A massively-popular travelling street food festival is returning to Wythenshawe next week with a packed lineup of traders.
Award-winning street food champions GRUB is once again teaming up with Manchester City Council to bring its monthly food and drink festival, GRUB Carnival – The Travelling Food Festival, back to Wythenshawe next week – with the first event kicking off on Saturday 22 April.
The monthly event is set to bring together the very best of GRUB’s top street food traders, alongside a series of pop-up brewery bars and take-home produce stalls.
The first GRUB Carnival of 2023 will be pitching-up in its new location in the centre of Wythenshawe Civic Centre.
The huge retail unit will be transformed into a space for indoor seating, bars, and activities.
Next weekend’s opening lineup of street food trader includes the likes of Burger Bros smashed burgers, Dough So Good on pizza duty, Feast Of The East with a wide range of Mediterranean treats, and House Of Wingz serving up wings.
Crepe Castle, Cake Box and Hyacinth Ice Cream will also be in charge of catering for the crowd with a sweet tooth, while Sparrows Garden Market and Cheshire Pie Co are leading the lineup of local independent food and drink producers at the a mini take-home produce market.
Manchester artisan rum producers, Witch Kings, are in charge of the bar, and will be supplying cocktails, craft beers, and soft drinks to be enjoyed in the sun.
Neighbourhood Coop, Bakehouse 32, Jeyda’s Turkish Kitchen, Mangiama Streetfod, Gwafu Vegan, and Big Mama’s Twisted Street Food will then be joining the event later in the year.
GRUB’s massive travelling street food festival is returning to Wythenshawe next week / Credit: GRUB
Aside from all the food and drink, on top of all that, Woodhouse Park Family Centre and Happy Somedays Football will also be joining the Carnival for the first date next weekend to provide some fun activities for the little ones.
GRUB says its monthly ‘Carnival’ will not only be a “fantastic, inclusive, family-friendly event” that’s designed to “bring people together”, but there’s also big ambitions to “become a focal point for the community” by providing new jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, alongside space for local creatives to share their work and talents all throughout the summer.
Speaking ahead of next weekend’s first event, Jason Bailey – Director of GRUB – said: “We had a smashing time trialling the carnival last year, and so many Wythenshawe folk were happy to see us, so it is fantastic we have the chance to come back all summer long.
“Fingers crossed we can carry on building Carnival in to something that makes a difference”.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Burger King is giving away FREE vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are
Emily Sergeant
Reckon you could swap out meat for a vegan alternative?
Now we know there’ll be droves of meat-lovers who read that question with their noses turned up, immediately dismissing the possibility that it would ever be something they’d consider… but what if we told you it was free?
That’s right – Burger King has announced that for the next week or so, it’ll be delivering its delicious Vegan Royale burgers to meat-loving customers for free, all with the aim of giving them a chance to experience just how tasty and satisfying plant-based foods can be, and prove that they won’t miss out by giving it a go.
The Vegan Royale is Burger King’s take on its legendary Chicken Royale burger, and sees a crispy vegan patty – that’s meant to be an alternative to chicken – topped with iceberg lettuce, vegan mayo, and crowned with a toasted sesame seed bun.
Burger King is giving away free vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are / Credit: Burger King UK
The fast food chain‘s campaign is in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher, and comes as shocking new research has revealed that more than 40% of meat eaters admit to having never tasted a plant-based burger.
On the other hand, that same research also found that the UK appears to eb embracing plant-based foods more than ever, as nearly 60% of the population say that are open to trying it.
67% of those who once thought plant-based food wasn’t for them say a great meat alternative burger was what changed their mind – so maybe this is what the Vegan Royale can be for you, if you’re willing to give it a chance.
So, to give hungry customers a taste of what the fuss is all about, Burger King will be offering anyone who orders on UberEats or Just Eat, with a minimum spend of £20, a Vegan Royale burger for free of charge along with the rest of their order.
Emily Sergeant -
12th April 2023 
