IT'S ALMOST time for the annual Manchester Food and Drink Festival, so with the full event programme now published, we’ve picked out the best of this year’s events.
Now in its nineteenth year, the city-wide festival gives food and drink lovers an opportunity to celebrate our region’s vast range of restaurants, bars, craft brewers, street food vendors and producers. From 29 September to 10 October, Albert Square will be transformed into a buzzing hub packed with stalls, pop-up bars and demonstrations from top local and celebrity chefs. Elsewhere, over the eleven action-packed days, feasts, feeds and booze-fuelled festivities will be happening in various venues as well as some lesser-known secret spaces.
We’ve compiled a list of what’s new and unmissable for 2016:
THE HIDDEN BANQUETS
These one-off events are an opportunity for festival-goers to explore some of the city’s secret spaces in association with the nation’s most exciting chefs, all in the context of Manchester’s cultural identity and heritage. Each of the four banquets will occur at a different location:
“INNOVATION” by Aiden Byrne at London Road Fire Station will take place on Friday 30th and feature a seven-course banquet in this recently liberated and seldom seen location. Tickets £125 or £200 for the ‘Chef’s Table’. -NOW SOLD OUT-
“TV” by MilkJam will be held on 6th October at the birthplace of independent television in Manchester – Old Granada Studios. This special six-course experimental dessert banquet will be hosted by Claire ’Ginger’s Comfort Emporium’ Kelsey, Charlotte ‘Bakeorama’ O’Toole and Nicki ‘Lush Brownies’ Griffiths. Guests are invited to come dressed as their favourite Granada TV character. Tickets £55
“TECHNOLOGY” will come in the form of a five-course banquet with wine at London Road Fire Station (another change to dine at this seldom seen city centre location, for those who missed out on Innovation tickets), courtesy of five different Deliveroo-friendly destinations; Tampopo, Salvi’s, Almost Famous, Scene and Vapiano, with wine from Veeno. There will also be a commentary and tech history talk from our own editor-at-large Jonathan Schofield. Saturday 1st October. Tickets £55.
“INDUSTRY” by Dan Doherty at the Bonded Warehouse will be a banquet for 175 people in aid of Action Against Hunger. Dan, who is group executive chef at London’s acclaimed 24-hour restaurant, Duck and Waffle, has created a one-off banquet in his innovative and playful style, designed around one of most integral aspect of Manchester’s heritage. Tickets £75. Saturday 8th October.
Dan Doherty
ALBERT SQUARE GUEST RESTAURANTS
Guest chefs from the city and the suburbs will host their own pop-up restaurants in the Festival Hub.
EAT with Adam will feature a three night pop-up (4th - 6th October) with The French by Simon Rogan’s acclaimed Head Chef and previous MFDF ‘Chef of the Year’, Adam Reid, who, in between triumphant turns on Great British Menu, has created a bespoke tasting menu designed especially. £60
Baratxuri in the City (£40) is a one-off opportunity to enjoy the tremendous tapas and perfect pintxos usually to be found in their Ramsbottom terraced base. Joe Botham will be bringing his team into the city centre for one night only, on 7 October, serving a daily ‘cooked to order’ menu of classy Catalan cuisine.
Masterchef runner-up and author of Vegan Street Food, Jackie Kearney, will be bringing her experimental six-course vegan banquet to the hub on 8 October with the aim of pleasantly surprising vegans and carnivores alike with a super-powered meat and dairy free menu.
Albert Square
SALVI'S ITALIAN FESTIVAL
Molto bene; it’s a festival within a festival. On the 2nd October, the marquee space in the MFDF festival hub will be transformed into a celebration of Neapolitan cuisine including cookery masterclasses and a mini market featuring Italian produce from Manchester’s authentic Italian food business Salvi’s, including their famous Mozzarella, other Italian cheeses, olive oils, wines, breads, meats and sweet treats.
There will be live cookery demonstrations from well-known Italian chefs such as Carlo Molon, Executive Chef from Sheraton Hotel in Milan, who is visiting especially. There’ll also be drinks tastings, a ‘Nonna Pasta Making Station’, plus live music from an Italian band flown in all the way from Naples. Maurizio and his team from Salvi’s will also be creating a huge twenty metre pizza which customers can enjoy with a Peroni for £5.
Outside the Festival Hub Salvi’s restaurants (John Dalton Street and Corn Exchange) and their Rostecceria (John Dalton Street) will be sampling their best produce in store all day too, with 20% off food for all those who sign up to the Salvi’s mailing list. Specialist Italian food and heritage walks will start at the Festival Hub, stopping at Salvi’s venues along the way for refuelling. Places on the tour are limited and cost £10.
In the evening, Salvi’s will be hosting a bespoke four-course Italian Gala Dinner at the Corn Exchange in association with Peroni and Aperol. For tickets to the Italian food walk visit www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
Salvi's
SPANISH TAPAS TRAIL
Not to be outdone on the food front by their European neighbours, Manchester’s best Spanish restaurants around Deansgate have got together for MFDF as part of a ‘Magnifico Seven’ tapas trail – and it’s so good, we don’t even mind that they’ve nicked our idea.
Tapas loving explorers will start with a glass of Cava at the Instituto Cervantes before being split into two groups, each led by a green badge guide, to visit four of the restaurants where they’ll enjoy a drink and a signature tapa in each. Venues taking place include Evuna, El Rincon, Tapeo & Wine, Iberica, La Bandera, El Gato Negro and Lunya.
THE BINNER PARTY
A positively rubbish idea; a fundraising dinner with a difference, hosted by 53two at another ‘secret’ Manchester venue on Thursday 29th September. Recently appointed head chef of The Real Junk Food Project, Mary-Ellen McTague, will be cooking a fantastic feast made entirely from food that would otherwise go to waste. Funds raised will go towards their mission to open the city’s first food surplus, pay-as-you-feel restaurant (this dinner is on the same basis.) The event will include dinner, drink and live music. To book, or for more information, email corin@realjunkfoodmanchester.co.uk
Mary-Ellen McTague
ESPANA MODERNA AT EL GATO NEGRO
Chef patron Simon Shaw has created a special menu to explore traditional and modern Spanish flavours along with some of the country’s best wines. The intimate dinner will include a glass of Cava on arrival, six dishes with wine and sherry pairings, and to finish, a cocktail in the upstairs cocktail bar, The Black Cat. Tickets are £90 and there will be two sittings; 6-7pm and 8.30-9.30pm on Monday 3rd October. To book, email reservations.mcr@elgatonegrotapas.com
THE BIG INDIE WINE FEST
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 Art Gallery. There are three tasting sessions, Friday 7 Oct 6pm - 9pm, Sat 8 Oct 2pm - 5pm and 6pm - 9pm, priced at £15 each.
FINE WINES AND MOUTH-WATERING MEAT AT FAZENDA
Guests are invited to join Fazenda’s sommelier Chris Milner as he hosts two MFDF masterclasses on Monday 3rd and Wednesday 5th October at 5pm. Guests will have the opportunity to explore hand-picked Argentinean and Brazilian wines which will be expertly paired with the restaurants famous selection of fifteen freshly grilled meats, allowing winers and diners to enjoy the full Fazenda experience. Tickets are £40 and available here.
NACHO MANZANO FESTIVAL DINNER AT IBERICA
Iberica’s Executive Chef, the three-starred Nacho Manzano is set to welcome Mark Poynton, Head Chef at Michelin starred Alimentum in Cambridge, to Iberica in Spinningfields. They will be working together to produce a special six-course game themed evening menu, with matching wines. This will be the second event in a series of ‘Nacho and Friends’ – read more about the first one here.
Guests at this highly-anticipated event will have the chance to explore culinary delights, only available from August through to January, via a casual tapas menu comparing game traditions from both Spain and England. Mark will be returning to cook in Manchester for the first time since his eighteen months at Juniper in Altrincham, where he worked with Paul Kitching.
Nacho and Friends with Mark Poynton will be held on Tuesday 4th October, 7pm at Iberica, M3 3HF Tickets are £75 per head. To book, email reception.manchester@ibericarestaurants.com
Nacho (left) and friend
HAPPY RESTAURAN-IVERSARY
Two well-loved restaurants will be celebrating special long-service anniversaries during the festival on Thursday 6th October:
The Lowry Hotel will be hosting a special fifteen-course gourmet banquet in its River Restaurant and Bar, to mark its fifteenth birthday. That’s a decade and a half worth of famous guests staying in the luxury hotel after concerts, matches and other special events. The special dinner, arranged in conjunction with MFDF by Exec chef Andrew Green and his team will include a parade of dishes such as oxtail consommé, venison tortelloni and poached lemon sole. Tickets are £59 and can be booked via www.thelowryhotel.com
Meanwhile, Hawksmoor’s 10th anniversary celebrations continue with a special dinner in their gorgeous private dining room showcasing their classics menu. The upmarket steakhouse's story will be told in six decade-spanning courses, featuring shortrib nuggets with kimchi ketchup, scallops with white port and garlic, Tamworth pork belly ribs, beef fillet or rib-eye with sides and sauces, and to finish, their now legendary sticky toffee pudding. Places cost £65 (which can be booked via MFDF website) and there is a limit of only fourteen guests.
NADIYA HUSSAIN – BAKE OFF CHAMP
More than fifteen million viewers tuned in last year to see Nadiya Jamir Hussain win the sixth series of BBC's Great British Bake Off. So expect a full house at the MFDF Live Cookery Theatre in Albert Square on Saturday 8 October (2pm) as Hussain knocks together something, probably cakey, in front of the crowd. Also taking to the cooking theatre are El Gato Negro's Simon Shaw, Evelyn's Byron Moses and Aiden Byrne of Manchester House. Dates and times here.
AN EVENING WITH LOUIS XIII
Following a successful similar event in July, posh Asian restaurant Tattu will be hosting another exclusive evening with prestigious cognac brand Louis XIII on Friday 7th October. Tattu’s head chef, Clifton Muil, has created an exclusive four course menu which will be served with expertly paired wines, followed by a tasting of Louis XIII accompanied by a talk from brand ambassador, Brian Copeland.
This opulent evening aims to highlight the true skill and craftsmanship invested into the creation of each bottle of Louis XIII, in the surroundings of a venue that emulates these same values and appreciation of its craft.
The evening will commence at 7:30pm with dinner served at 8pm, following by the tasting. Tickets are £150 per person. Call to book on 0161 819 2060 or email jess@tattu.co.uk
ROBERT EDWARDIAN-BROWN
No stranger to interesting MFDF events, itinerant Manchester Chef Robert Owen Brown will be cooking a five-course Edwardian-themed supper club on Saturday 8th October at Ancoats Coffee Co, in collaboration with Inca Pop-Ups. The grade II listed Edwardian Royal Mill will take on the atmosphere of the age so feel free to don your finest waistcoat and put a little wax on your moustache – the gentlemen too.
The menu includes royal Cheddar cheese soup, lobster mousse with Beluga caviar cream, slow braised fell bred mutton with capers, roast Lancashire pheasant with all of the tracklements, as well as mousses, jellies and blancmange to finish. Tickets are £40 (with £20 deposit) and can be bought here.
Rob Owen Brown
AND THE WINNER IS...
For those who have any room left, the entire festival will culminate in the annual Gala Dinner on 10th October, where awards in seventeen categories will be presented to the best restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs in the region. This year’s event will take place in The Palace Hotel’s spectacular and newly refurbished ballroom and will be hosted by BBC radio Manchester’s Becky Want and XS Manchester’s Matt White. Tickets are £84 and The Palace Hotel will be offering overnight packages especially for guests who would like to stay over after the event.
Aiden Byrne of Manchester House
For the full list of events visit www.foodanddrinkfestival.com
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