An event dubbed ‘the world’s greatest sandwich festival’ is coming to central Manchester, and if there’s one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we love things between bread.
Consider us already there.
Following a hugely successful showcase at Camden Town Brewery down in the capital, the butty bonanza known as ‘Sarnie Party’ is making its way from down in London all the way up to Manchester for the very first time.
Better still, it’s coming to the beloved city centre neighbourhood and ever-growing hospitality district that is Kampus next month, and it’s completely FREE entry.
Sarnie Party is the lovechild of seasoned festival curator Molly Hutchinson and Allie Behr of Hot Sauce Society, who have decided to bring together their passions and expertise once again in another ode to the most versatile and almost universally eaten foodstuff: sandwiches.
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Promising “big energy, good vibes and full bellies”, it’s already supported by some of the most recognisable brands you’ll find in Britain, including Heinz, Deliveroo, Kraken rum and more.
All of the above will be featuring at the inaugural Manc sandwich festival in some fashion, but most excitingly, some of Greater Manchester’s best and most beloved sarnie artisans will be taking part.
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In addition to the usual suspects like Bada Bing and Rack, Pollen, Madre, and OSMA will also be serving up sandwich specials, as well as Liverpool favourite Derek’s, and The Big Deal’s ‘Bodega’ from Norwich.
Each vendor will be building a unique, never-before-seen (or eaten) sandwich for the 2025 festival, looking to best impress the locals.
And you best believe we know a good butty around here…
Guests can also expect more food and drink specials from existing on-site Kampus businesses, plus an outdoor bar with cocktails from Kraken and Tito’s Vodka, as well as a selection of ice-cold beers.
While admission to Kampus costs nothing, these indie traders are, of course, hoping to cover their costs, so sandwiches will be able to be purchased via tokens.
A single token will cost you £8, or you can buy a three-token Sarnie Party bundle for just £22; let’s be honest, you’re not going to stop at just one, are you?
More importantly, it’s worth reminding you that the stocks won’t last forever, and once these creations are gone, they’re gone, so you’d better make quick work of this scran-fest.
Local radio station, Reform, will also be serving as the resident DJs and entertainers for the day, meaning you’ll have plenty of time and reason to try and burn off all those carby calories – before inevitably consuming more, of course.
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Credit: Supplied
Speaking ahead of the festival, Kampus’ general manager, Harriet Downey, said: “We’re looking forward to bringing Sarnie Party to Manchester and hosting so many sandwich lovers in our garden neighbourhood.
“We’re lucky to have some of the best independent food and drink brands in the city here at Kampus, and it’s exciting to have them joined by so many other great operators to celebrate all things sandwich!”
As for the organisers themselves, they have a simple mantra for you to follow: “Come hungry. Leave happy.” Love that.
Spread across a full weekend, Sarnie Party MCR takes place on 12-13 September, with day one getting underway from 4-10pm, and Sunday running from 11am-9pm. We’ll see you there.
And if this doesn’t quite satisfy your food and drink festival cravings, then you’ll be glad to hear that there’s another event dedicated entirely to pina coladas happening here in town, also.
The modest and unassuming Chinese restaurant serving some of the best dim sum in town
Danny Jones
Do you have those same few places that pass all the time, but for one reason or another, you never end up actually walking in and simply keep repeating “Oh, I’ve been meaning to go there for ages” whenever it comes up in conversation?
Because we certainly do, and it’s becoming a somewhat chronic problem at this point.
So much so, in fact, that we’ve now declared war on this foolish and completely self-imposed culinary inertia, because we recently took the plunge and finally visited a Chinese spot in the Northern Quarter that we’ve been meaning to try for ages, and we’re more frustrated with ourselves than ever.
This is Chef Diao over on Oldham Street in the NQ Quarter, and it might just be up there with our newest favourites in the entire city centre.
Eponymously named after head chef Zhenwen Diao himself, whose CV spans more than three and a half decades working in fiery kitchens all over the world – and it shows.
He and his talented cooks aren’t just self-proclaimed ‘dim sum experts’; they’ve well and truly earned this title through consistently good albeit deceptively quiet trade over the course of nearly a decade now.
Chef Diao is a master of everything from dumplings and hand-pulled noodles to traditional Cantonese specialities, more contemporary takes on Chinese classics and everything in between.
But besides a pretty feature wall and a nice bar, the interior is simple and straightforward – they just want to get you sat down at your table to enjoy the area in which they really shine: the scran.
Our order featured multiple recommendations from the extensive dim sum menu, one noodle main and one rice-based dish, as well as a smattering of other selections.
Here’s a closer look at what arrived at the table.
The star of the show, for our money.Slightly rude looking, we know…(Credit: The Manc Eats)
What you’re looking at is not only an incredible selection of dumplings, gyozas, pork and prawn siu mai, among many other siu mai, but an incredible saucy and sizzling Cantonese steak dish, that incredible red rice paper number (top right), just to spotlight a few.
There were also these super flavourful boiled ribs over steaming white rice, which packed a lovely amount of succulent flavour when eaten off the bone with a touch of soy sauce; a very solid chow mein-style chicken dish centred around noodles with the perfect amount of chew.
Chef Diao‘s soup dumplings were a standout, too, done so soft and delicately, helping round off a wonderfully authentic spread of bamboo steamers and perfectly portioned plates.
Bringing a wealth of experience from his time in the likes of China and Vietnam, as well as the likes of local restaurants such as Ocean Treasure over in Middleton for a time, Chef Diao and his team opened back in 2021 and have gradually grown a loyal following.
This is not to say that they’re unheard of or that busy isn’t steady, by the way; they’ve certainly been on the radar among plenty of those more in the know, although it’s no way near as busy as it should be given the sheer quality and skill on show.
So if you’re looking for a new Chinese restaurant that can pull out all the stops in central Manchester, we urge you to give the understated but undeniably impressive Chef Diao a try.
Manchester newcomer Skof named Restaurant of the Year in prestigious awards
Daisy Jackson
Skof has just been named the best restaurant in England at the prestigious AA Awards, just 18 months after opening in Manchester.
The newcomer already has a dazzling collection of awards, having scooped a Michelin Star within its first year, and being named the Best New Restaurant at the Good Food Guide Awards (the Good Food Guide described Skof as being ‘as close to a perfect restaurant as you can get’).
And now Skof has won big at the 2025 Awards, winning the coveted AA Restaurant of the Year award at a ceremony in London last night.
It was also given three AA Rosettes.
Skof has been the first solo project from chef Tom Barnes, who cut his teeth at the three Michelin Star L’Enclume in the Lake District.
It opened last May in an old textile warehouse just a short stroll from Manchester Victoria.
Since then, it’s earned place in SquareMeal’s T100 for 2025 as the highest new entry at number eight, collected two accolades at the Manchester Food and Drink Awards, and was highlighted in Condé Nast Traveler’s Top New Restaurants 2024.
Tom said of the award: “This really is such a wonderful way to be recognised for what we do at Skof. I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in such a short space of time.
“I’ve got an incredible team who are so dedicated, we work hard but we do it together. I’m also grateful for Manchester’s warm welcome, and for the guests who support us – we’re so lucky to now have both new diners and regulars coming through the doors.
“We will continue to push on from our amazing first year across all levels of the Skof experience, from dish development and drinks pairings, to the overall guest journey. There’s a lot of exciting things to come in the Skof story.”
Danny Jones -
14th August 2025 
