JAZZ pops up throughout September in new Salford neighbourhood and Stockport gets foodie go-to status, while The Makers Market is back in the city centre with its popular artisan fayre and wares. Elsewhere, Caribbean prizes, Spanish seaside boozes and French fine-dining are keeping that summer spirit alive.

On the make

Grab a bag, push through the Extinction Rebellion crowds on Deansgate and head to the Great Northern Warehouse this Sunday, as The Makers Market sets out its stalls in the city centre once again 11am to 5pm. Arguably Manchester’s finest get-together of the best independent food and drink producers, artists, designers and purveyors of vintage and upcycled wares, the monthly Market lets you get to meet the makers in person - with over 60 traders ready to share their passion, skill and craft. There will also be live music, deckchairs to relax in and snacking opportunities including Grill Grill House serving up Greek-style gyros; Street Food Pizza offering, er, pizza; and Baked By Sam, with some tempting home-baked goods.

Air France

Book now to join Raymond Blanc on a flying visit to the Airport Marriott restaurant Brasserie Blanc Hale Barns. Tuesday 10th September promises to be an evening of ‘fabulous food, delicious drink and great company,’ with a five-course menu created especially by Monsieur Blanc and executive chef Clive Fretwell. Expect pan-fried red mullet with soused summer vegetable salad, roast rack of free-range Cornish lamb Provençale and posh peach Melba from the specialists in seasonal French-style dining. The meal costs £65 per person plus £20 if you fancy partaking in the optional wine pairings.

Say what you sea

Head to Manchester’s waterfront Spinningfields (look, just use your imagination) for a flavour of Spain’s coast (really, just use your imagination). On Wednesday 4th September, Ibérica Manchester is showcasing Gin Mare (meaning ‘sea gin’, not hangover-from-hell), a premium Spanish tipple produced in a small fishing town outside Barcelona. Following canapés on arrival, three regional savoury tapas specials will be served, each with its own bespoke cocktail rustled up before your very eyes by expert mixologist Lucas Roskell. Created by chefs from Michelin-star Andalucían restaurants, the dishes are salmojero, a traditional Cordoban chilled tomato and goats cheese dish; sardinas marinadas with charred aubergine purée, pine oil and crusty flatbread from Seville; and rabo de toro, a rich oxtail stew dreamed up by Ibérica’s executive chef Nacho Manzano. A sweet surprise will complement the final cocktail, all for £30 a head. Book here.

There goes the neighbourhood

Head to Middlewood Locks’ New Maker Yards by ‘neighbourhood curator’ (aka property developer) Get Living for free jazz evenings in association with NQ music club Matt & Phred’s. Set in the ‘quaint’ canalside green space location just eight minutes’ walk from Manchester city centre, the September Salford sessions will take place every Thursday 6.30pm to 9pm and feature some of the jazz bar’s most popular acts, starting with harmonica player Mat Walklate (pictured) and Blues guitarist James Lawley. Subsequent weeks welcome New Orleans R&B from The Nightcreatures, five-piece brass outfit Loud Noises and Latin-inspired Cuba Vida Salsa. Tickets are free, but available through Eventbrite, with the first 100 ticketholders being treated to complimentary scran courtesy some of Manchester’s best-known street-food vendors, and a selection of craft beers available to purchase at a pop-up bar from Seven Bro7hers Brewery.

2019 08 30 Stockport Food Drink Festival Provencal

Stockport stockpot

From Market Place to Merseyway, Stockport Food & Drink Festival will transform the town centre into a continental culinary casserole over the weekend 6th to 8th September in the first of what organisers hope will become an annual outing. Street food and produce stalls will sell ‘jams to jalapenos, burgers to bagels, chipolatas to chorizo’, and there will be cookery demos, family-friendly strawberry-themed craft workshops and live music. Celebrity chef Simon Rimmer will take to the Cookery Theatre, showing off skills and sharing top tips alongside fellow restaurant owners and local chefs from the likes of Produce Hall and Hillgate Cakery. Says Simon about his Saturday appearance: "I’ll be doing two demonstrations which will feature delicious, simple dishes from my Sunday Brunch cookbook and from Greens."

A word in your shell-like

And finally… trip on over to Turtle Bay (on Oxford and Oldham Streets) and you might find yourself on a trip of a lifetime. Starting this Monday, the Caribbean-inspired restaurant is treating loads of lucky customers to Caribbean-inspired giveaways, including luxury holidays to one of the world’s most sought-after destinations: the British Virgin Islands. Sailing around the Caribbean Sea with Dream Yacht Charter for seven nights, the winner will enjoy stretches of white sandy beaches, crystal clear blue waters and a colourful taste of the best life with full-board meals, five-star accommodation and return flights. Also up for grabs are bottles of rum, BVI GIN, complimentary meals, cocktails and discount vouchers – just pop in to your nearest Turtle Bay, enjoy ‘the best Caribbean cuisine on the block’ and cross those fingers.