Eats

Manchester Food and Drink Awards confirms 2024 return and opens nominations

There's a brand-new honour for 'Takeaway of the Year' among this year's accolades.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th August 2023

Manchester Food and Drink Festival has confirmed that its annual awards ceremony will be making a return early next year.

A brand-new honour for ‘Takeaway of the Year’ is among the accolades set to be handed out to the most talented businesses in Greater Manchester‘s thriving hospitality industry, as MFDF’s prestigious Awards makes a grand return at a new venue in January 2024.

With Manchester‘s iconic New Century chosen as the ceremony’s new home, and the date of Monday 29 January 2024 now confirmed and in the diary, award nominations are now officially live.

As mentioned, the Awards will recognise businesses in 18 categories – with ‘Affordable Eats Venue of the Year’, ‘Neighbourhood Venue of the Year’, ‘Food and Drink Retailer of the Year’, and ‘Restaurant of the Year’ being some of the heavy-hitters every year.

Other highly-regarded categories include awards for the best bar, chef, pub, coffee shop, and independent food and drink venues across the region. 

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Manchester Food and Drink Awards confirms 2024 return and opens nominations / Credit: MFDF (via Instagram)

Businesses are now being invited to submit nominations and put themselves forward to be considered in each of the categories, with the award nomination and judging  period running right from July 2022 – which is when last year’s nominees were announced – to 6 September, which is when the self-nomination period closes. 

All applications are to be reviewed by the prestigious MFDF judging panel made up of Manchester hospitality experts, and the final awards shortlists is set to be unveiled on 11 September.

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MFDF says the awards are “intended to highlight as many excellent food and drink businesses and talented hospitality professionals as possible”, with the winners decided via a combination of public vote and mystery shopping from the judging panel.

The prestigious ceremony will take place in the new home of New Century early next year / Credit: MFDF (via Instagram)

Speaking as nominations go live, MFDF’s Director Alexa Stratton Powell said: “We are pleased to announce that the awards will be taking place at a new time of year.

“This decision was made after careful consideration around best timing for the hospitality sector [as] separating the Awards from the Festival event itself allows us to focus on each in greater depth [and] we’re really looking forward to this year’s process and ceremony after another amazing year for Manchester’s hospitality scene.

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“We’re excited to be staging the event at New Century which we know will be an incredible new space to deliver these important awards.”

Find out more about MFDF Awards 2024 and nominate your business here.

Featured Image – MFDF (via Instagram)

Eats

The Pack Horse – the Michelin-recommended Peak District pub serving the best pre-hike breakfast in the North

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The full breakfast at The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group

There’s a pub in the Peak District that’s comfortably established itself as one of the very best in the UK, and this banging local isn’t just about pints and Sunday roasts.

The Pack Horse in the village of Hayfield is also a purveyor of an excellent breakfast, perfect to fuel you up before a big hike in the surrounding hills.

Want a little taste of this pub’s accolades? In the space of just one week, The Pack Horse placed in the Top 50 Gastropubs and then got added to the Michelin Guide – a stunning double header.

The restaurant in Hayfield was praised by Michelin inspectors for being ‘a true village local’.

Just this week, it was also added to the Good Food Guide’s list of the best Sunday roasts in the UK.

Headed up by chef and co-owner Luke Payne, The Pack Horse in the village of Hayfield is an outstanding establishment.

Here is a pub where you can have a world-class meal that shows off the best of British produce, while sipping an ale, with muddy boots on your feet.

Inside The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group
Inside The Pack Horse Hayfield. Credit: The Manc Group
Outside the Pack Horse in Hayfield
Outside the Pack Horse in Hayfield

It doesn’t really matter who you ask, The Pack Horse is readily and consistently named one of the best pubs in the entire UK and anyone stepping through its door would struggle to argue with that. 

Because although the price point sits a little higher than your average boozer, it still has all the trappings of a proper country pub. 

Yes, there are crisps behind the bar. Yes, there’s a pub quiz. Yes, there’s a resident pub dog (Lola the Labrador will sit and stare you out if there is anything edible in your immediate vicinity). 

But what we haven’t seen anywhere near enough people harp on about is the breakfast at The Pack Horse.

The ingredients on their breakfast menu are all sourced so locally you could probably hike to any of them with a bit of grit and determination.

From Port of Lancaster smoked kippers to bacon cut thick and laced with maple, everything is of the highest quality.

You can’t go wrong with The Pack Horse signature breakfast, which has eggs, bacon, Manchester sausage, crispy hash browns, Doreen’s black pudding, wild mushrooms, confit tomato, trotter beans, AND sourdough.

A bacon and egg muffin at The Pack Horse Hayfield
A bacon and egg muffin at The Pack Horse Hayfield
Coffee, juice and a breakfast menu at The Pack Horse. Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee, juice and a breakfast menu at The Pack Horse. Credit: The Manc Group

You can have the full portion for £20 or just take one of each item for £10 and then immediately regret not having more.

The bulk of the menu beyond that centres around the pub’s homemade English muffins, toasted and buttered and filled with whatever breakfast item takes your fancy (scrambled egg and bacon for me, always).

It’s a breakfast worthy of the fanciest hotels and most popular of brunch spots. 

Once you’re suitably fuelled and ready for a walk there are two hikes nearby that aren’t too strenuous and crucially don’t take too long (those daylight savings hours really mess with a big hike, eh). 

The Sett Valley Trail starts just across the road and is a consistent and mostly flat out-and-back.

Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group
Kinder Reservoir in the Peak District. Credit: The Manc Group

You can follow it all the way to the Torrs Millennium Walkway in New Mills if you fancy, or just turn back when you’ve had enough.

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Or you can head the other way through Hayfield out towards Kinder Reservoir – the loop will take you over streams and stepping stones and little wooden bridges, past the huge body of water, through woodland and fields, and place you within sight of Kinder Downfall waterfall. 

This is the poster child of the Peak District and one of the National Park’s best, most comprehensive walks. 

You’ll also be close to Kinder Scout, but this is a more challenging hike and at this time of year we’d really recommend setting off nice and early to get maximum daylight hours.

And that would mean no time for a Pack Horse breakfast, which just won’t do. 

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Peek inside the space-themed festive tipi bar that’s appeared in Manchester city centre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester

A gigantic new festive tipi has appeared in Manchester city centre, and this one’s out of this world.

Nova Star is an intergalactic, space-age tipi, filled with twinkling stars and shimmering galaxies.

The space-themed pop-up bar has appeared in Sadler’s Yard, right outside New Century.

Inside, you’ll be able to get your mitts on festive food specials from beloved Christmas Markets favourites Parmogeddon.

Their menu includes raclette-covered roast potatoes, with additional toppings like hot honey, brie, stuffing crumbs and gravy.

There’ll also be pigs in blanket hot dogs topped with cranberry and chilli ketchup and stuffing crumb, with an indulgent pot of gravy for dunking, plus profitteroles with a homemade brandy cream filling.

Nova Star’s bar will have a menu of shimmering cocktails and ice-cold beers too, with a full menu of Cosmos, including a Nebula Cosmo (which tastes a lot like a pina colada but is blue), a Cosmic Amore (close to a classic Cosmopolitan), and the Milkyway (a sweet and creamy concoction with hazelnut and vanilla).

Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
Loaded raclette roasties at Nova Star, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
A pigs in blanket hot dog. Credit: The Manc Group
Nova Star, a new festive teepee pop-up bar in Manchester
Profiteroles from Parmogeddon. Credit: The Manc Group

Nova Star will be serving up their very own signature ‘Nova Staro’ pints, created in collaboration with Czech Pilsner specialists Staropramen in their first ever rebrand.

It’s a far cry from your typical Bavarian Christmas experience, swapping out holly and ivy for stars and shimmers.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy a line-up of festive entertainment.

Abby Moore, managing director at New Century, said: “Nova Star is all about celebrating Christmas at its most magical – and for us that means with all the dazzle of the space age.

“It’s a chance to escape the traditional and enjoy a spectacular atmosphere, stellar cocktails and incredible food.

“We can’t wait to welcome the people of Manchester to our space-age Christmas destination.” 

Nova Star opens at Sadler’s Yard on Friday 22 November.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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