Eats

Live your Come Dine With Me dreams with this all-new dining concept

Tonight, I’m giving this idea a 10!

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 5th December 2024

Across the world, one app has been uniting strangers in 235 cities, matching six lucky diners for an evening meal at a surprise restaurant table and now Manchester is the latest city to open its taste buds to this pseudo-Come Dine With Me concept. Only this one involves less cooking.

Guests are expected to partake in an evening of food, booze and plenty of interesting conversations between six total strangers, only with hopefully less drama than the hit Channel 4 show. Strictly no Jane’s spoiling anything…

The concept is being pushed by French entrepreneur Maxime Barbier and his company ‘TimeLeft’. He has a lengthy career in the nightlife industry behind him and now wants to further strengthen good food and good times via this app.

And it’s clearly working: according to the company’s official website, 96% of dining groups consider themselves compatible meaning their carefully selected pairings are pretty accurate.

All curious diners have to do is download Timeleft and take a personality test before they’re whisked away for a night of entertainment and lush catering picked out by the pioneering new app. 

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Fear not, there will be a ‘Break the ice’ game where you can get to know the like-minded and compatible strangers you’re spending the rest of the evening with.

Once the table fills up and the evening is well away, everyone round the table will receive a notification to continue the night at a nearby bar chosen once again by this new dining concept app.

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This new mealtime experience is a really good way of making connections, especially for newcomers to the city who are looking to expand their friendship group and navigate Manchester with some similar fresh-faced companions. There’s crucially much less cooking involved too, by which we mean none.

Throughout their website, the company shares a range of blogs breaking down everything from ‘6 tips for smoothing over a heated conversation’ to ‘the ultimate guide to Timeleft’.

In a standout piece entitled, ‘The 10 types of strangers at your table‘, they discuss the different types of personalities that you may come across during your meal. 

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Read more:

From the simpler and recognisable labels like the introvert and extrovert to the more complex like the contemplative and the humourist, these little excerpts are handy to anyone who may have any nerves ahead of the meeting.

So, anyone located in Greater Manchester who might be interested in this new dining concept can participate by downloading the TimeLeft app and seeing where the night takes them.

You might not go home with £1,000 in cash but you’ll certainly create some memories and come pretty close to living out your Come Dine With Me fantasy – there really is an app for everything.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Unsplash

Eats

The 10 restaurant and bar closures that shocked Greater Manchester in 2025

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Medlock Canteen in Manchester

Greater Manchester has one of the most exciting and fastest-growing restaurant scenes on the planet – but that doesn’t make our city immune from hospitality closures, as 2025 has shown.

Given the economic climate and the increasing pressures on hospitality, it’s actually shocking (and a relief) that we haven’t lost even more beloved local spots.

In 2025, there have been some high-profile closures in Manchester that no one saw coming, as we bid a sad farewell to some local legends.

The good news is that the number of openings still outstrips the number of closures – you can see some of the biggest spots we welcomed last year HERE.

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Almost Famous

Greater Manchester

New Almost Famous owners praised for 'honest' statement about burger joint
Legendary Manchester burger joint Almost Famous announces shock closure
Almost Famous / Credit: The Manc Group

It’s no surprise that this was one of the biggest stories in Manchester in 2025, because we simply could not believe our eyes when Almost Famous announced its closure.

The burger craze of the mid-2010s may have died down, but this spot had always felt like a Northern Quarter OG with a loyal enough following to stand the test of time.

Alas, it closed its doors very suddenly back in January, shortly followed by its sister smash burger brand Super Awesome Deluxe, with a staggering outcry and a lot of fall-out locally.

Thankfully, a short while later it was rescued by the team behind PINS Social Club.

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Hip Hop Chip Shop

Ancoats

Hip Hop Chip Shop / Credit: The Manc Group

Another sad day for the Manchester food scene arrived in February, when Ancoats favourite The Hip Hop Chip Shop announced its closure.

Having first opened in 2014 as a street food stall, to opening their own site in Ancoats, the present financial pressures took their toll, and Hip Hop Chip Shop shut its shutters just a few weeks later.

We still fantasise about their battered halloumi.

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Another Heart To Feed

Northern Quarter

Award-winning Northern Quarter cafe and brunch spot announces shock closure
Another Heart to Feed is closing in the Northern Quarter
Another Heart to Feed / Credit: The Manc Group

It felt like one of the Northern Quarter’s top brunch spots, and with queues around the block nearly all the time, seemed like a safe spot.

But the award-winning Another Heart to Feed’s popularity was not enough to overcome the challenges facing the industry.

In their statement, this lovely brunch spot and wine bar thanked customers and staff, past and present – you can read more here.

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Mother Mary’s

Oxford Road

Mother Mary's Irish bar in Manchester has announced its closure
Mother Mary's Irish bar in Manchester has announced its closure
Mother Mary’s / Credit: The Manc Group

One of Manchester’s newest Irish bars announced its sudden and immediate closure in November, citing financial pressures.

Mother Mary’s took over the old student haunt that was Font bar, just off Oxford Road, filling the venue with a state-of-the-art sound system for hosting live music and club nights.

It was much more than just an Irish bar and had become a safe space for so many locals – accessible, queer-inclusive, independent, and dedicated to championing local talent.

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The Guinness was always flowing but it seems the river of cash dried up, and the heartbroken owners announced Mother Mary’s is no more.

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Sandinista

Manchester City Centre

Sandinista Manchester has closed down
Sandinista / Credit: The Manc Group

One of Manchester’s most legendary bars closed its doors after 13 beautiful years in the city earlier this year, shocking us and everyone who loved it.

Sandinista quietly shut down in October, throwing one final knees-up for loyal (and very sad) punters.

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The bar, just off St Ann’s Square, was famed for its menu of beers, tequila, and cocktails, including a pint of Zombie served on fire.

There’ll never be another one like it.

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Bohemian Arts Club

Stockport

Tom and Katie Ogden outside Bohemian Arts Club in Stockport
Bohemian Arts Club / Credit: The Manc Group

Stockport lost a good one back in September – Bohemian Arts Club, the stunning cocktail bar launched by Blossoms frontman Tom Ogden and his wife Katie, closed for good.

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It had been a much-loved addition to town, a real vintage-style speakeasy serving top quality drinks, and you could feel all the love the couple had poured into it (even down to the heart-shaped chairs handmade by Katie’s mum and dad).

Thankfully, it stayed in the family – Katie’s incredibly successful Bohemian Salon has expanded from downstairs to take over the entire three-storey building.

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Feel Good Club

Northern Quarter

Feel Good Club / Credit: Supplied

After five incredible years in the city, brewing up some of the finest coffee, serving an all-day brunch menu full of all your favourite comfort food dishes, hosting countless events, and just generally being a wholesome community space for anyone and everyone who needs it, it’s the end of the road for Feel Good Club.

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Founders Kiera and Aimie sadly announced they would be closing the doors to their Northern Quarter cafe in the summer, after struggling to stay afloat this past year like so many other local indies.

They said: “We’ve had the time of our lives, and met the most incredible people along the way.”

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Kala

Manchester City Centre

It was part of Gary Usher’s acclaimed group of restaurants, but Elite Bistros shut down one of its top spots earlier this year.

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City centre bistro Kala closed for good back in June, with a heartfelt and very honest statement.

Usher wrote: “Thank you to all the team past & present & I’m so sorry to all of you and all the guests that I couldn’t create something with longevity.”

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Medlock Canteen

New Jackson

Inside Medlock Canteen in Manchester, which just received a rave review in The Guardian
Medlock Canteen / Credit: The Manc Group

Just months after celebrating its first birthday, Medlock Canteen announced it was moving out of the Deansgate Square neighbourhood.

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The brilliant local restaurant served a really gorgeous menu that included rotisserie chicken, full English breakfasts, and quite possibly Manchester’s best Caesar salad.

It was all proper hearty food that you actually want to eat, with a stunning mid-century restaurant space and great drinks too.

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Osma

Prestwich

Osma in Prestwich has announced its closure
Osma / Credit: The Manc Group | Osma

Prestwich’s burgeoning restaurant scene was dealt a major blow at the start of 2025, when Osma announced its closure.

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The Scandi-esque restaurant was a front-runner of Prestwich’s ever-growing food and drink scene since it opened in 2020, fronted by Manchester born Danielle Heron, who you might recognise from the Great British Menu and MasterChef: The Professionals 2024, alongside Sofie Stoermann-Naess.

You can still find their brilliant cooking at Exhibition in the city centre, but as for the restaurant itself, Osma said they ‘struggled to find experience staff, leaving us with little to no personal life’.

Sorely missed.

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Featured Image – The Manc Group

Eats

One in six Brits would rather have a curry than a Christmas dinner, new survey reveals

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Curry

One in six Brits would apparently rather have a curry on Christmas Day in place of a traditional roast dinner, a new survey has revealed.

With the big day merely moments away, it won’t be long before we all sit down to tuck into what is always one of the biggest and heartiest meals of the whole year – but, if the results of a new survey is anything to go by, for a good chunk of Brits, this year’s Christmas feast won’t be the typical roast turkey that tradition’s always called for.

Instead, one in six would rather stray off the beaten track and opt for an Indian instead.

After a shocking survey by Next revealed last year that more than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner, around 1,000 UK adults have been polled by instatprint this time around to discover what’s making it on the festive feasting plate in just a few weeks time.

And, as to be expected, some weird and wonderful food combinations feature on the list, with over a third of Brits apparently planning on having sausages instead of the usual Christmas meats, and chips and beans also seem to be on the menu for the fussier eaters among us too.

Curry
One in six Brits would apparently rather have a curry than a Christmas dinner / Credit: Andy Hay (via Unsplash)

Chicken nuggets, eggs, caviar, goat’s cheese, haggis, and chimichurri were some of the other rogue choices given by some of the survey respondents.

Then, when it comes to the accompanying sides to the main event, 11% even revealed they plan on tucking into some macaroni cheese with their Christmas dinner this year, with another 11% sharing that mushy peas are a must on their plate too.

17% of Brits will be enjoying mustard, 13% will be squirting ketchup on their roast, and 7% will apparently be enjoying a dollop of mayonnaise too.

Christmas dinner table
It’s all according to the results from a surprising new survey / Credit: Nicole Michalou (via Pexels)

But while some clearly like to freestyle their Christmas dinner and pop whatever they fancy on the plate, others are apparently ditching the norm all together, as the survey has revealed that only half of Brits are set on having their traditional Christmas dinner this year.

As mentioned, almost one in six would much rather tuck into an Indian curry, but not only that, 6% of us would rather have a Chinese, 5% would enjoy Mexican, and another 5% would opt for tapas if it was an option too.

Read more:

4% of Brits shared they would enjoy a pizza, and another 4% said they’d rather tuck into some tasty Greek cuisine instead.

What’s tradition for anyway, right?

Featured Image – Raman (via Unsplash)

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