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The Manchester Food and Drink Festival 2021 award winners

The votes have been cast and this year's Manchester Food and Drink Awards winners have been revealed for 2021...

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 28th September 2021

Last night, the Manchester Food and Drink awards took place with 16 award winners announced across the Greater Manchester region.

Each of the shortlists was created by the MFDF judging panel in advance, before being put to a public vote.

Usually, there is also a “mystery shopping” element to the awards where judges also go and visit venues in person – but this did not take place this year due to the pandemic.

At the closing finale to a record-breaking year for MFDF, more than 450 nominees from the region’s hospitality industry came together at The Ticket Hall at Freight Island to celebrate as this year’s winners were announced.

Keep reading to discover who took home what.

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The ticket hall last night at Escape to Freight Island where the award ceremony was held / Image: MFDF

Awards categories and nominations:

Restaurant of the Year

Winner: Baratxuri

Shortlisted: The Sparrows, Adam Reid at The French, Baratxuri, Erst, Hawksmoor, Mana, Street Urchin, Where The Light Gets In

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Ramona took home newcomer of the year / Image: MFDF

Newcomer of the Year

Sponsored by the Manchester Evening News

Winner: Ramona

Shortlisted: District, Open Kitchen MCR, Osma, Pho Cue, Schofield’s Bar, Society, The Moor, Ramona

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Albert Schloss took home the Bar of the Year award again / Image: MFDF

Bar of the Year

Winner: Albert’s Schloss

Shortlisted: Henry C, Kiosk, Schofield’s Bar, Speak In Code, The Blues Kitchen, The Jane Eyre, Three Little Words, Albert’s Schloss

Chef of the Year

Winner: Rachel Stockley, Baratxuri

Shortlisted: Adam Reid (The French), Eddie Shepherd (The Walled Gardens), Mary-Ellen McTague (The Creameries), Patrick Withington (Erst), Sam Buckley (WTLGI), Simon Martin (Mana), Terry Huang (Umezushi), Rachel Stockley (Baratxuri)

Rachel Stockley from Baratxuri with her Chef of the Year award / Image: MFDF

Pub or craft ale bar of the Year

Winner: Edinburgh Castle

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Shortlisted: Beatnikz Republic, Cob and Coal, Heaton Hops, Nordie, Reasons to be Cheerful, Society, Stalybridge Buffet Bar

Artisan food producer of the Year

Winner: Pollen Bakery

Shortlisted: Manchester Smokehouse, Bread Flower, Companio Bakery, Holy Grain Sourdough, Gooey, Just Natas, Lily’s Deli, Pollen Bakery

The Pollen team collecting their award for Artisan Producer of the Year / Image: MFDF

Pop up / Project of the Year

Winner: Escape to Freight Island

Shortlisted: Eat Well MCR, Grub, Homeground, Kampus Summer Guest Events, Platt Fields Market, Homeground, One Central, MIF Festival, Escape to Freight Island

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Neighbourhood venue of the Year

Sponsored by the Roomzzz Aparthotels

Winner: Lily’s

Shortlisted: Bar San Juan, Levanter, Erst, The Fisherman’s Tale, Porta, Oystercatcher, Stretford Food Hall, Lily’s

Wholesome Junkies took home the award for Food Trader of the Year / Image: MFDF

Food Trader of the Year

Winner: Wholesome Junkies

Shortlisted: Abeja Tapas Bar, Archchi’s, Gooey, Honest Crust, Pico’s Tacos, Maison Breizh, Tender Cow, Wholesome Junkies

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Affordable Eats of the Year

Winner: Rudy’s

Shortlisted: Abeja Tapas Bar, Chapati Cafe, Ca Phe Viet, Little Yeti, Lily’s, Mi & Pho, Platt Fields Market Garden, Rudy’s Pizza

Federal took home the award for Coffee Shop of the Year / Image: MFDF

Coffee Shop of the Year

Winner: Federal

Shortlisted: Another Heart to Feed, Ancoat’s Coffee, Ezra & Gil, Grindsmith, Grapefruit, Just Between Friends, Pollen Bakery, Federal

Foodie Neighbourhood of the Year

Winner: Altrincham

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Shortlisted: Heaton Moor, Prestwich, Ramsbottom, Sale, Stockport, Stretford, Urmston, Altrincham

Bundobust accepting their award for veggie / vegan offering of the Year / Image: MFDF

Veggie / Vegan Offering of the Year

Winner: Bundobust

Shortlisted: Eddie Shepherd, Four Side Pizza, Herbivorous, Lily’s, Sanskruti, Wholesome Junkies, Vertigo, Bundobust

Manchester Gin accepting their award for Independent Drinks Producer of the Year / Image: MFDF

Independent Drinks Producer of the Year

Winner: Manchester Gin

Shortlisted: Bundobust, Cloudwater Brewery, Diablesse, Hip Pop (formerly Booch & Brew), Northern Monkey, Steep Soda, Pomona Island, Manchester Gin

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Food and Drink Retailer of the Year

Winner: Store Group

Shortlisted: The Butcher’s Quarter, Bernie’s Grocery Store, Grape to Grain, Isca Wines, Out of the Blue, Unicorn Grocery, Wandering Palate

The Store Group team collecting their award for Food and Drink Retailer of the year / Image: MFDF

Outstanding Achievement Award

Winner: Mital Morar (Store Group)

Feature image – MFDF

News

‘I wouldn’t change this career for anything’: trainee probation officer amidst new recruitment drive in Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Probation service officer trainee jobs Manchester

We sat down with Lea, who is currently working towards her Professional Qualification in Probation – or PQiP for short – to become a fully qualified probation officer here in Greater Manchester.

Here’s Lea on life as a trainee probation officer…

So, how did you get into this particular career, and what made you want to jump into the probation service, specifically?

I’ve always had an interest in the legal world and love watching crime dramas. I started off in courts admin, where I was exposed to a lot of different roles in the Criminal Justice System, like probation officers, solicitors, judges and so on.

probation and prison service jobs greater manchester
Credit: The Manc Group

I decided that was the kind of career I wanted, and I feel like, with probation, if you like watching crime documentaries and understanding human behaviour, then it might be the perfect career for you. It was kind of the moment everything clicked into place for me.

I’m sure training to be a probation officer involves a little more than your average nine-to-five, but what does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is different. You do have different priorities; a lot of the time, you prioritise things around emergencies and what is most urgent.

For example, today one of the offenders I work with, who’s only 19, got kicked out of his house, so I’ve been trying to find him a place to sleep tonight to keep him off the streets.

Criminal behaviour is often about taking shortcuts, I would say, so it’s prioritising that situation to keep him on the straight and narrow, but also making sure that the public is protected. I think that the number one priority with probation is public protection.

Typical days can also include making sure offenders follow what they’ve been ordered to do by the court, whether that’s Community Payback or other measures.

On top of that, it’s about making sure they have the support they need. Some people struggle to keep appointments, so we carry out referrals and mental health checks to help them stay on track. 

probation office manchester
Credit: The Manc/Ministry of Justice (supplied)

These all sound like quite emotional situations to be thrown into. How do you deal with the emotional side and high-stress scenarios?

It can be hard on you emotionally. Although you’re dealing with offenders, they’re often in the situation they’re in for a multitude of reasons. It’s about trying to keep a cool head and manage the situation strategically.

You can’t do it on your own – it’s impossible – but as a probation officer, you are the first point of call. You’re kind of like their ‘life manager’ working to make sure they’re okay, as well as following the law.

It sounds like very important and fulfilling work. What’s the training process like?

As a trainee probation officer, it is difficult at times because they really do throw you into stuff, but they do it strategically, slowly increasing the level of cases you work on and providing opportunities to shadow more experienced colleagues.

I can easily lean on my colleagues, and in addition to the practical training, there’s the university side of it as well. It’s quite a dynamic role, and you still benefit from the split between study and practice.

How do you unwind after this job?

That’s a really great question. I cycle to work, and that’s my silent time, so even that hour alone of cycling is a way to keep me off my phone and allows my brain to properly switch off.

I think that’s really important because you can do everything you possibly can to help offenders, and you need to take care of yourself, too.

Do you think you can make that impact during your working day?

I certainly like to think so. I think it’s important that you do take breaks as well; people forget that it’s not a normal job. You will have to be able to deal with challenging offenders, but it’s just about being resilient and following what you learn in training, remembering it’s about the circumstances they’re in and trying to understand that.

And do you get satisfaction and fulfilment from that?

Oh yeah, absolutely. In probation, there is that pattern of people making the same mistakes over and over again, and you’ll see them over and over again for years, but then you remember that people are capable of change – it just takes longer for some than others. When I’m struggling, I always think of those I have helped turn their life around and take pride in knowing they’re doing better and are happier.

Is there one particular case that springs to mind?

Yeah, there’s one particular offender I always think of. When he first came to court, he wouldn’t speak to anybody, and even when he went on probation, he just wouldn’t say anything or even show up to anything.

He was then allocated to me – and sometimes it’s not necessarily the officer, but it’s something about that emotional connection, or it could just be how you get along with people – that finally clicked.

I did a lot of work with him; he was homeless, jobless, had an addiction problem and wasn’t compliant with his court order, but now he’s housed, has a job, and he’s doing really well. 

probation service trainee
probation officer jobs manchester
Credit: The Manc

That’s such a lovely story. What skills or qualities would you say are needed to do this type of work? 

The top one would be resilience. Resourcefulness, communication and organisation. Being able to stay calm is a really big one, too. 

What other benefits are there to a role in the Probation Service?

I feel like lots of people don’t realise that this is one of those roles where you can start at the very bottom and work your way up, and there are so many areas that you can work in the Probation Service

It’s like the NHS: so many different lanes you can go down, different specialities, and it is a Civil Service job, so the pension is really good.

Of course, and lastly, if you were to give one piece of advice to someone interested in a career in the Probation Service, what would it be?

Persevere. It’s not always going to be easy, and you’re going to go through a lot, because it’s a hard job and you’re dealing with challenging people, but you just have to push through because it does get easier.

It is such a rewarding job, and I wouldn’t change this career for anything.

Interested?

If Lea’s story has made you think a career in HM Prison and Probation Service might be for you, you can find out more about the opportunities in Manchester on the Service’s recruitment website.

You can hear from Vinay, a Community Payback placement coordinator who works in the Probation Service, in the video below.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/MoJ (supplied)

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Manchester launches new fund to help support city’s ‘struggling’ grassroots music venues

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Live music crowd

An important new fund has been launched to help support Manchester’s local grassroots music venues that are ‘struggling’.

Manchester City Council has teamed up with national charity Music Venue Trust (MVT) to launch the fund as a ‘rapid’ and ‘targeted’ intervention to protect the small venues that make Manchester’s music scene and culture world-renowned.

The launch of the new fund comes following reductions to the Retail, Hospitality, and Leisure Business Rates Relief Scheme.

Council and MVT say this new initiative is designed primarily to ‘ease the financial pressure’ caused by Manchester’s grassroots music venues having to transition to these new business rates tariffs.

The fund aims to recognise and highlight the ‘vital’ contribution that grassroots music venues make to Manchester’s economy and to its identity as one of the world’s leading music cities.

This initiative has been made possible through the previously-reported Council revenue generated by live concert arena, stadium, and festival activity during what has been a record-breaking year – particularly summer – for major events throughout the city.

Applications for the fund are now open to venues.

Grant applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are a location in Manchester that has a dedicated live music or performance space, puts on live music at least three times per week or consistently feature it as part of a wider cultural programme, and has an organisational focus on music – with other services being subsidiary or dependent on music activity.

The size of grant awards will be based on a venue’s business rates liabilities – with the maximum amount that can be applied for being £20,000.

Manchester has launched a new fund to help support the city’s ‘struggling’ grassroots music venues / Credit: Rahul Kukreja | Joshua Hanson (via Unsplash)

“We understand the importance of smaller venues, the stages where talent is nurtured and the city’s music begins,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council, as the new fund was announced this week.

“We also know that across the country, grassroots venues are struggling, and that’s why in Manchester, we’re taking action to ensure that real support reaches our venues quickly.

“This swift delivery is virtually unheard of in the sector, but we are determined to innovate.”

Read more:

Applications for funding are now live on the Music Venue Trust website and will close on Friday 28 November, and payments will then be made by Saturday 31 January 2026.

You can find out more and apply here.

Featured Image – Nathan Mullet (via Unsplash)

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