Eats

A Manchester restaurant is serving deep-fried dippy chocolate eggs with churro soldiers

This might just be the best Easter special we've seen this year.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 4th April 2023

Manchester’s go-to fried chicken shop Yard and Coop has gone all-out for Easter this year, serving up deep-fried dippy chocolate eggs with churros for soldiers as part of its Easter menu.

After fans went wild for its deep-fried Creme Eggs last year, the Edge Street favourite has one-upped itself again for 2023 by releasing a whole array of battered chocolate goodies.

Ranging from the Cadbury’s classic to Reese’s, Hershey’s, and Lindor Salted Caramel varieties, customers can order these naughty treats inside Yard and Coop’s Northern Quarter restaurant all Easter week long.

Taking their eggs and soldiers game to the next level, each egg is dipped in tempura batter before being deep fried until crisp, then served with churros soldiers ready to be slam dunked into a waiting hot, gooey chocolate middle.

Image: Yard and Coop
Image: Yard and Coop

Priced at £5 each, customers are invited to the chocolate egg of their choice – with dunkable fillings ranging from Reese’s peanut butter to Lindor’s salted caramel, Hershey’s cookies and creme, or the well-known Cadbury ‘egg’ fondant classic.

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Launched on Monday 3 April, the deep-fried ‘dippy eggs’ are available at Yard and Coop up until Easter Sunday itself which falls this year on 9 April.

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First launched by twp friends united by their love of fried chicken back in 2015, Yard and Coop has been a mainstay in the Northern Quarter for the past eight years.

A go-to for all things fried chicken, not to mention saucy wings, sticky nugz, cocktails, beers and other bites, other menu must-tries include the epic Massive C*ck burger.

A mixture of Buttermilk fried chicken thighs, not nugz, bacon, cheese sauce, handmade waffle, onion rings, creamy slaw and a mac n’ cheese filled Yorkshire pudding with lashings of Dr Pepper BBQ, Ranch, and Sriracha mayo), it’s then finished off with three BBQ wings – with owners instructing you to ‘bring your tape measure’ because ‘size matters’.

Featured image – Yard and Coop


Eats

Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Huge bakery chain Gail's confirms move to Prestwich - but spells village's name wrong in signage

After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.

The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.

Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.

But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.

The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.

One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.

Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.

The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).

In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.

Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail's has confirmed it's opening a bakery in Prestwich
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group

First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.

Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.

It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.

But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”

Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.

And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”

Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.

At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.

Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.

Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.

The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.

A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.

The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.

It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.

Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group

The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.

According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.

These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.

There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.

The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.

The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr

Ged sold 6,000 a week.

And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).

Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.

The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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