The people's voice of Greater Manchester

Eats

Woman shares amazing ‘Cheesecake Easter Eggs’ recipe and people are loving it

Emily Sergeant - 3rd April 2020

Eats

Inside the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

Daisy Jackson A hot choc shake from Hotel Chocolat

Hotel Chocolat has today opened the doors to its first Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester, serving up shakes, hot chocolates, sundaes, and loads more.

Part cafe, part retail space, inside you’ll find everything from molten chocolate fountains to a full range of chocolate boxes, bars and hot chocolate powders.

The popular chocolatier has stores up and down the UK selling its ethically-sourced sweet treats, hitting a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.

They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is next.

There are exclusive-to-Manchester-sundaes in store, each one inspired by their most popular chocolates, like a Billionaire’s Shortbread and an Eton Mess.

You can also grab yourself a hot choc shake, with loads of flavours, milks and toppings to choose from.

Hotel Chocolat's new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester — Hotel Chocolat’s new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

The chocolate boxes at Hotel Chocolat — Hotel Chocolat’s new Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe also has pastries, which you can order with a side of melted chocolate for dipping and drizzling.

As part of the experience inside, there’s a wall of hot chocolate sachets, which you can mix and match to build your own selection box.

And all along the way there’ll be samples, and loads to learn about the chocolate industry.

The Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe has officially opened its doors today on Cross Street in Manchester city centre, just next to the new Joe & The Juice.

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

The old fire station in Salford that’s now home to a bakery, brewery and bar

Daisy Jackson The 'Salford Bagel' with smoked salmon

A former fire station in Salford has been turned into a bustling base for some of the North West’s finest baking and brewing talents.

The Old Fire Station, right beside the University of Salford, is now operating as a bakery, brewery, bar, cafe and restaurant.

That means pastries, bread, pizzas and even beers are made within a few feet of where you’ll be eating and drinking them.

The space is beautiful, still boasting those gigantic red fire station doors and the traditional ceramic tiles that would have been here when the space was still home to fire engines instead of bread mixers.

Around half of the pastries coming out of the bakery, headed up by Erick Molero Delgado (his CV includes top bakeries across the USA and Europe), are completely vegan – not that you can tell from looking at their glossy, laminated layers and extravagant fillings.

We’re talking perfectly cubed laminated brioche with sweet maple flavours, mini pizzettes with olives and tomatoes dotted inside a pastry wall, and striped pain suisse stuffed with nuts and chocolate.

Then there are the not-very-vegan-at-all pastries, like a spandaeur, which is like a croissant and pastel de nata hybrid, and thick slices of Basque cheesecake.

There are new signature ‘Salford bagels’ too developed by assistant head baker Scott Shannon, which are a fusion of North American, German and Jewish styles, fermented for up to 48 hours with a crisp outer shell and a chewy centre.

Heirloom tomato bruschetta on sourdough — A spandaeur pastry and a pain suisse

We had ours stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers and raved about it all the way home.

Erick says: “Our new menu is a true labour of love by the whole team – from early ideas and experiments right through to the final bake.

“If someone has an idea, we run with it. That creative freedom is priceless. It keeps the work exciting, and it means our customers have the opportunity to get something fresh every time they visit.”

As for the beers, they’re all made on site too – on the opposite side of The Old Fire Station is Lark Hill Brewery, headed up by Jack Dixon, who’s able to experiment and explore new flavours in this top-spec microbrewery.

Laminated brioche — Jack Dixon in the Lark Hill Brewery

There are experimental beers, sometimes made in collaboration with researchers at the University, as well as true-to-style classics like a New England Pale Ale and the Lark Helles, a fresh take on a classic German lager.

Jack said: “Having the autonomy to design and brew what I want, without limits, is rare and exciting,.

“It means every beer we pour here has a story and a personality. We’re proud to bring something new to Salford’s craft scene.”

This summer, they’re launching New York-style pizzas, made on slow-fermented, hand-stretched pizza dough.

And very little goes to waste here – the trimmed-off croissant pastry is now being turned into their own croissant loaf, which they’re whipping into French toast for the brunch menu.

Everything at The Old Fire Station is crafted with talent and love, and you can really taste it.

Featured image: The Manc Group