Revered Manchester chef Simon Wood is helping to feed families in need and on a budget with the launch of his new #FeedingFamiliesFor30 initiative.
The MasterChef champion – who was the winner of the 2015 edition of the cookery competition show – has joined forces with Manchester-based specialist communications agency, Down At The Social, to showcase what £30 worth of food from a supermarket should look like, compared to the free school meal parcels previously provided by the government.
As part of the initiative, the Chadderton-native has also created a series of quick and tasty recipes using dried goods and tinned produce to offer inspiration to families when cooking at home.
The recipes have been incredibly well-received – especially for those who have seen their income cut due to the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – and the accessible nature of the content has also led to food banks printing and handing them out alongside food parcels.
The Feeding Families With Simon Wood website has officially been launched this week.
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The website serves as a central and permanent home for all the recipes, and looks to provide a space where individuals and families can seek inspiration and resources to create quick and easy meals using cupboard essentials.
As you all hopefully know by now I’ve been releasing easy recipes every day to try and help people of all skill levels in the kitchen
With the government now returning to the school meal vouchers instead of pre-prepared food parcels, families can now also access ready-made shopping lists which can be used to create a host of Simon’s recipes.
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Inspired by the incredible work of Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford over the past year, Down At The Social and Simon Wood want to provide “real solutions for real people” who want to eat well but on a strict budget, and #FeedingFamiliesFor30 does just that.
It aims to demonstrate what £30 of food really looks like when done properly.
After buying dried goods, tinned produce and essentials from a supermarket of their choice, families are encouraged to taking a picture of their creations and post it on social media and using the dedicated hashtag, before donating the goods to a local food bank.
Speaking on the launch of the new initiative and website, Simon Wood said: “It’s been incredibly heartwarming to see the reception of me posting these recipes on my social channels, with everyone getting stuck in and recreating them at home [and] knowing that food banks are now offering them out alongside food parcels is something I’m really proud of.
“We just wanted to provide a solution to families and individuals who have limited resources, but [still] want to eat well [and] launching this website means we can extend the reach and allow more people access to quick and easy recipes using just basic, cost effective ingredients.
“What Marcus Rashford has started has been incredible and now we must all do our part to ensure that vulnerable children across the country do not go without.”
You can find more information and access Simon Wood’s recipes on the new Feeding Families With Simon Wood website here.
‘Hidden’ Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after only six months
Daisy Jackson
A cocktail bar in Manchester city centre that opened only last December has reportedly closed down, with its final service today.
Ego Death, a ‘hidden’ speakeasy-style bar in the Northern Quarter, told CLASS magazine that they were told by backers that they would have to close.
It opened under the steer of acclaimed bartender Cressida Lawlor, co-founded by Beau Myers, who also founded the original Almost Famous.
The bar is beneath newcomer smash burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe and accessed through an unmarked door within the takeaway.
Shortly after Super Awesome Deluxe opened, Almost Famous went through a high-profile closure of all of its restaurants this year, later bought out and reopened by D2.
And now just six months after launch, Ego Death looks set to be closing for good.
Cressida told CLASS: “The team here is wildly talented so the goal now is to get them into jobs so they can pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads.
“No one wants Ego Death to die and I think we’ve made enough of a stir in the six months that we’ve been open to find a new site and investment.
“Our last day is going to be Sunday, so anyone who can get here for one final party should come down.”
She later added on Instagram: “Truly gutting but there is always light in any form of darkness. Come see us this Sunday for the final service as we go through a true ego death.”
Ego Death came from the same team behind Socio Rehab (which if you remember it from 2004 was a bit of a local institution) and had a cocktail menu inspired by the speakeasy bars of New York City.
Behind the bar the stars were bourbon and champagne, plus cocktails inspired by the Big Apple – including one named after Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones.
Beau Myers, co-founder at Ego Death said at the time of its opening: “It’s been 20 years since we opened Socio Rehab so it seems pretty poignant to be opening another amazing cocktail bar. We changed the landscape of cocktail bar culture then and that’s something we’re trying to do again.
“We’ve partnered with Cressida Lawlor to make this dream happen. She’s a total firecracker and reminds me a lot of myself 20 years ago, she’s the future of cocktails and bartending and has that maverick spirit.
“Together we’ve created Ego Death, hidden in a basement behind an unmarked door at the back of a burger shop will be this cocktail haven. An underground escape throwing out the best classic cocktails, bourbon, and champagne from top level bartenders.”
This Manchester bar serves a bottomless cheese fondue with endless beer and wine
Georgina Pellant
There’s a bar in Manchester serving a bottomless cheese fondue with endless wine and beer, and it honestly sounds like the perfect treat.
While it might scream cosy winter night in, with a huge outdoor terrace, The Mews is also a firm favourite during the summer months.
Add in a board of melt-in-the-mouth charcuterie, springy pieces of garlic sourdough and a host of crunchy cheese biscuits, and you’ve got yourself the ideal afternoon if you ask us.
But there’s more. Alongside all that cheese and meat and bread, included in the price of The Mews’ bottomless fondue, cheese lovers can also enjoy 90 minutes of non-stop drinks.
Bottomless cheese fondue at The Mews on Deansgate in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Costing £37.50 each, included in the deal is a huge pot of melted Italian Fontina cheese served with homemade garlic croutons, sourdough crackers, and slices of British charcuterie.
You’ll also get to enjoy an hour and a half of endless pints of house pilsner and carafes of red or white wine to enjoy alongside.
Serving up to six people, the bottomless cheese fondue is available only when you pre-book, so make sure to get in touch ahead of your visit to let The Mews know that you’re coming.
If you’re not on the sauce, you can opt for the cheese fondue alone. Without the booze, it’s quite a bit cheaper at £25 for one, and £2.50 on top for any additional people who want to get stuck in.
Housed up on Deansgate Mews, just behind the main hustle and bustle of Deansgate, there’s plenty of space inside as well as a large, secluded terrace that is quite the suntrap (when the Manchester sun is shining).
Emily Sergeant -
19th January 2021 
