Eats

Gooey is opening a Christmas-themed cafe in Greater Manchester

Including afternoon tea with Santa.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 28th October 2022

Gooey – the bakery that often has people queueing down the street for its chunky cookies and brioche doughnuts – has revealed plans for a Christmas cafe.

The cafe is set to offer festive afternoon teas and breakfast with Santa, as well as exclusive festive bakes.

Gooey’s 30-seat Christmas cafe will open at Selfridges next week as part of the department store’s ‘Season’s Feastings’ concept.

On the menu will be seasonal treats like a smores cookie pie, a Snowman choux, a layered chocolate orange cake and Gooey’s beloved millionaire’s shortbread with a Christmas twist.

All that will be alongside the gooey cookies and sugar-coated doughnuts the bakery is so loved for.

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Credit: The Manc Group
Credit: The Manc Group
Previous Gooey specials as bakery announces new Christmas cafe.

There’ll be boxes of cookies and doughnuts to takeaway, or diners can relax with a selection of barista coffees, boozy hot chocolate and soft drinks.

Throughout December, afternoon tea with Santa will take place every Thursday and Friday, while breakfast with Santa will run every Saturday and Sunday.

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Gooey first started selling its goods from a hatch in the Northern Quarter just before lockdown.

Since then, it’s moved into the kiosk space at Ducie Street Warehouse and more recently opened its first cafe, where the offering has expanded to include brunches and lunches.

And yes, there are still queues – this time for its unbelievable egg may sandwiches and its towering lighter-than-air French toast.

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The Gooey and Selfridges Trafford cafe will be open Monday to Sunday, in line with the department store’s opening hours.

It will open on Tuesday 1 November at the Trafford Centre – you can follow them on Instagram for updates.

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Top Manchester restaurant ‘so chuffed’ after receiving glowing national review

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Skof in Manchester has said it's 'so chuffed' after receiving a glowing review from Grace Dent

Top Manchester restaurant Skof has received a stunning review from a national critic, with the team saying they are ‘so chuffed’.

The acclaimed NOMA restaurant, headed up by chef Tom Barnes, has rapidly become one of Manchester’s most decorated restaurants.

Not only does it proudly display its first Michelin star – earned in less than a year after opening – but it’s also been named the coveted AA Restaurant of the Year.

And now Skof can add a rave Guardian review to the list too, with critic Grace Dent heaping praise upon the business.

She said that Skof is ‘well worth the hype’, describing it (much like its parent restaurant L’enclume) to be ‘one of those intensely relaxed yet still ferociously fancy restaurants’.

Dent praised ‘hugely scoffable’ snacks like a cheese biscuit topped with broad bean, pike roe and shiso, as well as a lightly set custard with truffle and mushroom dashi (‘a quiche filling on steroids’).

In her Guardian review, she also loved the final course always served at Skof no matter how much the menu changes with the seasons – the tiramisu served from a giant bowl, tableside.

“The final hurrah: that scoop of Tom’s dad’s tiramisu, served from a big bowl,” Grace Dent wrote.

“It’s a clunky, sentimental and, ultimately, glorious end to the meal. Many Michelin-starred restaurants bookend your visit with a gift of seeds, teabags or fancy chocolate, but at Skof they send you on your way with this tiny taste of boozy stodge that’s both incongruous with everything that went before but at the same time is also symbolic of Tom Barnes’ life and everything that went before.”

Grace Dent heaped praise on Skof in a recent Guardian review
Grace Dent heaped praise on Skof in a recent Guardian review
Skof placed 29th in the National Restaurant Awards
Skof placed 29th in the National Restaurant Awards

The amazing review also said: “Fine dining can at times be truly maddening, and leave diners hungry and hoodwinked, but Skof is proof that this often precarious blend of pacing, staging and portion size can be properly magical.”

She signed off by saying: “Skof is clever and emotional… It’s also well worth the hype, so do try to nab a table, if you can. It’s fancy, yes, but it also fills you up. This is fine dining that even a naysayer would like.”

Skof has said that it’s ‘so chuffed’ to receive the review, which landed in The Guardian on the restaurant’s second birthday.

They wrote: “Our 2nd birthday just got a quite a bit more special with an absolutely amazing review from @gracedent. We’re so chuffed with the write up. Hope the man from the traitors comes down, so we can serve him a crumpet.”

You can read Grace Dent’s full Skof review in The Guardian here.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

The legendary Hulme community pub The Old Abbey Taphouse has been reborn

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Old Abbey Taphouse will reopen as The Abbey next week

The closure of The Old Abbey Taphouse was a real blow for Hulme and the surrounding university district area; the community pub was a bit of a local institution thanks to its grassroots music and inclusive atmosphere.

But now it appears that the spirit of the venue lives on, under the new name of The Abbey.

Some of the city’s most experienced independent operators – who have been behind venues like YES and The Deaf Institute, and music promoters Now Wave – will be the new custodians of this beloved local landmark.

The pub, which closed early last year, has now been carefully and lovingly restored ahead of its big relaunch, which will start in true Manc vision with an exclusive opening night gig.

Glimpses of The Abbey's refurb
old abbey taphouse reopened
The Abbey is reborn. (Credit: The Manc Group)

The vision for its new chapter will be ‘Old Pub, New Music’, creating a new home for grassroots live music and emerging artists.

There’s also affordable, hearty pub grub, including Pieminister pies, and a huge range of beers from local breweries and beyond.

Bringing The Abbey back to life are a core team of four: Ruth Hemmingfield, Wesley Jones, Jonathan Wickstead and Gareth Butterworth.

Ruth, Jon and Wesley are co-owners of YES; Ruth previously launched and programmed landmark Manc venues including The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and Albert Hall; while Wesley and Jonathan, through Now Wave, promote hundreds of independent gigs and live events each year.

As for Gareth, he’s the founder of the multi-venue festival Manchester Psych Fest, meaning that all of them have plenty of hospitality, late-night, live music and events experience between them.

The team behind The Abbey pub. Credit: Piran Aston
The team behind The Abbey pub. Credit: Piran Aston

The rear of the site of The Old Abbey Taphouse will be extended to create a new dedicated live music and events venue, while the cherished beer garden is given a facelift with new decking and its own bar.

The Abbey has stood in Hulme since the 1890s, playing an important role in the area’s heritage – this is where activist Len Johnson managed to overturn the shameful ‘colour bar’ policies of the 1940s.

Its restoration and relaunch are part of the flourishing Manchester Science Park development.

Matthew Pazos, Senior Retail Commercial Manager at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Ruth, Wesley and Jonathan are the perfect custodians to breathe new life into The Abbey.

“Their reputation for running independent spaces in Manchester, alongside their live music expertise, will ensure this much-valued pub once again becomes a beating heart for Hulme and the wider neighbourhood.

“The reopening of The Abbey will create an inclusive new hub that welcomes everyone – from the Hulme locals who have looked after the pub over the years, to the Manchester Science Park community, university students, and the many residents and workers across the Oxford Road Corridor.

“We are delighted that such a culturally significant and important pub is set to open its doors once again.”

Ruth from the new Abbey team commented: “We love a good pub. With The Abbey, we’re excited about bringing a brilliant old pub back to life, protecting what people loved about it, and creating something special: a great local, alongside a vital grassroots music venue for the area.

“We’re honouring the pub’s history while building its future.”

the abbey beer garden manchester science park
the abbey pub university of manchester
pieminister menu manchester
Credit: The Manc

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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