Five Greater Manchester street food markets have been named amongst the best in the UK, it has been revealed.
Yes, the top spot may have gone to Kommune in Sheffield but there are plenty of Greater Manchester places included in the list – including Bury Market and Northern Quarter favourite Mackie Mayor.
Other local food halls featured include Trafford’s Altrincham Market, Oxford Road’s Hatch, Piccadilly’s Freight Island, and the ever-iconic Bury Market.
Ranking at number three underneath Sheffield’s Kommune and Belfast’s St George’s Market is Mackie Mayor, which was praised for its rare breed steaks, fried chicken burgers, and flavoursome tacos, not to mention its location within a restored Grade II-listed building.
Elsewhere, Altrincham Market – run by the same team as Mackie Mayor – ranked at number 6 on the list whilst Hatch, Freight Island and Bury Market ranked at numbers 7, 8 and 9 respectively.
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Bury Market
Bury Seafoods
Image: The Manc Eats
The findings have come from new research commissioned by South Western Railway (SWR), which analysed each against their Google rating, number of Google reviews, Google search volume between Jan 2022 and May 2023, number of Instagram hashtags, and TikTok views.
The number one spot on the list, Kommune, is described as follows: “Kommune street food market can be found in a Grade II listed building in the city centre.
“It’s home to eight independent food traders including Fat Hippo which serves up stacked burgers and waffle fries, The Monkey Jar for a spicy fix of various Indian curries, and Edo Sushi which serves up sushi, sashimi, katsu curry, and other classic Japanese cuisine.
“Aside from the kitchens, there’s two bars, one beer stall and one coffee stall. Kommune accommodates vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diners.
“It also hosts a quiz night every Thursday at 7pm, salsa classes every Wednesday evening, and yoga and brunch the first Sunday of each month.”
Also featured at number 4 on the list is Sheffield’s Cutlery Works, which comes from the same operators behind Liverpool’s The GPO and Salford’s Kargo Mkt, which is set to open in Media City this month and is one of the most hotly anticipated new arrivals of the summer.
How and where to recycle or donate your Christmas tree in Manchester | 2026
Emily Sergeant
The new year is here, and the ’12 days of Christmas’ are up… which means it’s time for a fresh start.
Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve both feel like things of the past now, and for most of us, this is our first proper week back at work too, which means (if you haven’t already) it’s time to tackle the task of taking down and putting away all the festive decorations – even if it is one of the dullest times of the year and it signals that the magic of Christmas is over.
For those of us that opt for a real Christmas tree though, the end of the year always brings one question – now what do we do with it?
Manchester City Council has aimed to answer that very question by providing residents with a handful of different ways to recycle their Christmas trees to make sure they’re put to good use and don’t go to waste or get dumped.
Here’s the different options.
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Recycle it in your food and garden waste bin
You can recycle your Christmas tree by cutting it up and placing it in your food and garden waste bin, but you’ll need to make sure you take the following steps before doing so.
Remove all decorations and fairy lights
Take off the base or wooden block if your tree has one
Make sure the trunk is not thicker than your wrist. Wood thicker than your wrist is too big and can’t be put in the garden and food bin. Large trunks and wooden bases can be taken to a recycling centre.
Donate it to charity
Did you know you can donate your Christmas trees to charity? That’s right – for residents living in Manchester, all you’ll need to do is register your tree with national charity JustHelping, along with a donation towards the collection, and you can help a local hospice or charitable cause in the city-region.
The money raised will go to good causes in the area, including Moya Cole Hospice (previously St Anne’s Hospice), Francis House, and We Love Manchester.
You can find more information and register your tree here.
It’s time to take down and recycle our Christmas trees for another year / Credit: Myriam Olmz | Tanbir Mahmud (via Unsplash)
Take it to a local drop-off point
You can drop your real tree throughout January at:
Angel Meadow Park (entrance Old Mount Street) – M4 4HA
Wythenshawe Park and Gardens Athletics Track – M23 0PH
Heaton Park (Middleton Road entrance) – M8 4NB
Boggart Hole Clough (near the Visitor Centre) – M9 7DH
Patchett Street, off Hyde Road in Ardwick – M12 4RY
Bring it to your local recycling centres
And finally, wherever you live in Manchester, you can take your real Christmas tree – and even your artificial tree that is beyond reuse – to your local recycling centre for free of charge, but it’s worth noting that if you’re planning on using a van, pick-up truck, or a twin-axle trailer to dispose of your tree, then you’ll probably need to apply for a permit.
You can find information about your nearest recycling centre here.
Are you elsewhere in Greater Manchester? Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) has teamed up with local councils and charities across the region to provide Greater Manchester residents in all 10 boroughs with several different options for either recycling or donate their old Christmas trees.
Featured Image – Jelleke Vanooteghem (via Unsplash)
City Centre
The smash-hit daytime rave where you can still be in bed early is returning to Manchester
Clementine Hall
That’s right: Day Fever, the daytime rave designed to still get you tucked in at a reasonable hour, is coming back to Manchester city centre this year.
Following their biggest raft of shows across the UK and Ireland in 2025, the smash-hit night out that is very much aimed at those of us 30 and over – but fellow sleepy heads are obviously more than welcome – Day Fever are targeting big things in 2026.
Launched in early 2024 by actress Vicky McClure and Reverend & The Makers frontman, Jon McClure, Day Fever has become a cultural sensation.
From its debut in Sheffield to a tour that sees thousands of ravers hitting the dance floor each month, the message is clear: people want to dance and let loose, but still be in bed before 9pm – and let’s be honest, who can blame them?
The founders (L-R): Jon McClure, James O’Hara, Jonny Owen, Vicky and Chris McClure. (supplied)
Running from 3-8pm, Day Fever provides a proper night out that doesn’t completely write you off for the entire weekend.
“It started as a WhatsApp idea”, says Jon McClure. “Jonny just said, ‘A daytime disco, how good would that be?’ We’re all a bit nuts, so we just said, ‘Come on then!’”
“It feels like a massive house party at your nan’s,” laughs Vicky. “No drama, no egos, just people acting daft, getting dressed up, and having the best time.”
From here in 0161 and our mates over in Leeds, to Newcastle, Glasgow and many more, each Day Fever event has its own unique flavour.
There’ll be local DJs who know their crowds keep the energy high with a nostalgic mix of Northern Soul, disco, indie, and 90s classics. “Manchester goes mad for Oasis,” says Jon, “and if Vicky’s there, we have to play Whitney, it’s non-negotiable!”
For starters, just look at the turnout they got over Christmas:
Georgina Pellant -
2nd August 2023 
