acting as rest stops for the elderly with sorry food and expensive Panda Pops? Museum cafes are good now. Very good. The newly refurbed Manchester Jewish Museum is the latest to upgrade its menu, with this aethestically pleasing vegetarian cholent one of many options. Another reason to swing by, as if you needed one.

Pizz a knockout

There’s a pizza tournament happening and it’s the pizza tournament to end the eternal debate: who does the best pizza in Manchester? In the best interests of pizza and competition, we’ve put it to a public vote on Twitter. It’s all very close at the moment so the destiny of your favourite pizzeria is in your hands. Make your vote count. Use it or lose it.

Follow Davey on twitter: @dbretteats

Read next: 'The world’s most exclusive restaurant?' Umezushi Omakase, reviewed

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