A gorgeous little cake shop in Manchester city centre has announced its sad closure, five years after launching as a lockdown project to raise money for the NHS.
Loaf, the hot pink cafe on Oxford Road and just across the river in New Bailey in Salford, will shut its doors for good later this month.
Its founder Aiden Ryan has poured his heart out with a heartbreaking statement, describing Loaf’s closure as ‘incredibly tough’.
In his message to followers, which you can read in full below, Aiden detailed everything from rising costs, cashflow issues, and a personal mental breakdown.
“I’m not sharing this for sympathy,” he wrote. “I just think honesty matters.”
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In the five years Loaf has operated in Manchester, there have been plenty of highlights, from those days fundraising for the NHS, to opening its doors on Christmas day to those who struggle with loneliness.
And there’ve been commercial successes too, with these pretty miniature loaf cakes making their way onto the shelves in Selfridges.
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But now Aiden has said that Loaf will shut for good on 30 April, urging people to pop in for ‘one more mini loaf or just a goodbye hug’.
Loaf’s farewell statement in full
I’ve made the incredibly tough decision to close Loaf MCR.
Loaf began in 2020 as a small lockdown idea to raise money for the NHS—and somehow grew into a bold, pink cake business that lived in a shipping container, then cafés on Oxford St and New Bailey St, and even Selfridges! It was more than I ever dreamed of.
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But behind the scenes, it’s been a really hard year. We lost essential funding, faced delayed payments and invoices, battled rising costs, and unexpected hits – including a supplier taking thousands from our account without permission. It led to cashflow issues we couldn’t recover from.
There were delays in paying important bills—things I never imagined would happen (even tips and pension contributions for staff). It was a living nightmare and it weighed heavily on me. At the same time, I was facing big personal challenges, which led to a mental breakdown the middle of last year. I couldn’t function. And when your business needs you 24/7, everything starts falling fast.
A Twister-inspired special at LoafThe Willy Wonka loaf cakes at Loaf
I’m not sharing this for sympathy, I just think honesty matters. Running a business isn’t always big wins and instagram moments—it’s often stress, silence, and sacrifice.
Still, I’m proud. Of the joy we spread. Of the community we built. And of myself—for knowing when to stop and look after mine and my team’s health.
To my loafly team: you were the heart of this. Thank you for everything. To our suppliers, landlords, partners, and customers—thank you for believing in Loaf.
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Our final day is April 30th. If you want one more mini loaf or just a goodbye hug, we’d loaf to see you.
As for what’s next… who knows? For now, we rest. Thank you for being part of our story. I’ll carry it with me, always.
A tasty festival celebrating all things tacos is taking place in Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is celebrating the start of May with tacos, tacos, and even more tacos, so make sure you’re hungry.
To coincide with both the early May bank holiday weekend, and of course the annual Mexican celebration Cinco De Mayo, Manchester‘s biggest street food and events space GRUB will be hosting its very-own festival dedicated to all things tacos.
The Green Quarter-based social hub will be bringing hungry Mancs two days of ‘tacos, tacos, and more tacos’ from midday onwards.
Five of the city’s very best street food traders, including El Piloto Tacos and Enchilady, will be cooking for you all weekend long, bringing their own authentic take on the humble taco, plus a feast of other specials to go alongside.
The massively-popular Nina’s Taco Truck, and Pez Tacos will also be pulling up at GRUB across the two days, so there’ll be plenty of choice.
And of course, we all need a sweet treat to finish things off, so GRUB favourite Munchie Mummy’s Kitchen will also be on site serving up a wide range of plant-based bakes to suit all tastes and dietary requirements.
To wash it all down, what would Cinco De Mayo be without a margarita?
A tasty tacos festival is taking place in Manchester next month / Credit: GRUB
For anyone that books a table in advance for GRUB’s Taco Fest, there’ll be buy one get one free on margaritas from the special pop-up margarita bar.
You can also expect craft beer, cocktails, special sodas and oft drinks, and great tunes blasting out across the beer garden, so now all we need to do is hope the Mexican-style sunshine graces Manchester with its presence.
Taco Fest will be taking place from 12-8pm on Sunday 4 May, and 12-6pm on Cinco De Mayo itself, Monday 5 May – which is also bank holiday Monday.
GRUB’s themed food fairs are always busy, so big groups are advised to book in advance here.
Featured Image – GRUB
Eats
Mystery golden egg to be hidden in Manchester and you win a £1.5k coffee prize bundle if you find it
Emily Sergeant
A mystery golden egg is being hidden in a secret location in Manchester, and you can win a £1.5k coffee bundle if you find it.
Speciality coffee roaster and popular cafe brand 200 Degrees has announced an ‘egg-citing’ Easter giveaway in a bid to celebrate the anticipated launch of its all-new spring menu, and it’s giving Manchester locals the chance to win an ultimate prize bundle full of some seriously-coveted coffee accessories.
A golden egg will be stashed in a key city location, and the first person to solve the clue and find it will win the premium prize worth hunting for.
Taking place next Tuesday (15 April) from midday, the Easter bunny will be tucked away somewhere in the city centre with an basket full of goodies, and also guarding the ultimate coffee lover’s prize.
A mystery golden egg with a £1.5k coffee prize bundle is being hidden in Manchester / Credit: Mylo Kaye | Victoria Shes (via Unsplash)
A Sage Bambino coffee machine, 1kg of 200 Degrees’ best-selling Brazilian Love Affair Beans, free coffee syrups and speciality oat milk, and even free coffee for a year from its shops, are just some of the prizes you could win in the bundle.
Even if you aren’t lucky enough to find the golden egg though, don’t worry, you won’t miss out, as anyone who joins the hunt and makes it to the giveaway location will receive a voucher code for a free drink from the new 200 Degrees spring menu, which is redeemable in-store.
200 Degrees’ own-recipe Salted Caramel Oat Iced Twist returns to the menu once again by popular demand, alongside a duo of other fruity chilled drinks perfect for the warmer days we’re having right now, and then when it comes to food, you’ll soon be able to tuck into the limited edition chicken tikka wrap and finish it off with something like the new raspberry and bergamot cake.
The new spring menu will be available from all 200 Degrees stores, including Manchester’s on Mosley Street, on the same day as the coffee bundle giveaway (15 April).
Keep an eye on 200 Degrees’ social channels on the day as they’ll be dropping cryptic clues to help you track down the golden egg in Manchester, and if you’re the first to crack the location, find the egg, and give the secret code word – which is revealed on its socials – then you’ll be able to claim the prize.
Don’t forget to check the website too, as secret codes will be hid across there, and if you spot one, you’ll unlock some exclusive discounts to enjoy over the Easter weekend.
Daisy Jackson -
8th April 2025 
