A butchers in Bolton can now lay claim to the title of ‘best burger in Britain’, at least according to an annual nationwide craft butchery awards ceremony.
Pies, comedy, arguably the best ‘kebabs’ in the world and now burgers – Bolton really is a Northerner’s dream, isn’t it?
Taking home not just one but two Diamond awards in two different categories at the 2025 Smithfield Awards where the best of British butchery is put on show each year, Fraser’s Butchers in the suburb of Great Lever got the top nod from the top dogs in the world of meat and more.
Already beloved by locals and multi-award-winning by various regional and national bodies, it doesn’t come as that much of a surprise but Boltonians are nonetheless buzzing for their go-to butchers.
Proud as pork—I mean, punch* (Credit: Supplied)
As mentioned, it wasn’t actually just one particular type of patty that Fraser’s were praised for: the butchers, which has been open since 2003 and is famed for its fresh farm produce, won two prestigious national awards for its ‘Mega Burger’ as well as their Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab.
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The highly-celebrated Bolton brand’s Diamond double was announced at the Butchers’ Hall in London back at the end of February, beating out nine other artisan butchers from across the UK to be crowned top of their class.
Organised by the Q Guild of Butchers, the awards which have run for more than three decades judge the UK’s finest craft butchery products including sausages, bacon, burgers, steak, game products, BBQ products and more.
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Winning in both the Burger and BBQ categories, respectively – in what is widely recognised as the meat trade’s most high-profile and challenging product evaluation – it’s a big accolade in the butchery world.
Fraser’s is the most highly-rated butchers in Bolton.You’re looking at the best burger in Britain.Credit: Fraser’s Butchers (via Facebook)
Products are awarded a Bronze, Silver or Gold award by a panel of independent judges, with all Gold products in each category then pitched against each for the category champion Diamond Award.
Scoring full marks from the Q Guild representatives, Fraser’s popular Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab was described by judges as a simply “excellent product.”
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As for the ‘Mega Burger’ itself, it scored an impressive 67 points out of a possible 70, with judges noting that it “looks and feels premium and has a lovely blend of flavour.” But the props don’t stop there either.
The butcher also made the final shortlist in the Hot Eating Pie category with its Roast Chicken and Gravy Pie and its Meat and Potato Pie, the Bacon category with its Home-Cured Streaky Bacon; the Al Fresco Dining category with its Pork Pie and the Best Butchers Steak category for its Black Garlic Ribeye – with all five receiving Gold award status.
Fraser’s was also awarded silver status for its Traditional Pork Sausage. Basically, they’re bloody good.
Andy Hull from Fraser’s said: “The ethos of our shop is quality. We start with good quality meat and our butchers work together to make a fantastic quality product whatever it is we do. The Mega Burger is definitely our bestselling burger and we’re very proud of it.
Our Minted Lamb and Halloumi Kebab is another product where we start with good quality ingredients. It’s testament to the BBQ products that we make as we sell them all year round including Christmas week and we never take them out of the counter!
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People travel from all over the NW and Greater Manchester to shop with us because they know they’ll get excellent quality meat.”
Gordon Wallace from Q Guild added: “The standard of entries this year was as high as ever, making Fraser’s achievement even more impressive. Being crowned best in class in two categories, along with securing five additional Gold awards, is a fantastic accomplishment.”
Be right back, we’re just making a quick trip to 272 Rishton Lane…
Inside Portfolio, the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’ and bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester this week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a fun, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Portfolio champagne boutique opens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester is getting another big global franchise as Shake Shack is finally set to make its Northern debut.
With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.
The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. – also eyeing up multiple UK sites over the next few years – Whataburger and Wendy’s, just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.
Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited. Consider this a belated Thanksgiving contribution.
The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.
Other venues include Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s first Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 will be coming to the borough of Trafford and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the region.
But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?
Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.
They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.
Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans will stan this scran to no end.
Case and point:
My first time at Shake Shack 👌🏼💚 The cheese fries might be my new hyper fixation 🍟 pic.twitter.com/3HVwAgxRtD
Honestly, you’ll find countless examples of this kind of post on social media…
Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things proper; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste. We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”
The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.
“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”
Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre is scheduled for next March. Exciting times.
Danny Jones -
10th March 2025 
