Venues don’t last long in Manchester’s effervescent food and drink arena unless they can find ways to keep things fresh. That’s why the innovative Don Giovanni is still one of the most beloved local restaurants 36 years and counting.
The Rainy City’s multi-award winning, independently-owned Italian restaurant prides itself on traditional recipes whipped up by the ancestors of Ancoats’ Little Italy neighbourhood, and in almost four decades this commitment to authenticity hasn’t changed. But similarly, Don Giovanni has never been afraid to mix up the dining experience. The carefully curated Christmas Day 2021 menu is the perfect case in point.
In order to help Manchester celebrate the upcoming winter season in style, Don Giovanni is opening its doors on December 25 – serving up an unparalleled FIVE-COURSE meal.
Described as a “blend of British classics with an Italian twist”, the special menu is a mouth-watering mixture of locally-sourced meat, seafood and pasta dishes – complete with tasty winter trimmings like honey roasted vegetables and rosemary gravy.
The festive feast kicks off – quite rightly – with a tall glass of Prosecco, followed by Primi, Secondi and Dolce courses.
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‘Primi’ plate options include Zuppa Di Barbavietole Carrote (roasted parsnip and carrot soup); Pate di Fegatini (chicken and duck liver pate with toasted bread and homemade chutney); Crocchetta di Pesce (freshly-made haddock and salmon fishcakes with homemade sweet chilli dip); and Buffalo Mozzarella with fresh figs, Parma ham and honey.
Among the ‘Secondi’ courses you’ll find several lip-smacking British-Italian fusions, including Achino Alla Casalinga with turkey breast, chipolata sausage, carrots, sprouts, sage and chestnut stuffing; Costata Al Ferri 28-day aged British rib-eye steak with fries and garlic butter sauce; and Ravioli di Spinachi pasta filled with ricotta and spinach in butter and sage sauce.
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Other options at the halfway mark in this marathon of a meal include a roasted butternut squash risotto dish with thyme and parmesan shavings and a Branzino Al Caroccio sea bass with cherry tomatoes and ocean fresh clams.
Down in the ‘Dolce’ category is a selection of Italian cheeses; Italian Christmas pudding served warm with custard; a chocolate fondant with homemade vanilla ice cream; and Tiramisu Bundino Al Caramello with salted caramel sauce, honeycomb pieces and vanilla ice cream or clotted cream.
You can get all of this on Christmas Day for £69.50 per person (adults). For children under 12 the price is £34.75.
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Don Giovanni will also be on hand to help Mancs ring in the New Year with a fittingly fun-filled and energetic party on December 31. A DJ is set to soundtrack the entire evening and you can even arrange for a bottle of midnight bubbly to be delivered to your table ahead of the countdown when you book.
If you’re living on the other side of the Cheshire border and don’t fancy wandering too far from home this year, it’s worth noting that Don Giovanni’s stunning sister venue People in Hale is also launching its own mighty festive meal for 2021.
The new hotspot is already in the holiday spirit, designing a five-course Christmas Day menu that’s plated up in merry, music-laden, jolly surroundings with a Champagne sorbet as a palette cleanser.
Starter dishes include chicken liver and brandy pate; wild mushroom soup; whipped goat cheese; Atlantic fresh prawns; and deep fried brie.
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The mains, meanwhile, consist of four delicious options: roast turkey; 56-day dry aged fillet beef medallions; rosemary and garlic roasted cod loin; and Pithivier filled with kale, spiced pears, butternut squash and feta cheese.
Christmas pudding, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate torte, and Hale Mess are all available on the desserts menu.
Prices are £75 per adult, with 50% off for children aged under 12.
There’s also gift vouchers available – which may prove to be a handy little pressie idea for a loved one this year. These can be purchased as standard for £50, £75, or £100 (or specifically chosen values).
People has also started running its ‘Ultimate Party Menu’ moving into winter – with two courses for £29.95pp or three courses £34.95pp (available until January 2). A cracking option for work, family and friend get-togethers.
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Roll on Christmas 2021… Book a table at Don Giovanni for Christmas Day here. Reservations can also be made by emailing [email protected] or calling 0161 228 2482.
Featured image: Supplied
Christmas
Manchester City Council confirm New Year’s Eve party at Piccadilly Gardens – but there’ll be no fireworks
Daisy Jackson
Manchester WILL have a New Year’s Eve countdown party, but rising costs will mean there’s no fireworks again this year.
Manchester City Council has today confirmed its plans for New Year’s Eve in the city centre.
The platform splits into two areas, a bar space and a family-friendly, zero-alcohol viewing platform.
The evening will consist of DJ sets and a countdown to midnight displayed on a big screen.
In previous years, the Council has arranged a huge fireworks display, previously at the Town Hall but in more recent years at the Cathedral.
Piccadilly Gardens will host the New Year’s Eve celebrations – pictured here when it was home to the Manchester Christmas Markets. Credit: The Manc Group
But this year they say they ‘simply cannot justify’ the expense when budgets are stretched so thin.
Instead, the council plans to use its limited resources for free community events year-round, like the recent Christmas Parade.
Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester’s Christmas spokesperson, said: “We know that New Year’s Eve is a special night – one that everyone looks forward to – and we are all disappointed that we can’t go ahead with our usual fireworks this year.
“Unfortunately, we simply cannot justify the increasing costs of putting on a big display while also worrying about funding essential Council services.
“We believe that we should use the limited funding we have to put on free events in communities throughout the year and we look forward to seeing more of this in the coming months.
“But we couldn’t let New Year’s Eve go by without a true Mancunian countdown. So join us before midnight in Piccadilly Gardens and help us bring in 2023 in style.”
Both spaces will be limited capacity and will be closed once they are full.
And this year’s instalment was even more impressive, with a target of 16 (SIXTEEN!) cans in his sights.
Once again, what starts off as a fairly ordered and logical Twitter thread soon descends into madness, including dancing videos, puns, swearing, and plenty of typos.
Rob’s tradition, now coined ‘Boddmas’, has even drawn support from Ed Gamble this year.
And for 2022, he worked out how to set up a crowd-funded hangover recovery fund, with more than 100 people donating to get him through his Boddingtons hangover.
Highlights from this year included an impassioned rant about Declan Rice (‘a sound as f*ck geeza, heart of gold, wonderful sprit, we can’t get enough’), a break for hoisin duck pancakes, and a desperate bid for the attention of whoever manages Boddingtons’ social media channels.
Rob’s Boddingtons Boxing Day mission reached 16 cans this year.
The ‘official’ rules of Boddmas include sticking to a 12pm-12am window for the binge-drinking marathon, tweeting an update each time a can is opened, and ‘having fun’.
Reaching the halfway mark, Rob tweeted: “Number 8 is making me sentimental, how far we’ve come how far we have to go. It’s all the same when you’re rushing on Boddingtons.”
The typos really kicked up a notch after this, with him adding: “Feeling cockey about how fine I feel after 10… but then realised I’ve got 6 to go… Have a feeling I might be humbled in the final striaght.”
As things went on, he posted: “No13! Come at me! Like Ally McOist I’m mosit for it! I hope to have a face so red and booze bitten one day. One can only dream. We love you Ally!” – which is… definitely words.
The mental no-context celebrity mentions continued after that, including this: “Fifteen. Reckon I could beat 50 cent in a wrestling match at this point. He must be old by now no? Get rich for die wrestling the Boddingtons guy! What’s his name Curtis Jackson right? Bring it on Curtis!”
And then this morning? Rob says he ‘woke up sweating yellow’.
During the Boddmas celebrations, one person Photoshopped Rob’s head into a World Cup photo as a mark of encouragement, writing: “You are Messi and number 16 is your World Cup Final.”
Someone else said: “If you only do one thing this Boxing Day, make sure it’s watching @Robertdcopland drink a mountain of Boddington’s (16 cans). Last year’s 15 cans was utterly glorious. #BODDMAS2022”
Another person posted: “For the second year in a row i am fully emotionally invested in @Robertdcopland trying to drink 16 cans of boddingtons.”
Dozens more shared photos of themselves watching along with a can of their own in their hands.
Here’s hoping this is a tradition that never ends – and we’re looking forward to the 17 can mission in 2023.
The Manc -
30th November 2021 
