THE Manchester Food & Drink Festival (29 Sept – 10 Oct) is back for its nineteenth year, and has just released its first batch of 2016 events.
Here’s ten you probably won’t want to miss:
THE FESTIVAL HUB | Albert Square | 29 Sept – 9 Oct | FREE
The festival’s daily hive of activity, the Festival Hub, will remain in its traditional home on Albert Square but with a new design and layout. As ever you’ll find a pop-up food village full of street food traders, market stalls, the live music stage and, of course, the BIG beer tent. There’ll also be a rolling programme of pop up events, mini festivals, masterclasses and more…
THE HIDDEN BANQUETS | Various locations | Throughout the festival | TICKETED
MFDF have teamed up with Spinningfields and St Johns developer Allied London to offer festival-goers the chance to feast within some of the city’s secret, undiscovered and jaw-dropping spaces courtesy of some of the nation’s most talented and upcoming chefs.
The first such banquet, themed ‘Innovation,’ will be hosted by Manchester House chef Aiden Byrne within the recently rescued London Road Fire Station – more here.
London Road will host the first Hidden Banquet
THE BIG INDIE WINE FEST | The Whitworth | 7-8 Oct | TICKETED
Hightailing to more artistic surrounds, one of the festival’s longest standing and most beloved events, the Big Indie Wine Fest, will see some of the nation’s finest wine merchants peddling a huge range of exclusive and boutique wines within the magnificent Whitworth – subject of a recent £15m upgrade.
NADIYA HUSSAIN – BAKE OFF CHAMP | Venue TBC | 8 Oct | TICKETED
As usual you’ll be able to see some of the culinary world’s finest talents performing workshops and demos at this year’s festival, none of which are likely to draw as bigger crowd as Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, who’ll likely be knocking together something cakey in the Live Cookery Theatre.
GBBO winner Nadiya Hussain will be there
BARATXURI IN THE CITY | Albert Square | Date TBC | TICKETED
The team behind Ramsbottom’s cracking new Basque enclave, Baratxuri (promounced Barachurry – so you don’t look daft) will bring some of that pintxos magic (how has Manchester avoided pintxos ‘til now?) out from the ‘burbs and into the heart of MFDF at the Festival Hub.
THE ITALIAN FESTIVAL | Albert Square | 2 Oct | FREE
Maurizio Cecco, the Naples-born founder of Manchester’s Neopolitan delicatessen and restaurant, Salvi’s, is planning to bring some of his favourite producers, typically from the Campania region, to Manchester for one gluttonous weekend. As well as food stalls, tastings and a 20-metre pizza attempt, there’ll also be Italian heritage walks around the city… and without a sodding Zizzi in sight.
Salvi's will stage an Italian Festival in Albert Square
ADAM REID’S FEST-URANT | Albert Square | 4-6 Oct | TICKETED
Acclaimed head chef of The French, Simon Rogan protégé and previous winner of MFDF ‘Chef of the Year’, Adam Reid will be bringing an ‘inclusive tasting menu’ (that means you can ‘av some) to the Festival Hub over three days.
MICHELIN-STARRED NACHO MANZANO | TBC (Iberica probably) | 4 Oct | TICKETED
Spanish chef Nacho Manzano - who runs two Michelin starred Casa Marcial in Arriondas, one Michelin starred La Salgar in the coastal city of Gijon and Casa de Comidas Gloria in Oviedo, as well as being Executive Chef of Ibérica Restaurants - will be hosting a one-off yet-to-be-announced event at MFDF on Tuesday 4 October. If this is anything to go by, it promises to be spectacular.
Three Michelin-starred chef Nacho Manzano will host a special event for MFDF
GREAT MANCHESTER BAKE OFF | Albert Square | 9 Oct | FREE
Inspired by the appearance of recent Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, MFDF will go on the hunt for the city’s very best amateur bakers in the Great Manchester Bake Off. Entrants must register, before being invited to bring their sweet treats to be judged by MFDF’s answer to Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood (probably Rowetta and Bez). Better leave the disco biscuits at home then…
THE FRINGE | All over the shop | Throughout the festival | FREE & TICKETED
As well as the events listed above and those still to be announced, there’ll also be an MFDF Fringe swinging around the festival, with special one-off events and evenings in some of the city’s finest establishments, including: Hawksmoor, Iberica, El Gato Negro and Albert’s Schloss. Keep an eye out.
Find out more at foodanddrinkfestival.com
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