Bez is bringing back his bottomless brunch to Manchester – try saying that ten times fast after a few bevs, we dare you.
Yes, the maraca-shaking Happy Mondays hype man is hosting a boozy brunch extravaganza at former railway station-turned-food hall Freight Island, and it sounds like it will be one hell of a party.
Hosted by the wild man of pop, the man who once shook the maraca so hard whilst ‘tripping [his] nut off’ that he wounded his hand, we think it’s fair to say that this event is already teed up to trump the competition – and that’s before we even get into the food and the drinks.
Promising a ‘rave-fuelled’ party atmosphere headed up by none other than Manchester’s best-loved party hero, those heading down will be twisting their melon to 90s club hits with more entertainment from singers and dancers.
Image: ETFI
There will, naturally, be a meet-and-greet opportunity with the event’s magnanimous host, plus lots of delicious street food and 90 minutes of bottomless drinks.
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Priced from £35 per person, for that you can enjoy an hour and a half of non-stop boozing from a new mimosa cocktail menu and a delicious custom menu brunch from Smoking Coal, who offer both vegetarian and meat options.
Other traders on site here (not included in the bottomless deal) include pizza spot Voodoo Rays, Amsterdam-inspired chip joint The Fry By, five-layer lasagne spot Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria, curry spot Payal, Koko Sushi and dessert spot Oh My Cheesecake.
Freight Island also boasts a number of different bars selling everything from cocktails and fine wines to craft beers, classic lagers, ciders and softs.
Taking place at Platform, the bottomless brunch with Bez will run from 12-2.30pm on Saturday 1 July.
Irish Festival Village returns to Manchester with live music, fry-up pizzas and loads of Guinness
Daisy Jackson
A huge Irish Festival Village has returned to Manchester city centre today to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Over the coming 10 days, there’ll be live Irish music, street food, retail stalls and – of course – plenty of Guinness flowing.
The main event is now open at St Ann’s Square, where a gigantic marquee festooned in green, white and orange has been installed.
Inside here, the bar is being run by the O’Shea’s team, and the stage will host loads of live music and great craic.
Outside you’ll find Birchwood Pizza, who have got a menu of pizzas inspired by the Emerald Isle.
Pizzas include the What’s the Craic (a fry-up pizza with white pudding and Dubliner sausage) to The Black Stuff (black pudding, rosemary potato and streaky pudding).
The Irish Festival Village has opened as part of the wider Manchester Irish Festival celebrations across Greater Manchester.
The Irish Festival Village is back in ManchesterIrish pizzas at the Festival Village on St Ann’s SquareYou can shop Irish treats outside
There’ll also be a Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday 16 March, which will weave its way from the Irish World Heritage Centre all the way onto Deansgate.
The parade will showcase and champion local groups and organisations such as GAA clubs, Irish dance classes, marching bands, and pipe bands, along with a strong representation of the 32 counties in Ireland.
And it handily winds up around King Street, just beside the Irish Festival Village.
The gathering spot will be open from Friday 7 March all the way through to St Patrick’s Day itself – find out more HERE.
There’s a bakery in Manchester where you can decorate your own adorable tiny bento cake
Daisy Jackson
We’ve found a wholesome activity that’ll suit even the most cack-handed of bakers – a workshop where you can decorate your own miniature bento cake.
This Manchester activity has shot to the top of our list of our favourite things to do locally, perfect for a hen do, a birthday, a mate date or a date date.
Bento cakes, or lunchbox cakes, have all the elaborate decorations of a full celebration cake but made miniature, for a treat that doesn’t have to be shared out to dozens of people.
From swirls of buttercream frosting to pretty piped love hearts to cursive writing atop your cake, there are loads of decorations you can add to your own creation.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade.
She’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
As you arrive for your workshop you’re presented with two adorable vanilla sponge cakes, a classic base for a proper Victoria sponge or a more elaborate celebration cake.
Other cakes at Vanilla Ice CakesYou can mix up your own buttercream icingMaster baker Fiza at work at the bento cake workshopThe bento cake workshop space in ManchesterOne of our creations at the bento cake workshop in Chorlton, Manchester
Each class includes hot drinks, plus a plate full of Vanilla Ice Cakes’ delicious brownie bites.
From here, you’re taught the basics of piping, building a buttercream ‘dam’ before spooning in a filling of choice – jam, Nutella or Lotus Biscoff.
After applying a crumb coat (Great British Bake Off fans will already be on the right page here), the real fun begins.
Fiza will help you to whip up a smooth buttercream in whichever colour you wish, before letting you run riot with a piping bag.
You’ll practice swirls, rosettes, hearts, and even writing in icing ahead of decorating your actual cake.
You can see how we got on below, then book your own spot HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
21st June 2023 
