Food charity Eat Well Manchester, which helps support the region’s most vulnerable all year round, is teaming up with local hospitality venues for a crucial fundraising festival this autumn.
As another season of sun-soaked summer dining nears its end, we’re once again reminded of those less fortunate and the struggles that countless people all over the city and beyond face, especially as the colder months start to creep back in quicker than any of us would like.
That’s where important non-profits like Eat Well MCR come in, helping dish out free, nutritious and varied meals to Greater Manchester’s homeless community and anyone in need with the help of some of your very favourite restaurants.
With that in mind, as autumn fast approaches, the organisation has set up the fittingly named ‘Eat Well, Do Good’ festival, which will help raise vital funds and provide thousands of free meals to those who need them most.
Eat Well MCR works to tackle the growing crisis by delivering roughly 2,500 meals per month to individuals facing economic deprivation. By supporting the charity, venues and patrons can positively impact the community more than they know.
ADVERTISEMENT
With just £2, a meal can be provided for someone in need, and the collective efforts during this week-long festival have the potential to raise funds to not only unite local businesses but also show people sidelined by poverty in our community that Manchester cares like we know it does.
Eat Well MCR are also obviously encouraging as many hospitality venues as they can to get involved with this important charity initiative throughout the season; food and drink spots can participate in whichever way they find the most suitable – the most important thing is doing your bit.
This aim is not only to bring the Manc hospitality sector close together and help battle its own struggles, but help deliver meals, source ingredients and raise awareness and funds to support underprivileged communities on our doorstep, all with the help of volunteers and kind-hearted people in the industry.
Great North Pie Co.10 Tib LaneMarayJust a few of the names getting involved with Eat Well, Do Good (Credit: The Manc Group)
Will Taplin, Executive Chef for Ramona, Firehouse and Diecast, said of the event: “We’re really excited to be part of this fundraising campaign. We’ll have extra special slices at Ramona and full pie at Diecast on sale throughout October, with a built-in donation from every pizza sold going to Eat Well MCR.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Other hospitality vendors can get involved by offering a special dish or drink where a a portion of the proceeds are donated to Eat Well MCR, hosting their own fundraising activities or ticketed events, or by simply adding a £1 donation to every bill.
For instance, there will also be a party featuring DJs and more held at Ramona on 27 October to conclude the week of fundraising, where all proceeds from the evening will be donated to Eat Well MCR.
With stats like £1,000 worth of frozen food alone being thrown away by Mancs every year and that there are more than 7,000 homeless children across the 10 boroughs, it’s time to stand up and make a difference. Those interested can sign up via the Eat Well, Do Good Week sign-up page HERE.
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.
Featured Images — bryansjs (via Flickr)/LN9267 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Eats
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next 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 run, 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.
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.
Danny Jones -
16th August 2024 
