Starting from humble beginnings with its owner roasting jerk chicken over a coal fire on the streets of north and south Manchester, today Buzzrocks Carribean is one of Manchester’s most treasured institutions.
Named after its owner Buzzrocks Anderson and the tightly-packed dumplings for which he’s become especially famous, the family-run business has been feeding Mancs for over 30 years now.
Beginning with Jamaican-born Buzzrocks cooking up feasts on the streets at Manchster Carnival before graduating to an eight-foot trailer and then his very own takeaway shops, in those heady early days his food was a staple for clubbers pouring out of all-night Caribbean clubs and shebeens in Hulme and Moss Side.
Back then, his cooking was also said to fuel not just boozy and stoned clubbers but also gamblers playing cards in the area’s illicit dens.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Of course, in the space of thirty years things have changed, and whilst the original sit-in cafe and takeaway shop on Stretford has remained his second, opened on Moston Lane in 2013, is no more.
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Many of his loyal regulars remain though, including perhaps his most famous fan: Stone Roses’ singer Ian Brown.
Today, you’ll find Anderson cooking up feasts from his shop on Stretford Road – serving all manner of Caribbean staples including curry goat, jerk chicken, dumplings and lamb chops to hungry fans, who flock to Hulme in their masses for a taste of his food.
This unsuspecting-looking takeaway is probably one of south Manchester’s worst-kept secrets, championed by everyone who visits. Meat is marinaded all day, starting at 6am, and it’s not surprising to see a queue forming outside before the clock has struck noon.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Having started the business after serving a two-year prison stint for drugs offences, he then had a fight to remain in the country under threat of deportation (a battle that his wife Farida, herself now a campaigner for prisoner’s families, helped him fight and win).
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Nowadays, the pair often hire ex offenders and prisoners on day release to work in the Hulme shop alongside them as a way of giving back to their community.
At the start of January last year, the shop was featured in a Guardian editorial that looked at fifteen small venues, all run or founded by immigrants to Britain, that locals consider part of the fabric of their neighbourhoods.
Farida spoke about how far they have come since those early days, telling the paper: “Buzz and I have put in a lot of hours to get here.
“When they called the area ‘Gunchester’ we’d dodge bullets, serving food from our trailer. We fought for eight years to get our premises, experiencing racism as black shop owners.”
Whilst things have moved on considerably since the business was founded in the 90s, one thing that hasn’t changed is the recipes at the shop.
Buzzrocks still serves the same special recipe jerk chicken, rich and full gravy, salt fish patties and curried goat (actually lamb) that has he since day one. Perhaps that’s the secret to his success. That, and a lot of hard work.
We’ve partnered with Deliveroo to give you £5 off Buzzrockswhen you order a scran through the app this week. Just used the code BUZZROCKS5. Valid until 03/01/2023.
There are worse ways to spend a day than sitting around drinking wine – but at The Manchester Wine School, you can actually come away knowing what you’re talking about too.
The team here can talk you through the very basics up to the finer points of wine, so you can impress at your next dinner party or confidently pick up the heavy wine list on a date.
If you’re wondering what it’s like to go back to school as an adult, where the main subject is wine, let us fill you in (and fill your glass, while we’re at it).
We headed along to take on the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines, a one-day introduction to the world of wine designed specifically for people with little-to-no previous knowledge. So, thankfully, there’s absolutely no expectation that you’ll arrive knowing your Chardonnay from your Chablis.
The day takes you right back to basics, starting with how grapes are grown and what actually happens during the winemaking process. You learn how different climates affect grapes, how white, red and rosé wines are produced, and why all those little differences eventually have such a big impact on what ends up in your glass.
Then, obviously, comes the fun bit – drinking wine the tasting and pairing.
Rather than simply deciding whether you like something or not, you’re taught how to properly taste wine, looking at its appearance before moving onto aromas, sweetness, acidity, tannins, alcohol, body and flavours. Suddenly, swirling your glass and having a good sniff feels considerably less pretentious when you actually know what you’re looking for.
You’ll also get familiar with some of the big-name grapes – think Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir – as well as wines like Champagne, Prosecco, Rioja, Chianti and Port.
There’s even a section on food pairing, explaining how things like sweetness, salt, acidity, fat and chilli can completely change the way a wine tastes.
It’s informative without feeling intimidating, and genuinely fascinating even if you’ve never taken wine particularly seriously before.
The day finishes with a 30-question multiple-choice exam, with 70% needed to pass – meaning you can leave not only considerably more knowledgeable about wine, but potentially with an internationally recognised WSET qualification under your belt too.
Whether you’re looking to gain knowledge to enhance your career or just want to have a fun afternoon finding a bit more out about what you do and don’t like, this is the course for you.
Tiny Stockport restaurant shares plea after 36 people fail to turn up for reservation
Daisy Jackson
Another local business has had to issue a plea to customers, after an enormous group booking failed to turn up for their reservation.
Casa De Casa in Heaton Moor has shared that a reservation for a whopping 36 guests no-showed over the August bank holiday weekend.
For this tapas bar and Mediterranean restaurant, that’s pretty much the capacity of the entire venue, left empty on what should be one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Casa De Casa said that they had spent time preparing food, sorting staffing, and making sure the restaurant was ready for the large group of 36.
But when ‘nobody showed up’, it left them with a ‘significant loss’.
They said: “We understand that plans can change, but please let us know if you can’t make your booking.
“A simple message can make a big difference.
“Thank you to everyone who continues to support us.”
Casa De Casa took to their Facebook page to share the tale of the ‘difficult night’, and have been flooded with messages of support since.
One person wrote: “That’s actually disgusting. You have a brilliant restaurant – fabulous food every time & top service. I’d happily pay a deposit & not be offended if asked for one.”
Another said: “Absolutely diabolical – I hope they’re reading comments on here and contact you to not only apologise but to pay you at least for the cost of the food. Shocking!”
And someone else posted: “Absolutely awful !!!! …. At least if there is a legit reason they ring and tell you !!!! Awful that you will have to ask now for a deposit on a big booking !!! Why are people so nasty ???? We love it here so keep on being fab xxx”
Georgina Pellant -
24th February 2023 
