Eats

A new delivery service is handing out 500 free meals to people in Manchester city centre this week

If there's one way to win over the hearts of Mancs it's with a load of free scran.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 15th January 2024

A total of 500 free meals are set to be handed out to people in Manchester city centre this week to help combat Blue Monday and the old January blues.

If there’s one thing that always cheers us up, it’s free food.

The brand-new food-to-go brand Good Eats, from the same people behind YO! Sushi, is announcing itself to Manchester locals with an irresistible offer that’ll make sure you remember their name.

Popping up over at their own Good Eats kiosk in the Tesco Express on Market Street, they’ll be handing out free customisable deli trays every day from Monday, 15 January until Friday and all you have to do to grab one is simply turn up and say the right phrase. Easy as.

does yo sushi own good eats?
500 free meals manchester blue monday
Credit: Good Eats (supplied)

With their customisable deli trays usually priced at £7.95 each being handed out for free, the new delivery and click-and-collect service is giving away nearly £4,000 of free food to us Mancs.

ADVERTISEMENT

From crispy chicken karaage tossed in a spicy Korean sauce with a side of sweet potato wedges and crunchy Asian slaw, veggie-friendly Moroccan ‘No ‘Meat’balls’ in a rich tomato sauce with Persian salad and customer favourite mac ‘n’ cheese on the side, they aren’t skimp on the selection or serving sizes.

Giving out 100 free meals per day throughout the week of Blue Monday from 11am until 5pm, you simply need to turn up at the kiosk and quote the code ‘DELITRAYTODAY‘ to secure some free scran.

ADVERTISEMENT

We’re feeling a bit more cheered up already.

good eats breakfast manchester
manchester city centre good eats tesco express
100 free meals up for grabs per day from Manchester’s Tesco Express store on Market Street.

Read more:

And the good news doesn’t stop there either. Good Eats will be extending the joy with some brilliant ongoing savings. Tesco Clubcard holders in Manchester will also be able to make the most of their new Good Eats kiosk with exclusive Meal Deals. 

Customers can choose from any breakfast main and hot drink for just £2.95 every morning, including nourishing berry porridge or a naughty full English wrap, but things get even better at lunchtime when you can get a bowl, salad or wrap with a side and drink for a £5.95. Absolute bargain.

ADVERTISEMENT

Favourites include the flavour-packed peri-peri chicken bowl, smokey harissa chicken wrap, Persian salad and many, many more.

It goes without saying that once the word gets out, these free meals are going to be snapped up fast, but luckily you’ve got five whole days to try and get your hands on some and Good Eats has plenty of other offers running throughout January.

Free food is always a nice pick me up but here are some other resources in case you’re struggling at any point this month:

How to reach out and where to get help in Greater Manchester this ‘Blue Monday’

Featured Image — Supplied

Eats

The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied

Well-known pub group The Head Of Steam has revealed plans to take over a prominent Northern Quarter site.

The craft beer brand will move into the Grade II-listed building that was (very briefly) home to the Lamb of Tartary gastropub, which sadly shut down after just six months.

Prior to that, the landmark building was the home of Cottonopolis.

It’s been empty since Lamb of Tartary shut down more than a year ago, but now The Head of Steam is swooping into Manchester city centre to bring it back to life.

Their plans include 30 beer lines (24 keg and six cask), augmented reality darts, live sports across six screens, and a dedicated pop-up kitchen from a local operator, also making its debut in Manchester City Centre.

Spanning 2,800 sq ft, there’ll be space for 180 guests, with a design that will mix ‘industrial character and Northern warmth’.

It sounds like there are changes in store from the Lamb of Tartary days – there’s talk of a striking circular central bar, surrounded by exposed brickwork and restored original features.

Behind that bar you’ll be able to enjoy a UK craft beers, plus a vast collection of Belgian beers, alongside a rotating selection of cans and bottles, as well as a fresh cocktail menu and quality spirits range.

The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied
The Head Of Steam to move into site of short-lived Northern Quarter gastropub. Credit: Supplied

The Head of Steam was established back in 1995 and is part of Camerons Brewery. The group already has 15 venues across 13 cities, including an existing Manchester pub out in Didsbury.

Mark Connor, Head of Operations & Brand for The Head of Steam, said: “We’re excited to be joining the Northern Quarter community and to bring our favourite UK brewers, alongside classics from our extensive Belgian range, to this vibrant part of the city.

“The location is incredible, and being able to offer something new and exciting to the area is fantastic for us.

“We can’t wait to open our doors later this year, meet our neighbours, and become a part of this iconic area of Manchester.”

The Head of Steam will open at 16 Newton Street in the Northern Quarter later this year.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

Eats

Chorlton’s Horse and Jockey is reintroduced to the suburbs after stunning transformation

Danny Jones Danny Jones Horse and Jockey refurb Chorlton

The much-loved Horse and Jockey in Chorlton is back open for business following a major and marvellous refurb, which has seen the heart and soul of the pub restored to its former glory.

Opening just in time for the bulk of cosy boozer season, we’re about to spend A LOT of time in here.

As announced this past summer, the south Manchester favourite has been taken over by the impressive hospitality team behind the similarly revived Black Friar in Salford.

With an impressive culinary pedigree to boot, the ‘new and improved’ Horse and Jockey was always bound to be a hit with critics and natives alike, we just weren’t expecting them to knock it quite so far out of the park – or, in this case, Chorlton Green.

Giving the already gorgeous 200-year-old structure a new lick of paint and then some, the new Horse and Jockey looks set to reassert itself as one of the prettiest, cosiest and tastiest pubs you’ll find in central Manchester.

Benefitting from sitting just outside the city centre, you’ve still got plenty of footfall from those who have seen Chorlton become a foodie destination all of its own, and those who have lived there all their lives.

Yes, you’ll still find plenty of old boys sipping their well-deserved pints and dogs curling up on the carpets here.

Now boasting up to 82 covers outside in the familiar evergreen beer garden, with table service in the summer, you can see this being a go-to spot for grub and a reliable watering hole for all year-round.

It’s also worth noting that it’s a pretty roomy venue inside as well, with an entirely refurbished upstairs seating area and a dedicated private dining space now, too.

horse and jockey refurb
The Horse and Jockey is glistening once again ahead of reopening this month. (Credit: The Manc Group)

Other touches we especially liked are bringing Chorlton Pale Ale – which used to be brewed right here in the Jockey itself prior to Covid – back on draught. It may be made elsewhere nowadays, but we’re glad to see it being shipped back to and served out of its ancestral home.

And it just gets better.

As well as supporting the local art scene by sourcing works from Greater Manchester creatives, they really are aiming to make this a community cornerstone.

They’ve taken the holistic idea of a public house right back to its roots, providing not only a place to meet, eat and drink for regulars, but also a real social outlet right in the middle of the suburb.

It’s also about supporting and celebrating traditional British pubs and the Northern working-class culture that goes along with it.

There’s still a recognisable style and familiar feel to the Horse and Jockey refurb. (Credit: The Manc)

The majority of the furniture is even salvaged from the pubs we sadly lost up and down the country, not to mention other businesses that have unfortunately closed post-pandemic and the continuing struggles facing the industry.

We’re lucky to have people like this putting drinks in our hands and keeping our bellies full, so we’re glad that they’re doing what they can to pay homage to those who have come before them as well.

Perhaps most heartwarming is that not only have they kept pre-existing staff in post during the switch-over, but they’re all welcoming back familiar faces from the past. Once again, this is about championing the beauty of British pub culture in all of its facets.

This is a proper foodie pub at its core, boasting cosy vibes just in time for the colder months; they even restored three of the five original fires that used to burn through the autumn and winter back in the day.

Bookings are live already, and if you’ve tried the Sunday roast at The Black Friar, you expect this place to fill up just as quickly – we’d reserve our tables early if we were you…

The food offering is substantial, filling and full of flavour. (Credit: The Manc Eats)

This may be a big rebrand and transformation, but there are also still the same old Joseph Holt favourites on the taps for those who love the classic lineup, and they’ve even used their ‘Trailblazer’ stout glaze on one of their cheesecakes. Safe to say, they have our undivided attention with that one.

ADVERTISEMENT

Owner Neil Burke, who formally acquired The Black Friar two years ago and now heads up the revamped Horse and Jockey, said of the reopening: “I have a personal history with the Horse & Jockey and it’s always held a special place in my heart.

“It’s such a beautiful building, but it hasn’t been shining the way it should in recent years. As a local myself, I felt Chorlton deserved a proper foodie pub – somewhere that delivers brilliant food in a setting that does justice to the building’s history.”

To top things off, they’ve got Michelin-trained head chef Paolo Bianchi leading things in the kitchen.

Read more:

“The Horse & Jockey is an iconic part of Chorlton’s history and I’m proud to be leading its kitchen with the brilliant Black Friar team”, says Bianchi. “After gaining years of experience in Paris, Dubai and London, it feels great to be rooted in Manchester, a city I’ve really fallen in love with.”

“My vision is simple, to serve British classics that people know and love, elevated with seasonal local ingredients, touches from my Italian heritage and international experience. The menu will be ever-changing, so guests can expect something fresh every time they visit.”

ADVERTISEMENT

As for your job, it’s simple: expect great, hearty pub grub classics elevated to a gourmet level, with all the welcoming warmth of a traditional English pub.

This isn’t just a metropolitan boozer trying to be a country-style pub; the Horse and Jockey is a Chorlton gem reborn. It opens on Monday, 20 October, and you can guarantee you’ll be seeing us there.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

More Eats

free birthday food and drink offers manchester city centre

City Centre

The best foodie freebies you can get in Manchester on your birthday

M&S festive food to go 2025

Christmas

M&S launches its fancy festive ‘food to go’ range for 2025 with sandwiches, snacks, and more

New social club and games bar coming to Manchester

Business

A massive bowling, games and entertainment bar is coming to Manchester next year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches