Street food isn’t exactly an unfamiliar concept to most of us at this point – but there’s a new(ish) market taking place every weekend that’s putting Wigan firmly on the map.
Feast at The Mills is a brand new destination for the borough, taking place just across the water from the iconic Wigan Pier.
A courtyard surrounded by industrial heritage, from the ‘boiler house’ to the towering brick chimneys, is now stuffed with street food vendors, shipping container bars, and live music.
It’s the first of its kind for Wigan, and it’s hoped it will act as an incubator for the permanent food hall, currently under development in the neighbouring Mill One building.
Feast at the Mills has brought together a cluster of different traders for its kitchens – there’s Hastie’s Crispy Chicken, Christakis, Dough So Good, and Block Streak Shop operating in the main courtyard, then Velvets and Coffee Lounge positioned in other parts of the development.
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A ‘Casino Shed’ stage area, surrounded by colourful streamers, hosts live music every weekend, from local bands and artists to DJs playing a range of Northern Soul, jazz, acoustic and even house music.
There are several (heated) outdoor seating areas, including a secondary courtyard with mismatched chintzy lampshades hanging from the ceiling.
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The main indoor space, known as The Ritz, has LED lights draped from its beams, colourful windows, a bar wedged in the corner, a big screen for sport events, and a mix of furniture that includes old theatre seats.
And a smaller indoor snug space comes with a roaring fire and comfortable sofas to have a brew on.
Feast at The Mills in WiganThe Snug at Feast at The Mills in WiganFeast at The Mills in Wigan
Basically – it’s a pretty cool space, which was supposed to close at the end of last year but has stormed back for 2024.
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Feast at the Mills has called on independent businesses from across the north west while the wider 17-acre Eckersley Mill complex is redeveloped (it will eventually become a mixture of housing and offices with a rooftop restaurant and a food hall in the plans).
Hastie’s Fried Chicken are famed for their 24-hour brined chicken, which they’re serving as pieces, wings and burgers, like the salt and pepper brioche burger slathered in katsu curry sauce, along with loaded fries.
There’s delicious Greek street food from Christakis, who have a menu of gyros, mezze plates, and halloumi fries, and Neapolitan pizzas from Dough So Good.
Salt and pepper chicken burger from HastiesPhilly cheese steak from Block Steak Shop at Feast at The Mills in Wigan
Block Steak Shop’s menu is filled with meat (unsurprisingly) like Philly cheese steak hoagies, bavette and chips, and burgers, plus deep-fried dauphinoise and loaded chorizo fries.
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Speaking back at the time of Feast at The Mills’ launch last autumn, Owen James, of Hastie’s, said: “Being Wigan born and bred, Feast at The Mills is a brilliant opportunity to get on board with an exciting development on the local food scene, and when I heard about it, I knew Hastie’s had to be part of it.”
When it opened, Feast at The Mills set out to be ‘Wigan’s Weekend Destination’, and it’s nailing its own brief.
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.
Daisy Jackson -
31st March 2024 
