Hidden above the Michelin-recommended Wood restaurant on First Street is an intimate little eatery with a menu dedicated entirely to cheese.
Launched by Masterchef winner Simon Wood, it’s a certified cheese lover’s heaven.
From blue and stinky to mild, creamy, and soft to hard and tangy, if there’s a particular cheese style that floats your boat you’re more than likely to find it on the 20-strong cheese menu.
Image: The Manc Eats
Called Homage (a mixture of Home and Fromage), it’s Manchester’s (and the UK’s) first-ever fine dining restaurant dedicated to cheese and wine – and it’s rather special if we do say so ourselves.
Since opening last November it’s become one of Manchester’s better-kept secrets, sequestered as it is above the main restaurant in a former private dining room-turned restaurant space.
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Some opt to enjoy a few cheese courses up here after dinner, others come for an entire meal of cheese. Having seen the menus, both options are equally appealing.
Inside, it’s plush and very intimate with space for just 12 covers a night – with a sommelier on hand to advise on the best wine pairings.
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Image: The Manc Eats
You can dine A La Carte style, picking your own cheeses and wines from the extensive list, or opt for a miniature tasting menu from £40 that expertly pairs five different styles together for you.
The kitchen creates all of its own fennel seed crackers, preserves and chutneys in-house, and each individual portion of cheese comes with its own paired chutney, which is specially designed to bring out the cheese’s unique flavours.
Think robust and nutty Nottinghamshire Stitchelton paired with powdered beetroot and beetroot assiete, roasted and blitzed in house; oozing Camembert de Normandie served with bacon, onion and confit garlic; or a triple cream truffle cheese called Brillat Savarin au Truffe and you’ll get the idea.
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Image: The Manc Eats
This is not just any old cheese board with a few token grapes and water biscuits.
We’re talking individual plates of cheese, all with their own specially created pairings. Oh, and, currently, a lovely little cheese and onion-baked bean pie – just to prove they don’t take themselves too seriously.
For those who aren’t quite sure what they like, every cheese on the menu comes with its own flavour profile description and a couple of paired drink suggestions.
You really can’t go wrong. Open in the week from 5pm and from 12pm on the weekends, you’ll find Homage on Jack Rosenthal Street within the First Street development of the city.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
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News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.
You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.
For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.
With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo
Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.
So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.
The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.
Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.
Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.
Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.
Georgina Pellant -
25th March 2022 
