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).
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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.
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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.
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“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
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Manchester Christmas Markets visitors can now donate glass deposit to local charity instead of reclaiming it
Emily Sergeant
Visitors to this year’s Manchester Christmas Markets now have the option to donate their festive glass deposit to a local charity.
Following on from the return of the massively-impactful StreetSmart scheme – which sees dozens of local restaurants add an extra £1 onto every bill over the festive season to help fight street homelessness – anyone who purchases a drink at the Christmas Markets this year can also help out a local charity too.
This year, market goers can support the local charity Real Change MCR by choosing not to reclaim a small deposit on their festive drink glasses.
The Real Change MCR fund is accessed by more than 20 local homelessness organisations and charities that work to provide support for people who are, or have been, sleeping rough.
Grants are awarded to individuals to help them get off – and stay off – the streets.
According to Manchester City Council, the majority of the money funds a deposit on a flat or the first month’s rent, and the charities applying for the funding then provide long-term support to help people continue on their journey to independent living.
For the opportunity to turn a glass deposit into donations for Real Change MCR when you visit Manchester Christmas Markets this year, all you need to do is put your polypropylene glasses into our donation bins and the Council will then recycle them and donate the money to the charity on behalf of all customers.
There’s currently two deposit bins in Albert Square, one in Piccadilly Gardens, and one at Bar 3 on New Cathedral Street.
Manchester Christmas Markets visitors can now donate their glass deposit to a local homelessness charity / Credit: The Manc Group | Manchester City Council
“This is such a simple way for visitors to our fantastic Christmas markets to make a big difference,” commented Councillor Joanna Midgley, who is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council.
“All proceeds from the glass deposits scheme will go to Real Change MCR an umbrella fund used by a range of homelessness organisations in the city. They provide funding and practical support to help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.
James Charnock from Real Change MCR added: “I would like to say thank you in advance to the people who visit the Markets and deposit their glasses, as the funds raised will make a big difference to the lives of so many people who are experiencing homelessness.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Childish Gambino confirms shock stroke that caused him to cancel his world tour
Danny Jones
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, has revealed that a stroke caused the cancellation of his Manchester gig and the rest of the shows on his world tour last year.
The multi-talented artist, actor, comedian, writer, filmmaker and jack-of-all-trades, who goes by the Gambino moniker in the music world, was scheduled to play a UK leg as part of his globetrotting series of live dates in 2024.
However, just over a month into the run, which kicked off in August, the 42-year-old musician didn’t just postpone the tour but had to cancel it altogether for the foreseeable future after falling ill on stage.
It has now been confirmed that the reason for this was a stroke, and also a serious problem with his heart, which required surgery.
At the time, he could only confirm an unknown ‘ailment’.
Detailing the incident to a crowd while playing at fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw festival this past weekend, ‘Gambino’ delivered the shocking news in a very matter-of-fact manner.
Confirming the stroke and a hole in his heart live to the LA audience on Saturday, 22 November, Glover began by stating that he was having a really good time on the tour, before adding: “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway.”
“I couldn’t really see well”, he continued, “so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.'” Yep, as simple as that.
He even went on to joke that he was copying fellow actor and singer Jamie Foxx, who also suffered a stroke back in 2023, which presented as a bad headache – one of several sudden signs of a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
You can see the clip down below.
Childish Gambino reveals that he had a stroke and a hole was found in his heart and is why he had to stop his tour pic.twitter.com/YxeQYBWDBA
After visiting the hospital, it was then discovered that he had a hole in his heart, sometimes referred to as a septal defect.
The Stone Mountain-raised musician ended up needing two procedures to fix the problem and is now, thankfully, in good health and able to perform live once again.
Nevertheless, he’s not taking anything for granted after the severe health scare, telling fans on the night: “They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one; you got one life, guys, and I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing,” he told fans.
His Manchester show at the AO Arena is still yet to be rescheduled, as are any of his UK dates, but we’re glad he’s not only back on the mend but back doing what he does best.
Georgina Pellant -
5th April 2022 
