A new drive-thru dessert shop has opened up in Manchester, and it’s already proving popular among those with a sweet tooth.
Your Girl Can Bake – which is based in Higher Ardwick, and brands itself as ‘the UK’s first car dessert dine in’ – is the brainchild of 24-year-old Ikraa Riaz, who has loved baking since she was 10 years old, but had never actually dreamed she would be able to make a living from it.
After graduating from university with biology degree last year, Ikraa first decided to set up an Instagram account to sell her tasty creations – and it went down such a treat that the young entrepreneur has now launched the drive-thru dessert service.
Customers receive a platter of handmade fresh desserts in the comfort of their own vehicle – and Ikraa says people from all over the UK can’t get enough of it.
“We only launched last week but the response has been absolutely amazing,” Ikraa told the MEN.
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“We’ve had people driving hundreds of miles to come and try our treats.
“I’ve always loved baking.
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“When I was little, I would find any excuse to bake cupcakes and brownies for friends and family, and I would always try and perfect the recipes or get creative.
“When I started uni, I was only baking in my spare time but I knew when I finished my degree that I wanted to get back into it and I always had a desire to own my own business.
“To make a living doing what I love is a dream come true.”
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Ikraa runs Your Girl Can Bake with two of her family members and makes all of the sweet treats fresh and by hand every day, allowing customers to book a slot to drive up and tuck in to their heart’s content.
You can order up to 10 dishes, and choose from a menu of sweet and savoury plates.
Think everything from loaded waffles drenched in chocolate, huge bowls of pick n mix, cookie dough topped with a huge selection of chocolate delights, chocolate fondues, brownies, and so much more.
Don’t have a raging sweet tooth? There’s also a number of savoury dishes to try including nachos, samosa chaat, Gulab Jamun, the far-less chocolatey Indian dessert Falooda.
Explaining why she decided to set up the firs-of-its-kind business, Ikraa said: “Sometimes sitting in your car is just much more private and personal because you don’t have people around you like you do in the restaurant.
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“I wanted to create a place where you could have that drive in experience but for desserts and sweet treats.”
Manchester’s viral sandwich shop Ad Maiora is selling HUGE butties for only 9p through Deliveroo
Daisy Jackson
Ad Maiora, the Italian sandwich shop that’s loved by Manchester City stars (and everyone else who’s sunk their teeth into one), is selling butties for only 9p this week.
The local business is famed for its authentic sandwiches filled with quality imported Italian ingredients, and for its super-sized versions of its delicious lunches.
And this week only, you’ll be able to pick up a hefty sandwich, called the Scran-wich, for only 9 English pence.
The limited-edition Schiacciata will have nine different components and weighs in at a whopping 500g (though it’s nothing on their 1kg beast we’ve tried before…)
Owners and couple Enrico and Daniela have spent weeks developing the perfect balance of flavours.
Each ingredient is sourced in Italy but inspired by places and sayings from Manchester.
So you’ll find spicy ‘supersonic’ salami, nowt better N’duja, mozzarella ‘footballs’, sliced Haçienda heritage tomatoes, ‘r kid Italian wild rocket, 0161 olives, lashings of mad fer it mayonnaise, ‘buzzing bee’ basil leaves and ‘let’s ave it’ red onions – all sandwiched between fresh homemade Scran-worthy Schiacciata bread.
The Scran-wich and its 9p sale have been created to celebrate Deliveroo’s ninth birthday, and there’ll be 300 available to order through Deliveroo.
The limited edition 9p ‘Scran-Wich’, available at Ad Maiora in Manchester through Deliveroo. Credit: Deliveroo/Dominic LipinskiAd Maiora is one of Manchester’s best sandwich shops and loved by celebs and locals
Enrico and Daniela, owners of Ad Maiora, said: “We’ve had so much support from the local community since we launched, so we were very excited when Deliveroo asked us to create a special Ad Maiora sandwich dedicated to the city of Manchester in celebration of their 9th birthday.
“We hope our customers love the limited-edition ‘Scran-wich’ – we’ve really enjoyed creating a sandwich that celebrates our city which makes this SUPER limited edition and special!”
Steffi Morel, Deliveroo city manager for Manchester, said: “It has been an absolute honour connecting Manc foodies to the best local restaurants at the click of a button for the last nine years.
“To celebrate, we’ve partnered with one of Manchester’s new local favourites, Ad Maiora, who’ve created the ultimate birthday ‘Scran-wich’, which pays homage to the city with every delicious bite! Deliveroo customers will need to be quick, as there are only 300 available!”
Ad Maiora’s Scran-wich is available for just 9p from Tuesday 30 April until Thursday 2 May through Deliveroo.
Medlock Canteen receives rave Guardian review from Jay Rayner just one month after opening
Daisy Jackson
Medlock Canteen, a new Manchester restaurant, has received a rave review in the Guardian just weeks after it opened.
National critic Jay Rayner has heaped praise upon the restaurant at Deansgate Square, describing it as ‘so special’.
The restaurant only opened its doors at the end of March, taking its inspiration from opposite sides of the pond – the laid-back style of American diners and the hospitality of Parisian bistros.
Rayner said it’s ‘a welcome haven for all’ and applauded its menu packed with ‘appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves’.
Medlock Canteen comes from the team behind Madre (the Mexican restaurant at Kampus) and Belzan (one of Liverpool’s top restaurants).
But unlike those two restaurants, things are much simpler at their newest venture – this is a restaurant where you can order a fried egg with any meal, drink bottomless coffee, and even order the day’s ‘staff dinner’ for just a tenner.
Rayner dedicated almost an entire paragraph of his review to Medlock Canteen’s gravy (‘dark and sticky and deeply savoury’), which he said is so good you should just ‘order that and pour it over everything. Pour it over a friend’.
He also waxed lyrical about their rotisserie chicken (there are rows of the things rotating in the city’s first in-restaurant rotisserie chicken oven), of which he said: “It is everything those words promise and don’t always deliver. No special rubs or sauces. Just roast chicken, rested long enough for the meat to start shrugging itself off the bones. The skin is crisp and salty.”
Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian. Credit: The Manc Group
Other dishes that were celebrated in the Guardian’s review of Medlock Canteen included a rhubarb pie, charcoal-grilled fish of the day, duck rillettes and pistachio frangipane tart.
The restaurant itself said there were ‘happy faces’ after the review was published over the weekend.
Medlock Canteen wrote on Instagram: “Manchester may be grey this Sunday, but let us tell you, there are a few happy faces both on and behind the scenes as we enjoy our morning brew, reading through the kind words of @jayrayner1 in the @guardian.
“Thanks go to our team and our guests for all the hard work, dedication, and pure passion that has made Medlock Canteen ‘a welcome haven for one and all.’
“Anyway, enough of that. Just another day. Just another ‘set of appealing, familiar dishes that are the best versions of themselves.’
“Caution: gravy jus may be thrown. Let Sunday service commence.”