Cheshire Oaks has revealed its busy programme of festive events for the upcoming season, including the UK’s largest Christmas tree and a breakfast with Santa experience.
The huge shopping destination – the largest designer outlet in the UK – has pulled out all the stops for its winter celebrations.
You’ll be able to add a personal touch to your own festivities by making your own wreath, or picking up a personalised bauble.
Cheshire Oaks is also hosting its very own drive-in cinema, and has opened its magical winter village.
And if you’re starting to chip away at your Christmas shopping, there are more than 150 boutiques, restaurants and cafes in 400,000 square feet of retail space to explore.
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In the spirit of giving, Cheshire Oaks will donate £1 for every selfie taken on site and posted online – just tag #ShareTheMagic and a quid will go to Passion For Learning.
Here’s a list of events taking place at Cheshire Oaks in the run-up to Christmas.
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Drive-in cinema
Credit: Cheshire Oaks
Drive-in cinemas have been all the rage in the last year, a way to watch your favourite flicks under the stars from the comfort of your own car.
Cheshire Oaks’ very own cinema will return in December with a duo of festive films.
All proceeds go to charity too, supporting Passion For Learning, Cheshire Oaks’ chosen charity for 2021.
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You’ll be able to watch Elf on December 7, or Home Alone on December 8. Both films start at 7.30pm.
There’s also mulled wine to wash it all down with.
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The Winter Village is also home to the UK’s largest Christmas tree, which will host autism-friendly mornings every Sunday until December 19, between 9am and 10am.
Live music
Cheshire Oaks will be filled with festive music in the run-up to Christmas, with live entertainment galore.
Roaming band the Walking Heads will perform Christmas classics with a twist, while Beyond Gospel Choir will be performing throughout December.
Visitors will also be able to spot a DJ bike that will roam the centre blasting festive hits.
Wreath workshops
Credit: Cheshire Oaks
It’s always nice to add a personal touch to your Christmas celebrations, and you can learn how at Cheshire Oaks with wreath making workshops.
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Cheshire-based florist Heather will be leading groups through the process of creating your own wreaths.
She’s even found locally-sourced decorations and foliage for a truly wholesome touch.
Workshops are taking place between 10am and 12pm, and 2pm and 4pm, on the following dates in December: 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12.
Shopped until you’ve dropped? Make sure to visit the Bauble Bar on your way out.
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The popular service is back at Cheshire Oaks, giving out free personalised baubles to anyone who spends more than £200 at the outlet.
It’s available on December 4 and 5, from 11am until 4pm.
You’ll find it next to Car Park C by Pret a Manger.
Featured image: Cheshire Oaks
Christmas
Rudy’s toy-swap – You can swap toys for pizza in Manchester this Christmas
Daisy Jackson
You’ll be able to claim a free pizza in exchange for donating a toy to charity this Christmas, with the return of Rudy’s toy-swap initiative.
The popular pizzeria is teaming up again with Cash for Kids, for a community-led toy-swap initiative.
Mancs who take an unwrapped, new toy (worth £10) into any Rudy’s pizzeria will be able to claim a pizza on the house as a thank you.
One toy = one free Neapolitan pizza.
The toys collected in the charity drive will be donated to the Cash for Kids charity, spreading a little festive cheer to children in need.
When Rudy’s held a similar toy-swap scheme last year, they gathered 6,500 toy donations.
The donations and free pizza will be available from Monday 1 December to Thursday 4 December between 12pm and 5pm.
Commenting on the toy-swap initiative, Managing Director of Rudy’s Pizza Neal Bates, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing back our festive toy swap this Christmas in partnership with Cash for Kids.
“The campaign is a simple way for our guests to give back and help bring a little joy to children who might otherwise go without.
“Community has always been at the heart of Rudy’s, and this initiative is a small way for us to say thank you and spread kindness throughout our community, all with delicious pizza in hand.”
The Rudy’s toy-swap initiative is back in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
There’ll be new festive pizzas to try in every Rudy’s too, including the Porchetta (with Emilia-Romagna porchetta, sage-roasted potatoes and cranberry sauce); the Pesto Rosso (homemade sundried tomato red pesto base with capers and tomatoes); and the Pizza Sorbillo, inspired by Naples’ legendary Sorbillo Pizzeria.
There’ll also be seasonal cocktails including the spiced red berry spritz, the white Christmas margherita, and a winter spiced negroni.
Rudy’s toy swap initiative will run from 1 – 4 December across all of Rudy’s pizzerias in the UK – Manchester pizzerias include Ancoats, Peter Street, and Portland Street, plus branches in suburbs across Greater Manchester.
Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
Danny Jones
We can’t believe it’s rolled around again already, but with the festive period well underway and the big day just a few weeks away, Stockport County have brought back their viral ‘Xmas dinner in a cup’for 2025.
Better still, the County Courtyard has seen some new Christmas specials added to its food menu, too.
The local football club are absolutely flying in League One at the moment, having spent plenty of time at the top of the table already and still well and truly contesting those promotion/play-off spots.
If you’re a Stopfordian, that’s plenty of cause for celebration right there, but with the Christmas dinner in a cup also up for grabs once more, the holiday season literally couldn’t taste any better right now.
For those who’ve never seen it before, it’s exactly what it says on the tin – well, cup: a little Sunday dinner in a County-branded takeaway coffee cup, complete with a healthy pour of gravy and pretty much all the trimmings you could hope for.
Yes, including sprouts, because all of you who still don’t touch them need to grow up already.
Currently priced at just £4.50, not only does it contain virtually all the major food groups (barring the customary matchday pints, of course), it might just be one of the healthiest and best value-for-money bits of footy scran around – certainly in Greater Manchester, anyway.
But, as mentioned, that’s not all this year; Stockport are also serving up the new festive hot dog and even a ‘leftover Christmas curry’ in a bowl, which might even be more warming on a cold night at Edgeley Park than the Xmas dinner in a cup or clinging onto a flask of Bovril.
Anyone else craving that curry with a cheeky bit of bubble and squeak now?
It’s also worth noting that you’ll only be able to get one of those on Boxing Day, by the way, when the Hatters host Lincoln City in the league.
As for the rest of it, County fans can get their hands on this seasonal scran for the first time this year at the weekend when Dave Challinor’s side take on Barnsley at 12:30pm, and two of the three specials will then be served at home every game over the holiday period.
Speaking of random Christmas food creations, there’s another limited-time-only and potentially divisive example that we’ll also be sampling this December…
Daisy Jackson -
23rd November 2021 
