There’s a new restaurant in Manchester dedicated to the world’s greatest food item – pie.
Great North Pie Co is ready to open the doors to its first city centre venue, after establishing itself in Altrincham Market.
Its award-winning pies have been cropping up on pub menus and at farmers markets ever since, as well as in their own site in Ambleside in the Lake District.
And now the team have taken charge of a cosy unit at Kampus, with booth-style seating for up to 20 people, plus an outside (rain-proof) terrace overlooking the neighbourhood’s lush gardens.
On the menu are classic pies stuffed to the brim with quality ingredients from around the North West.
Flavour combinations include Lancashire cheese and onion pie, made with Dewlay’s tasty Lancashire cheese and caramelised onion, and a 14-hour braised beef and ale pie, with Manchester Union Lager and redcurrant jelly.
Great North Pie Co. Credit: The Manc Group
There’ll be regular specials, like the current dish of minted lamb suet pudding with chip shop curry sauce and some of the best chips in Manchester.
Every pie can be ordered with a range of sides, from mash to chips to mushy peas to pickled red cabbage.
For dessert, you’ve currently got one option, and it’s a good one – a proper chocolate pudding, served steaming hot and swimming in chocolate custard.
The menu will change seasonally, but what you’re guaranteed of is a huge bowl of comforting, proper northern grub, served in one of the city’s cosiest and most picturesque settings.
The drinks menu includes the likes of Manchester Union Lager on draught, a selection of quality wines and proseccos, plus a handful of spritz style cocktails.
Once the site opens on Monday 27 February, there’ll be breakfast sandwiches served daily between 10:30am and 2.30pm, plus cold pies to take home with you.
Neil Broomfield, co-founder of Great North Pie Co, said: “Since we started making pies it’s always been an ambition to have a base in the city centre. We’d been looking for a while and as soon as we saw Kampus, Little David Street and the gardens, we knew it was the right place for us.
“While it’s our first city centre venue, we don’t have plans to rollout out any more, as we place our focus on keeping the quality and consistency we aim for. We just want to concentrate on doing one thing and doing it well. The mix of traders coming into Kampus is amazing and we’re so proud to be part of it.”
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Manchester favourite Nell’s to open new site for New York-style pizza, karaoke and shuffleboard
Daisy Jackson
Much-loved New York-style pizza joint Nell’s has announced big plans for a brand new location – they’re heading to MediaCity.
Nell’s are stepping things up a notch with the move, adding in private karaoke booths, shuffleboard tables, and a huge outdoor terrace in their new site.
Nell’s MediaCity is set to open this autumn, promising 22-inch New York-style pizza (also served in gigantic slices), frozen margs, and ice cream sandwiches.
There are already several spots around Manchester where you can get a slice of Nell’s, including their restaurants at Kampus and in Altrincham, the OG Northern Quarter site in Common, and at The Beagle in Chorlton.
And now it’s Salford’s turn, with plans unveiled for the team to expand over to MediaCity’s quayside Orange Building.
Nell’s co-founder Jonny Heyes said: “We’ve been thinking about MediaCity for a long time, it’s such a great area and we’ve seen what brilliant operators like Kargo have achieved so when this space came up, we jumped on it!
“The venue is huge which has given us the chance to really play with the experience.
“This idea of karaoke and shuffleboard accompanying our made-for-sharing pizzas and great cocktails feels like a natural next step for us as a brand.”
Nell’s have also partnered with Deliveroo and Slerp to send 14-inch and 22-inch pizzas far and wide.
The new opening is expected to create more than 35 new jobs, and as Common & Co has twice been named in the Times 100 Best Places To Work list, you might want to check those out HERE.
These viral sensations are a plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to create a character with bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles.
They’re swinging off handbags all over the UK at the minute and people are queueing for hours for the latest Labubu drops.
At Sweet Dreams, they’re making edible chocolate Labubus using a special mould flown in from Japan.
Each one has a pistachio kunafa filling and is painstakingly painted by hand.
And that brings us neatly to the next viral craze at play here – Dubai pistachio chocolate.
An army of pistachio chocolate LabubuInside a chocolate pistachio Labubu
Kunafa is a staple in Middle Eastern bakes and pastries but hit the global mainstream last year when thick chocolate pistachio bars stuffed with it went viral online, spawning countless dupes and inspired specials.
And finally, chocolate covered strawberries – hardly a new invention, but this simple dessert has rocketed in popularity especially in food hotspots like Borough Market in London.
Head into Sweet Dreams and you can build your treat from the base up – choose white or milk melted chocolate for your strawberries, layer on pistachio kunafa, then top with either a milk or white chocolate Labubu.
A slightly daft novelty? Yes. But that doesn’t stop them being delicious.
This is the only place in the UK currently selling Dubai pistachio chocolate Labubus.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd February 2023 
