Northern Soul’s Christmas DIY kits and competition to win free BLACK CARD
For the first time ever, Northern Soul Grilled Cheese is launching a 'Black Card' - entitling one lucky winner to free grilled cheese for one whole year.
Christmas prizes don’t come much bigger, tastier or more exciting than the ones on offer from Northern Soul in Manchester this year.
The world-famous cheese toastie restaurant is launching some brand new festive-themed food kits just in time for winter – with 10 being given away absolutely free during Lockdown 2.0.
There’s also the chance to win free grilled cheese BLACK CARD…
Northern Soul’s closure in March left the Northern Quarter with a serious dairy deficiency – and owners hastily sought to remedy the situation by offering the next best thing: GIY (Grill It Yourself) Kits.
The home-cooked ingredients boxes allowed isolating Mancs to whip up Northern Soul sandwiches in their own houses and proved to be a dizzying success – even scooping the award for ‘Best DIY Home Kit’ at the 2020 Manchester Food & Drink Awards.
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Now, with Christmas on the horizon – and another lockdown well underway – Northern Soul is tweaking the kits to give them some fresh, festive flavour.
The pick of the bunch is the Crimbo Dinner Pack – containing turkey crown, cranberry, pink lady stuffing and gravy – all topped off with homemade pigs-in-blankets.
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There are four other fantastic-sounding festive options also up for grabs – including the Signature Soul Secret Santa; the Classic Flava kit (including roast ham & pickle; caramelised red onion chutney; and ‘Mac Attack’ w/ Jalapenos) the Get Your Goat (with goat’s cheese and chutney) and The New Yorker (with pastrami, pickles and pretzels).
There might not be any Christmas Markets happening in Manchester this year – but these GIY Xmas Kits from Northern Soul ought to be a sufficiently satisfying replacement for any present you were hoping to pick up from the stalls.
Prices for each kit start at £10. But if you’re lucky, you may not actually have to pay a penny…
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In total, 11 prizes are being given away by Northern Soul this Christmas.
These include 10 ‘Crimbo Dinner’ G.I.Y home kits worth £30 (all accompanied by £10 voucher to spend at the Northern Soul restaurant).
But the biggie is the Northern Soul Manchester ‘Black Card’ – which entitles the winner to free grilled cheese for a whole year (Terms & Conditions apply).
The prize is the very first of its kind – presenting one gloriously lucky fan with an incredible opportunity to tuck into fully-loaded cheese toasties on tap for 365 days.
What a life that would be…
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For more information on how to enter, head on over to The Manc Instagram.
Feast your eyes on the kits available at Northern Soul via their website.
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Students can join a Wagamama ramen-building workshop for just £5 this week
Daisy Jackson
Students will be able to take part in a build-your-own ramen workshop this week, led by everyone’s favourite pan-Asian restaurant group, Wagamama.
The workshops will cost just £5 (all of which will go to a brilliant cause), and will include the time spent creating your perfect meal, the actual food, plus drinks and sides.
Wagamama has teamed up with mental health charity SHOUT to host this cosy ramen-making workshop.
Students will be invited to join Wagamama chefs in the kitchen, selecting their own broth, protein and veggies, with perfectly-cooked noodles, before sitting down at the restaurant’s benches to slurp up their creations with fellow students.
There’ll also be toppings and garnishes including kimchi, tea-stained eggs, chilli oil, spring onions and more.
With merch to take home too, and steaming bowls of the best-ever autumn dish, this is a one-off event you won’t want to miss.
Students can join a Wagamama ramen-building workshop for just £5 this week. Credit: Supplied
Each £5 ticket includes your food and two drinks, plus a variety of the new Wagamama winter sides and sharers.
All money raised will be donated to SHOUT to support the vital services they provide.
A representative from SHOUT will also be in attendance to talk about student wellbeing and the services available from the charity.
Wagamama says: “At Wagamama, we believe having a conversation is one of the most powerful ways you can support someone struggling with their mental health. Whether it’s a quick check-in via text or an open conversation over a bowl of steaming ramen. no chat is too big or too small to make an impact.
Students can join a Wagamama ramen-building workshop with SHOUT this week. Credit: Supplied
“This ethos is one we share with SHOUT, a free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging service for anyone in the UK who needs someone to talk to. After huge demand during Covid, SHOUT’s service has become increasingly essential + today SHOUT is more highly in demand than ever before.”
The Japanese and pan-Asian restaurant is donating £40,000 to SHOUT this year, plus providing perks and rewards for their team of volunteers, and hosting events in their spaces.
The Wagamama ramen-building workshop will take place at the St Peter’s Square restaurant on Thursday 7 November between 2pm and 4pm. You can get your tickets HERE.
Manchester restaurants to add an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
A handful of local restaurants will be adding an extra £1 onto every bill over the festive season to help fight street homelessness.
People in Greater Manchester are once again able to give back while they dine at some of the best restaurants the region has to offer in the run up to Christmas, as the successful StreetSmart fundraising initiative is back for another year.
This year, 13 fantastic restaurants have come together to support local homeless charities as the campaign launched last Friday (1 November).
Manchester independents such as Mana, Climat, 20 Stories, and Tariff and Dale are among those taking part in the campaign this year, alongside several city centre branches chains such as Tampopo, Banyan, BOX, Manahatta, and San Carlo.
StreetSmart works by each participating restaurant adding an extra £1 to every bill they deliver throughout November and December, with all of the money raised going directly to local homeless organisations, thanks to StreetSmart’s official sponsorship from LandAid.
The funds raised by StreetSmart in Greater Manchester this year will support the crucial work of organisations such as CentrePoint, and Akt – a charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people aged 16-25 into safe homes, employment, education, or training.
In 2023, Manchester restaurants alone raised a whopping £25,000 for these life-changing services in the local community.
Manchester restaurants are adding an extra £1 to bills to help fight homelessness this Christmas / Credit: Supplied | Rifqi Ali Ridho (via Unsplash)
“Many of us want to help the vulnerable people in our community during the festive period, and StreetSmart provides an easy way to do this,” explained Glenn Pougnet, who is the Director of StreetSmart.
“We’re grateful to see so many local restaurants stepping forward to help our city’s homeless.
“It’s amazing to witness the kindness that our community has to offer, and see the tangible impact of our efforts and funding in the community.
“This year, we’re proud to be taking another step towards the eradication of homelessness, and look forward to seeing even more restaurants getting involved over the Christmas period.”
The Manc -
16th November 2020 
