Hidden away in a village of shipping containers on the outskirts of Ancoats is one of Manchester’s most gorgeous new drinking experiences.
The natural progression from an at-home wine delivery service started during lockdown, the new bar takes the name ‘Le Social’ to a whole new meaning.
It’s truly impossible to spend an evening here without being drawn into conversation with those around you, and that’s exactly the point.
With room for just six covers inside (nine at a push), it’s wonderfully intimate.
Image: The Manc Eats
The walls are lined with beautiful bottles of wine, in fact, there’s probably more room dedicated to the wine than the guests – but that only adds to its charm.
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Tucked away behind a muslin curtain, owner Jerome bustles in the kitchen preparing small plates which, just like the majority of the wine list, are created using responsibly sourced ingredients from French, Spanish and Italian producers.
The first bottle, Le Social sparkling, is a wine hand-selected by Jerome from a vineyard high up in the mountains just inland of Barcelona. Very dry with lots of acidity, technically it’s a cava but as he says it’s a “high spec” one.
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With no sugar added, it’s very fresh and floral, sitting somewhere between Champagne and prosecco.
Le Social Sparkling is technically a cava, but sits somewhere on the scale between a prosecco and Champagne. / Image: The Manc Eats
There’s a great story about the label, designed by Jerome’s friend – an artist and Go-Go dancer for Manchester’s queer block party for all, Homoelectric, called Tony Sanchez.
Showing us the design, he tells us: “During lockdown, he was clearly missing cuddles very much so he was drawing lots of erotic drawings […] I really liked what he was doing and I picked the more PG 13 one, which is just a nice innocent cuddle between a few different people”.
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Their heads are replaced with flowers, and the colours – mostly red, yellow and black – echo the artist’s own Spanish background, as well as the heritage of the wine, but there also nods to time spent in Japan through the calligraphy.
Jerome adds that he intends to showcase more of Tony’s work in an exhibition later this year, at which point the PG 18 illustrations will also be revealed – drawing a collective laugh from our little groups of twos and threes.
A selection of cheese sourced from local Manchester cheese celebrity, the Crafty Cheese Man, and bread from Ancoats’ Companio Bakery. / Image: The Manc Eats
Served with crisps, also from Catalonia, plump green olives and salted almonds, Jerome tells us that the idea behind the pairings is designed to mirror how it’s done in France or Italy.
Borrowing on the tradition of aperitif or aperitivo, where typically you might meet with friends after work for a few drinks, order a few nibbles (or, as is the case abroad, receive them complimentary), all the plates are small but delicious. Perfect for picking at.
As we progress through the wine list, more plates appear.
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Grilled artichoke halves are served with an easy-drinking Muscadet from Jerome’s hometown, and as it’s poured, we hear how in his village you’ll often tip out of the rave in the morning down to the market to drink this in shots along with oysters until you feel revived and ready to go again.
Olive oil is in plentiful supply. First in the crisps, then on the artichokes, then with aubergine fillets – served alongside a gorgeous French Divay.
Aubergine fillets in olive oil come served alongside a / Image: The Manc Eats An orange Pinos Gris 2021 wine from Fleet, South Gippsland, Australia. / Image: The Manc Eats
Next, an orange wine with tuna fillets (served in yes, more oil) – made in the red wine skin-on style, using white grapes to create a beautiful peachy colour. It all goes down a treat.
Taking a break for a cigarette, we wander out into the shipping container village and realise just how much of a secret this place really feels.
Despite being just a ten to fifteen-minute walk from the city, it’s very dark and quiet, with the exception of a lone drummer practicing nearby in another container.
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Festoon lights line the courtyard, and there’s a little picnic bench table on which we enjoy wine as we shorten our lifespans.
In the summer he hopes to extend more outside, telling us the patch gets the sunlight throughout most of the day. We expect by then this spot will be heaving with outside tables all drinking and laughing, but for now it feels very under the radar.
A great place to come to impress a date or any lover of fine wine. Jerome is the only retailer in Manchester dedicated to sourcing high-quality organic wines – albeit not everything on the list is so.
He also sets great store by parity in his producers, proudly telling us that at least half the list is created by female winemakers or couples.
New to the scene, visiting Le Social feels like being let into a beautiful secret.
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Open on Saturdays only between the hours of 2 and 10pm, expect an ever-changing menu of natural wines, deli boards and continental plates.
Booking is essential due to the size of the space. You can message Jerome through the Le Social website here.
Eats
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Adam Higgin (via Facebook)
Eats
Kobbie Mainoo shouts out more of his favourite food spots in Manchester
Danny Jones
Man United star Kobbie Mainoo is back putting people onto his favourite places to eat in Manchester, and judging by his picks, he doesn’t just know football – he knows his food spots too.
The Stockport-born footballer turned 20 years old this month, and as well as celebrating leaving his teens with that impressive goal in the comeback against Lyon, the Manchester United midfielder was met with a birthday cake by his club, along with a fun little game of 20 questions.
Sharing the short but insightful Q&A, in which the number 37 dove into his favourite parts of matchdays, the best birthday gift he’s ever received, as well as the tried and tested dream dinner guest lineup.
Naming a very sporty trio of Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan and Jon Jones, the only logical next step was to ask him where his favourite places to eat around Manchester were, to which he answered…
That’s right, spotlighting a personal favourite of ours, the first Manc venue on his list was Pho Cue, the authentic family-run Vietnamese spot known for great value, top-quality street food such as their big hitter bánh mìs, as well as big queues every lunchtime.
If you don’t know already, then get to know.
As you can see, the second place he mentioned with the booked-up-till-kingdom come Onda Pasta Bar, which went viral for its ‘Tiramisu drawer’ last year and opened their first proper restaurant back in June.
Since then, it’s fair to say it’s more popular than ever and you’re lucky to get a table; if you, however, you’ll be treated to some of the most luxurious and indulgent pasta not just in Manchester but probably anywhere in the country, if you ask us.
These latest shout-outs come after Mainoo famously put Salford’s culinary kings, Burgerism, on the nationwide map after name-dropping them in his British GQ interview in November 2024.
You can watch the full thing HERE, but you already know the biggest takeaway from that chat, quite literally: the boy knows his burgers.
Kobbie is actually just one of several famous faces to have proclaimed Burgerism as the best in the business, at least in Greater Manchester of late.
Not only have British influencers Ollie Ball and Jacob Pasquill now become seemingly regular presenters on their social media, but online content creator turned boxer and WWE star Logan Paul also visited the beloved burger joint and reviewed it during a recent visit to the UK.
We’ll confess we’re more likely to take the local lad’s word on board over the bloke who used to make Vines, but it’s just yet more proof that the Manc food scene is top tier.
Come on, just look at the state of these selections:
Not a bad little spread there, Kobb… (Credit: The Manc Eats)
We’re not sure how much of this stuff Mainoo is allowed on the diet sheet, but we can at least confirm that Kobbie knows his Manchester food, and as far as favourites go, we might just stand a chance of becoming best friends yet.
Happy birthday to a young man with a very bright future and hopefully a very active metabolism.