Eats

This family-run deli in West Didsbury does a £3 cost of living breakfast menu

This well hidden Didsbury gem is worth seeking out for its super cheap barms and brews

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 12th September 2023

A family-run deli in West Didsbury is serving a special cost of living breakfast menu to help its customers struggling to make their paychecks last.

The Boulevard Deli is a little gem of a cafe tucked away in the middle of a newly built housing estate. Beloved by locals, it’s something of a word-of-mouth spot – as if you don’t happen to wander past (and you probably wouldn’t) the chances are you’d never stumble across it.

Luckily, we walked by this week – and so we’re here to spread the good news about the cosy little spot and its awesome 8am breakfast club, where you can get your fill of brews and barms for under £3.

Running from 8am to 8.59am daily, choices available on the breakfast menu include egg barms, bacon barms and sausage barms, with prices starting from £2.

Other options available on the deal include a steaming hot portion of hash browns for £1.50, a brew or coffee for £2, and a combo deal with tea or coffee and a hash brown for £2.50. You can also add a hash brown to any barm for 50p.

ADVERTISEMENT

Available for takeaway and eating in, the deal has been designed to help locals struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living crisis continues to drag on.

boulevard deli
Image: The Manc Eats
boulevard deli
Image: The Manc Eats

It’s symbolic of the welcoming and friendly nature of the family-run deli, which has nothing but five-star reviews on its TripAdvisor page.

ADVERTISEMENT

One person reviewing the cafe wrote: “Absolutely beautiful cosy place with amazing food and a lovely chilled atmosphere, awesome customer service and luxury feel through and through all whilst being very affordable. Love it here xx”

Read more: Quality Street is bringing back a discontinued fan favourite flavour after 20 years

Another reviewer said: “Excellent cafe, wide range of food and drinks, family run and fantastic atmosphere. I’ll be going more now I know it is there.”

ADVERTISEMENT

A third wrote: “We called in here yesterday for breakfast. A couple of years since we’ve been as no longer work in Didsbury but was in the area and so happy to see this business is thriving.

“The food is first class, excellent quality. I had scrambled eggs on toast with sausages, my husband had bacon and sausage bap, plus 5 drinks only £22. The staff are lovely. Would love to go back in an evening to try their meals and cocktail menu, highly recommend, wish we lived closer x”

Read more: Manchester pasta restaurant’s tiramisu drawer goes viral and attracts actual Florence Pugh

A fourth called it a ‘jewel in the crown’ in their review, as they said: “I absolutely love this place. The food is great! Home made soup is always good. Pizza’s tasty! Everything I’ve ordered has been great! I’ve even been after closing time and the Amazing owner went out of his way to make us something to eat.”

Aside from breakfast dishes, Boulevard Deli also serves up a wide range of salads, alongside burgers, pizzas, light bites, omelettes and hot sandwiches.

ADVERTISEMENT

Menu highlights include the hot carvery barmcakes with sauteed onions, potatoes and gravy, the minute steak barm and roast pork loin with a choice of apple or stuffing.

Featured image – The Manc Eats

Eats

The Pack Horse – the Michelin-recommended Peak District pub serving the best pre-hike breakfast in the North

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The full breakfast at The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group

There’s a pub in the Peak District that’s comfortably established itself as one of the very best in the UK, and this banging local isn’t just about pints and Sunday roasts.

The Pack Horse in the village of Hayfield is also a purveyor of an excellent breakfast, perfect to fuel you up before a big hike in the surrounding hills.

Want a little taste of this pub’s accolades? In the space of just one week, The Pack Horse placed in the Top 50 Gastropubs and then got added to the Michelin Guide – a stunning double header.

The restaurant in Hayfield was praised by Michelin inspectors for being ‘a true village local’.

Just this week, it was also added to the Good Food Guide’s list of the best Sunday roasts in the UK.

Headed up by chef and co-owner Luke Payne, The Pack Horse in the village of Hayfield is an outstanding establishment.

Here is a pub where you can have a world-class meal that shows off the best of British produce, while sipping an ale, with muddy boots on your feet.

Inside The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group
Outside the Pack Horse in Hayfield
Outside the Pack Horse in Hayfield

It doesn’t really matter who you ask, The Pack Horse is readily and consistently named one of the best pubs in the entire UK and anyone stepping through its door would struggle to argue with that. 

Because although the price point sits a little higher than your average boozer, it still has all the trappings of a proper country pub. 

Yes, there are crisps behind the bar. Yes, there’s a pub quiz. Yes, there’s a resident pub dog (Lola the Labrador will sit and stare you out if there is anything edible in your immediate vicinity). 

But what we haven’t seen anywhere near enough people harp on about is the breakfast at The Pack Horse.

The ingredients on their breakfast menu are all sourced so locally you could probably hike to any of them with a bit of grit and determination.

From Port of Lancaster smoked kippers to bacon cut thick and laced with maple, everything is of the highest quality.

You can’t go wrong with The Pack Horse signature breakfast, which has eggs, bacon, Manchester sausage, crispy hash browns, Doreen’s black pudding, wild mushrooms, confit tomato, trotter beans, AND sourdough.

A bacon and egg muffin at The Pack Horse Hayfield
A bacon and egg muffin at The Pack Horse Hayfield
Coffee, juice and a breakfast menu at The Pack Horse. Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee, juice and a breakfast menu at The Pack Horse. Credit: The Manc Group

You can have the full portion for £20 or just take one of each item for £10 and then immediately regret not having more.

The bulk of the menu beyond that centres around the pub’s homemade English muffins, toasted and buttered and filled with whatever breakfast item takes your fancy (scrambled egg and bacon for me, always).

It’s a breakfast worthy of the fanciest hotels and most popular of brunch spots. 

Once you’re suitably fuelled and ready for a walk there are two hikes nearby that aren’t too strenuous and crucially don’t take too long (those daylight savings hours really mess with a big hike, eh). 

The Sett Valley Trail starts just across the road and is a consistent and mostly flat out-and-back.

Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group

You can follow it all the way to the Torrs Millennium Walkway in New Mills if you fancy, or just turn back when you’ve had enough.

ADVERTISEMENT

Or you can head the other way through Hayfield out towards Kinder Reservoir – the loop will take you over streams and stepping stones and little wooden bridges, past the huge body of water, through woodland and fields, and place you within sight of Kinder Downfall waterfall. 

This is the poster child of the Peak District and one of the National Park’s best, most comprehensive walks. 

You’ll also be close to Kinder Scout, but this is a more challenging hike and at this time of year we’d really recommend setting off nice and early to get maximum daylight hours.

And that would mean no time for a Pack Horse breakfast, which just won’t do. 

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Peek inside the space-themed festive tipi bar that’s appeared in Manchester city centre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester

A gigantic new festive tipi has appeared in Manchester city centre, and this one’s out of this world.

Nova Star is an intergalactic, space-age tipi, filled with twinkling stars and shimmering galaxies.

The space-themed pop-up bar has appeared in Sadler’s Yard, right outside New Century.

Inside, you’ll be able to get your mitts on festive food specials from beloved Christmas Markets favourites Parmogeddon.

Their menu includes raclette-covered roast potatoes, with additional toppings like hot honey, brie, stuffing crumbs and gravy.

There’ll also be pigs in blanket hot dogs topped with cranberry and chilli ketchup and stuffing crumb, with an indulgent pot of gravy for dunking, plus profitteroles with a homemade brandy cream filling.

Nova Star’s bar will have a menu of shimmering cocktails and ice-cold beers too, with a full menu of Cosmos, including a Nebula Cosmo (which tastes a lot like a pina colada but is blue), a Cosmic Amore (close to a classic Cosmopolitan), and the Milkyway (a sweet and creamy concoction with hazelnut and vanilla).

Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
Loaded raclette roasties at Nova Star, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
A pigs in blanket hot dog. Credit: The Manc Group
Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
Profiteroles from Parmogeddon. Credit: The Manc Group

Nova Star will be serving up their very own signature ‘Nova Staro’ pints, created in collaboration with Czech Pilsner specialists Staropramen in their first ever rebrand.

It’s a far cry from your typical Bavarian Christmas experience, swapping out holly and ivy for stars and shimmers.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy a line-up of festive entertainment.

Abby Moore, managing director at New Century, said: “Nova Star is all about celebrating Christmas at its most magical – and for us that means with all the dazzle of the space age.

“It’s a chance to escape the traditional and enjoy a spectacular atmosphere, stellar cocktails and incredible food.

“We can’t wait to welcome the people of Manchester to our space-age Christmas destination.” 

Nova Star opens at Sadler’s Yard on Friday 22 November.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

More Eats

Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant Italiana Fifty-Five unveils big refurb

Eats

Beloved Manchester Italian restaurant unveils big refurb

Gail's will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village's name wrong

Bury

Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap

Salon Madre is a new Mexican pool hall and tequila bar in Manchester

Eats

Salon Madre – A new tequila bar and pool hall is opening in Manchester

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches