First came V-Rev, then Frost Burgers. What The Pitta, Purezza and Vegan Shack soon followed suit. Now, another fast food-style vegan spot, The Vurger Co, is tipped to be opening in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Already hugely popular in London and Brighton, The Vurger Co. is now set to try its luck up north as it expands into Manchester to open what will be the group’s fourth site – following openings in Shoreditch, Canary Wharf and Brighton.
Image: The Vurger Co
First founded as a market stall in North London back in 2016, the concept has come a long way from those early DIY pop-up days – and now even has its own range of vegan sauces and mayos for sale through Ocado, Whole Foods Market, Planet Organic and Selfridges.
Due to open this April, it will move into the Northern Quarter’s Transmission House development on Tib Street as it launches its largest and ‘most ambitious’ restaurant to date.
Menu-wise, think indulgent burgers like their classic New York Melt, Buffalo Vurger (crispy ‘chicken’ patty dipped in buffalo hot sauce) and Hunny Chicken (house-made vegan honey, drizzled over The Vurger Co’s chicken patty, with honey mustard aioli, gherkins, and fresh brioche).
Image: The Vurger Co
Image: The Vurger Co
Image: The Vurger Co
Elsewhere, you’ll find vegan mac ‘n cheese, crispy dippers, tater tots, fauxerella sticks and a decent vegan shake menu with flavours like strawberry, salted caramel popcorn, banoffee and Biscoff.
Known for its 100% plant-based burgers, which successfully mimick mainstream favourites with the help of some rather good vegan cheese and homemade sauce, unlike some of its competitors The Vurger Co. only cooks with products that have been completely ethically sourced.
So strong is its commitment to the vegan ethos, all its packaging is also made from plants and is fully compostable, with a customer guarantee that nothing you buy here ends up being dumped in a landfill.
Image: The Vurger Co
With room for 50 covers inside, the new vegan restaurant will open seven days a week with walk-in bookings only from 30 April 2022.
Speaking on the new opening, Rachel Hugh, Co-Founder of The Vurger Co. explained: “This is a really exciting time for us at The Vurger Co.
“We’ve worked hard to establish ourselves in London & Brighton and can’t wait to be part of the thriving restaurant & food scene in Manchester, one of our favourite cities. Customers can expect amazing plant-based food, packed with texture & flavour that’s fun & delicious.”
Rich Oliver, Senior Asset Manager at Fabrix (the developer behind Transmission House), added: “The Vurger Co’s decision to sign at Transmission House adds a new destination to the vibrant food scene of the Northern Quarter, which has long been known as the home of music and fashion venues.
“The Vurger Co. joins renowned piano manufacturer Bechstein at Transmission House, making it a new hub for tradition and innovation in the heart of the district.”
The new location will open at Unit 2, Transmission House, 11 Tib Street, Manchester. M4 1AE.To keep up to date with the launch, follow @thevurgerco on Instagram.
Feature image – The Vurger Co
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Georgina Pellant -
5th April 2022 
