Madre, that exceptional Mexican restaurant at Kampus, has just launched a new Sunday feasting menu with an usual star attraction.
Diners at the Manchester restaurant can now tuck in to a whole pig’s head, served to the table with ears, teeth and snout still in tact.
It’s not every week you sit down to eat your Sunday dinner and realise your dinner is looking back at you – but here we are.
It’s nose-to-tail dining in the most literal, perfect sense, and if your dinner arriving with a face freaks you out, there are plenty of other options.
One is that the restaurant will actually just carve your pork cut in the kitchen and bring it to you ready to eat.
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And there are plenty of other mains too, like a whole chicken cooked on an open grill, a Cochinita Pil Bil (pig shoulder), and spit-grilled cauliflower.
For us, it has to be that pig head special. A slightly shocked-looking pig is surrounded on our table by a whole host of Mexican sides and trimmings.
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There are crispy fried potatoes, with slithers of spud so skinny they end up like crisps, or chip chop scraps.
Elote – corn on the cob smothered in chipotle mayo, lime and queso fresco – is a sweet and fresh antidote to that ultra-rich pork.
The Madre pig head once it’s been carved Roasted cauliflower at Madre’s Sunday feastThe Sunday feast at Madre
So too are the pickled slices of onion and jalapeno, ready to lay down on top of the corn and wheat tortillas.
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There’s a pot of refried beans with a twinge of heat throughout, topped with a sprinkling of feta.
Cabbage is carved in half then grilled so its edges blacken, before it’s topped with a spread of pistachio pepian, where nuts and spices are blended into an earthy and vibrant sauce.
And in place of Yorkshire puds and gravy, you’ll get fresh tortilla and a pot of Birria jus.
Once you get over the novelty of your meat maintaining better eye contact than your Tinder date, you’ll have some very happy feasting indeed.
The Madre Sunday feast is £24 per person and available at their Kampus restaurant from now.
Andy Burnham’s favourite Manchester pub, restaurant, neighbourhood and Sunday roast
Daisy Jackson
Andy Burnham’s favourite pub, restaurant, neighbourhood, and Sunday roast have been revealed – and the man’s got taste.
Old footage of now-PM Andy Burnham chatting to content creator Isaac Likes has been doing the rounds again, and while the interview dates back to before Andy left us and headed down to the big smoke, his Manchester recommendations still stand.
From his go-to neighbourhood and favourite pub to where he heads for a Sunday roast, and even the song he likes to play when he gets behind the decks, Burnham gave us a glimpse into his ideal Manchester day.
First up, there’s the Northern Quarter, which Burnham reckons has to be his favourite neighbourhood in the city.
He said: “Got to be the Northern Quarter. It’s the place where it’s all happening.”
When it comes to food, he singled out Firehouse, sitting on the edge of the Northern Quarter, as one of his favourite places to eat. He also gave a shoutout to its sister venue Ramona, where he’s been known to get behind the decks.
Andy said: “On the edge of the Northern Quarter, Firehouse is a place I love to go. Ramona Pizza, I’ve DJ’d there – if the mayor DJs there it’s gotta be alright.”
For a proper pint, Burnham’s choice is a little more traditional, saying his favourite pub is the ‘proper old school’ Peveril of the Peak.
The beautiful tiled pub was recently named the best in the UK, just days before its legendary landlady Nancy passed away.
When Sunday rolls around, Burnham said he has a couple of options up his sleeve. The Wharf in Castlefield gets a mention, as does Edinburgh Castle up in Ancoats.
The Peveril of the Peak pub in ManchesterThe Edinburgh CastleFirehouseSome of Andy Burnham’s favourite places in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
He said: “We love our gravy, we drink it by the pint in Manchester.”
Of course, no conversation with Burnham about Manchester would be complete without talking music.
Asked to name the best Manchester band of all time, he offered a few contenders – The Smiths, New Order, and, ultimately, The Stone Roses.
“The band I think are quintessentially Manchester is The Stone Roses. That was peak Manchester,” he said.
The amazing new doughnut shop that’s opened in a churchyard in Wigan
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new doughnut hatch has landed in Wigan, serving fresh bakes and speciality coffee from inside a beautiful local churchyard.
This is Holy Grounds, the latest independent spot bringing together freshly made doughnuts, excellent coffee and a spectacular setting, right beside the Wigan Parish Church.
The Lancashire-born business expanded to Wigan just three weeks ago, and it’s already proving hugely popular with the locals.
As we’re seeing all over Wigan these days, Holy Grounds have taken on a beautiful characterful space and turned it into a great new independent hangout.
The doughnut hatch is connected to the church itself, with the room believed to have once been an old school space. Today, it’s been given a very different purpose, with the smell of freshly baked doughnuts and coffee filling the building.
And you can still get a very real reminder that you’re sitting inside a church – the bells ring twice a day.
Holy Grounds was set up by Sam, who was previously a vicar, alongside his partner Hannah.
They and their team are making doughnuts fresh every day, using a 48-hour proving process, before transforming them into a monthly-rotating selection of flavours.
This month’s specials at Holy GroundsThe selection of Holy Grounds doughnuts in WiganA peach and almond doughnut, and an OGHoly Grounds stands in the churchyard of Wigan Parish ChurchFreshly-made doughnuts and coffee in Wigan
This month’s flavours include The OG, peach and almond, chocolate cornflakes, and blackberry and white chocolate.
Holy Grounds serves speciality coffee from Clifton Coffee Roasters in Bristol, making the doughnut-and-coffee combination feel less like a quick sugar hit and more like a proper little ritual.
A beautiful old building, fresh doughnuts, excellent coffee and church bells ringing overhead?
We’re not saying we’ve found heaven, but we’re definitely getting closer.
Daisy Jackson -
8th October 2023 
