Eats

You can now go on a wine tour around Manchester city centre

Erm, yes please.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 3rd October 2023

We’ve had pub crawls, lockdown gin tin walks – and now there’s an organised wine tour you can do around Manchester.

A new series of events, simply titled Manchester Wine Tours, will whisk guests around town sampling some of the city’s very best bars and pubs.

The leisurely three-hour tours will showcase the best places to buy and drink wine around our city, with plenty of plonk to drink on the way round.

Launched by local food and drink writer and WSET-qualified wine expert Kelly Bishop, the Manchester Wine Tours will feature Manchester bars, restaurants, pubs and wine shops specially chosen by Kelly.

She’ll be picking places with an interesting range of bottles, and that are true local favourites.

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These ‘posh pub crawls’ will give people the chance to try something new, learn a little about wine, and discover a new favourite boozer.

And Kelly is promising to keep them accessible to everyone from total wine beginners to long-term enthusiasts.

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Each tour will cost £75 per person and will include a guided tour around Manchester city centre, six small glasses of wine and a series of wine-matched snacks at four different places.

Along the way, Kelly will also be on hand to point out local points of interest and things you might not already know about the city.

Kelly Bishop will lead the wine tours around Manchester. Credit: Debbie Ellis
Kelly Bishop will lead the wine tours around Manchester. Credit: Debbie Ellis
Each Manchester Wine Tour will feature different bars and include snacks
Each Manchester Wine Tour will feature different bars and include snacks. Credit: Debbie Ellis
Manchester Wine Tours will launch in October. Credit: Debbie Ellis
Manchester Wine Tours will launch in October. Credit: Debbie Ellis

On this wine tasting ‘with legs’, guests will have the opportunity to learn about wine in a relaxed, fun, sociable and informal way. 

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Kelly Bishop said: “I started Manchester Wine Tours to celebrate the incredible wine offering in Manchester. Manchester is known for great restaurants and bars selling nationally celebrated craft beer and cocktails, but there is a really impressive wine scene here too.

“I’m passionate about wine and am really excited to share my knowledge and enthusiasm with locals and tourists alike.

“I want to show people that although this might be classed as a ‘high-end activity’ with really good quality wine and matching snacks, wine tasting definitely doesn’t have to be snobby or stuffy. I want it to appeal to anyone over 18 who is interested in wine and introduce them to some of my favourite wine spots in Manchester.”

Tours will start in October 2023 with the first events on Sunday 22 and Sunday 29 October (3pm-6pm). From November onwards, tours will be every Wednesday evening (7pm-10pm) and Sunday afternoon (3pm-6pm).

There will also be four special Christmas tours on 10, 13, 17 and 20 December. These are £100pp and will feature extra special wines and festive snacks. 

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Find the full list of dates and more information at Manchester Wine Tours.

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Eats

Vegan restaurant in Manchester pleads for ‘understanding and support’ after sharing ‘heavy news’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Wholesome Junkies has announced some 'major changes' after struggling with the rising costs of running the vegan restaurant

Wholesome Junkies, a vegan restaurant in Manchester city centre, has asked for ‘understanding and support’ after announcing that they were having to overhaul their menu prices.

The restaurant is famed for its plant-based takes on classic junk food, whether that’s hoisin ‘duckless’ bao or a towering meat-free burger.

You can even get an incredible Sunday roast with all the trimmings, for an ethical twist on the British classic.

But now in a heartfelt statement shared this week, Wholesome Junkies has said it has some ‘heavy news’ to share.

The colourful restaurant beneath the arches near Manchester Victoria said it’s had to take ‘a hard look’ at its menu prices after ‘recent struggles with rising costs’ – an issue plaguing just about every business in the hospitality industry.

In their statement, Wholesome Junkies said that rising rents, wages, stock prices, utilities and VAT (‘the biggest battle of all’) has left them barely breaking even.

Wholesome Junkies, a vegan restaurant in Manchester
Wholesome Junkies, a vegan restaurant in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Vegan roast at Wholesome Junkies, a vegan restaurant in Manchester
Wholesome Junkies, a vegan restaurant in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

And so they’re having to action ‘big changes and a massive restructure’ in order to survive, from streamlining their menu to removing some items for more cost-effective options.

The restaurant then wrote: “We’re asking for your understanding and support. If you’ve enjoyed your time with us, please consider leaving a review or sharing your feedback.

“Every little bit helps as we navigate these choppy waters and it makes such a difference to our team who work tirelessly to keep this engine alive.

“We know times are tough, but we’re committed to weathering this storm together. Thanks for sticking with us through thick and thin. Here’s to brighter days ahead!”

Wholesome Junkies’ statement in full

Hey, Wholesome Crew! We’ve got some heavy news to share. Our recent struggles with rising costs have forced us to take a hard look at our menu prices. It’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly, but we’ve hit a point where we need to make some changes just to even keep the lights on. Some of the dishes and prices just aren’t working anymore, it’s not fair on our customers or on us.

From rent hikes, wages rising to soaring stock prices and utilities, and the biggest battle of all… VAT, the numbers just aren’t adding up. Despite our best efforts, we’re barely breaking even and I honestly don’t know how long we can keep going. Some days I do wonder why I’m even doing this at all, but I’m not throwing in the towel just yet. My love and passion has got us this far.

Starting next week, you’ll notice a big changes, I’m going to have to do a massive restructure of the business and menu for a chance to survive. We’ll be massively streamlining our menu, saying goodbye to some of our pricier items, and exploring new, more cost effective options. It’s all about trying to find that delicate balance between quality and affordability.

We’re asking for your understanding and support. If you’ve enjoyed your time with us, please consider leaving a review or sharing your feedback. Every little bit helps as we navigate these choppy waters and it makes such a difference to our team who work tirelessly to keep this engine alive.

We know times are tough, but we’re committed to weathering this storm together. Thanks for sticking with us through thick and thin. Here’s to brighter days ahead!

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Luxurious Manchester bar Sexy Fish named as one of the best in the entire world

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Sexy Fish in Manchester has been named among the best bars in the world. Credit: THe Manc Group

A luxurious bar in Spinningfields has been named among the best in the world in a brand-new bar guide.

Sexy Fish, the Manchester bar and restaurant that’s filled with bold and bright interiors and giant sea creature sculptures, has been named as one of the best on the planet.

The bar was hailed for its ‘down-to-earth gracious service’ and for having ‘premium hospitality with a northern tint’.

Sexy Fish Manchester was singled out in the new The Pinnacle Guide, which labels itself as ‘the drinks industry’s answer to Michelin’.

The guide will award ‘Pins’ (much like how Michelin awards Stars) to bars across the planet, with a maximum of three Pins handed out to truly exceptional establishments.

The Pinnacle Guide has been conceived by a trio of talented drinks professionals; Hannah-Sharman Cox, Siobhan Payne and Dan Dove.

Of Sexy Fish Manchester, they acknowledged the ‘wow-factor’ of the bar, helped along by huge artworks by the likes of Damien Hirst, Frank Gehry and Michael Roberts.

Inside Sexy Fish Manchester
Sexy Fish Manchester has a huge bar in the heart of the building

They also said: “While the decor sets the tone, the service and drinks at Sexy Fish Manchester are up to the task of continuing it. Drinks menus are a reflection of the creativity and innovation of the team and the cocktail list is a collaboration across the global group.

“Flavours are dreamt up, and trialled and tested by the team before being approved and every drink that makes it to the menu tends to have some form of prep involved which takes place off-site in a group beverage lab, be it infusion, distillation, oleos, sous vide or casein clarification.

“Cocktails across the group are therefore very modern, often innovative and presented with extreme flamboyance.”

The guide continued: “Located as this venue is in Manchester, the blend of Sexy Fish glamour with the down-to-earth hospitality style of the north England may feel incompatible but the staff here prove otherwise.

“In a venue that is all about opulence, they are committed to guiding guests through the offering and relaxing them into the high-energy venue.”

Congratulations Sexy Fish Manchester – what a bar!

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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