When it comes to Sunday roasts, everyone likes theirs done in a particular way – normally however their mum cooks it.
Sometimes this leads to weird and wonderful combos. Sweetcorn, baby corn, mashed potatoes AND roasties (served together) all count as crimes against the roast in our book, as does adding ketchup and mayo.
Thankfully, there’s none of that to be found at Manchester restaurant Hawksmoor – one of the only London brands to launch in Manchester during the 2010s and successfully stay the test of time.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Housed in the former Victorian Courthouse on Deansgate, the steakhouse manages to be chic, glamorous and entirely unpretentious all at once, which is – we assume – how it’s become such a hit with Mancs where other London openings have, sometimes brutally, failed.
Whilst it’s pretty hard to beat the way your mum does it, I think it’s fair to say that Hawksmoor’s roast is a pretty strong contender for the best in the city. Even better, they won’t ask you to help with the washing up.
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Designed to share, roasts here can be split between two or three people – with starters, mains, sides and puddings all included and priced from just £50.
Mains choices include perfectly-pink cuts of bone-in prime rib, chateaubriand and sirloin, as well as Dartmouth lobster with garlic butter, whilst sides span the likes of creamed spinach, macaroni cheese, grilled bone marrow, carrots, roasties, cabbage and – or course — giant Yorkshire puddings.
We’re talking Yorkshire puddings bigger than your face, crispy beef fat roasties, unlimited jugs of bone marrow gravy, and an oozing skillet of cauliflower cheese made with a four-cheese blend of Ogleshield, mozzarella, Stichelton and ‘good Cheddar’.
When we visit, we’re also treated to half a dozen Vietnamese oysters to start – topped with soy sauce, micro coriander and a crispy onion that just adds the perfect amount of crunch to the otherwise firm-yet-slippery molluscs.
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Vietnamese oysters with crispy onion and micro coriander. / Image The Manc Eats
An Amaro Correcto and a Silver Bullet cocktail. / Image: The Manc Eats
The passionfruit pavlova and the Ambassador’s Reception. / Image: The Manc Eats
And for pudding? A tart passionfruit pavlova, featuring the most perfectly round meringue I’ve ever seen, and the famous ‘Ambassador’s Reception’, which nods to a nostalgic childhood favourite that Hawksmoor isn’t, for legal reasons, allowed to name.
Of course, being a steak house, the wine list here is excellent too – helped along by the fact that one of the co-founder’s mothers just happens to be a wine critic for The Guardian.
Frankly, you really can’t go wrong here. From the food, to the friendly service, to the bar offering, it’s not hard to see why this Manchester restaurant is the undisputed king of the Sunday roast – and then some.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
City Centre
Manchester’s historic Portico Library secures £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s Portico Library has secured a whopping £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In case you missed it, ambitious plans to transform the historic Grade II-listed building on Mosely Street were already unveiled last October… but now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced it is committing £6.4 million of funding towards the project, hoping that the building thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.
The grant is being described as a ‘major milestone’ in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited project.
The Portico Reunited project will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.
Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.
The Portico Library has secured a £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation / Credit: Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.
There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage. There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.
A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.
Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, called the funding grant a ‘landmark moment’ in the Portico’s ‘rich and complex history’, and a ‘huge achievement’ for its staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together,” he added.
“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans.
“Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city – a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.”
Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project, and the building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and reopen once again in early March 2030.
Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.
Featured Image – Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
City Centre
A FREE shopping event dedicated to saving students money is returning to Manchester Arndale
Thomas Melia
One of the city centre’s most popular shopping events helping students save money is returning to Manchester Arndale and the city centre.
MCR Student Socialis heading back to the city with its big discounts, freebies, giveaways and plenty of entertainment to keep you busy while you browse.
This interactive shopping event encourages new and current students to wander roundManchester Arndaleand the surrounding streets while snapping up some seriously good deals.
Expect discounts of up to 50% off at 120 stores including big high street retailers like Champion, Søstrene Grene, Selfridges, Sephora, and Berghaus.
This incredible 50% off deal continues into some of Manchester Arndale’s big-name food vendors like Wingstop, Archie’s, Barburrito, Sides, HOP Vietnamese and more.
If you’re after carrying thatZara Larssonenergy into your next academic year, the Arndale’s Rhinestone Rodeo celebration includes a Charm Bar in Exchange Court, where you can turn photos into personalised charms.
No shopping trip is complete without a matcha in-hand and you can bag yourself a free hot or iced drink in Exchange Court at the Cult Beauty Matcha Station.
Look out for our Audio North truck on Market StreetThe Manchester Arndale MCR Student Social is back
There’s even the Arndale’s Party Tuk Tuk which will be roaming around the city-centre shopping complex blasting out hip-hop tunes and some of your song requests.
Just outside Manchester Arndale on Market Street, there’s plenty of activities split across three dedicated zones, like Food & Drink by familiar foodie faces like Franco Manca and Great British Doner.
The Party Zone will be buzzing as Footasylum, Museum of Illusions and Urban Playground all unite, while there’s plenty of giveaways over at the Info Zone with brands like Science + Industry Museum and RSPB.
And, our very ownAudio North x The Manc DJ Truck is soundtracking Market Street with student DJs playing out everything from dance and funk to classic party anthems.
MCR Student Social is taking place on Thursday 24 September at Manchester Arndale from 12pm to 7pm and you can find more information via its official websiteHERE.
Georgina Pellant -
1st June 2022 
