Eats

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.

The Manc The Manc - 16th November 2020

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.

Eats

Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Inside The Black Friar as Salford pub unveils incredible floral display

Spring has really sprung in Salford – legendary pub The Black Friar has just revealed a sensational makeover, with gigantic flowers sprawled across its frontage and a new seasonal menu to go with it. 

The historic pub is celebrating the changing of the seasons with both a striking floral installation and a menu that celebrates spring and Salford in equal measure. 

Most Mancs will by now have spotted the 4,000 flower-strong installation that now adorns the front of The Black Friar, with bright pink, yellow and purple flowers spilling from a gigantic pink tap. 

And all those florals continue inside, with the pub’s Tavern – previously a cosy winter hideaway – now filled with trailing blooms and woodland installations, just off their award-winning garden.

Cheshire-based artist Kelly Louise Chapman is the woman behind this sensational transformation of the much-loved gastropub. 

As for the pub’s kitchen, they’ve crafted a new very seasonal and very British menu, with plenty of nods to Black Friar’s Salford roots. 

There are dishes like a Boddingtons braised ox cheek (the pub still proudly displays its Boddingtons sign outside), aged beef tartare, butternut squash and ricotta tortellini, and pan-roasted cod fillet. 

Spring small plates at The Black Friar pub
Spring small plates at The Black Friar pub
Delicious spring drinks
Delicious spring drinks
Inside The Tavern at The Black Friar
Inside The Tavern at The Black Friar

A popular item from the Valentine’s Day menu – the Cornish crab vol-au-vent – will be sticking around on the spring menu, along with an enhanced grill section that includes a lamb Barnsley chop cooked over coals. 

Then for desserts, you’ll be spoilt with a banoffee knickerbocker glory, and passionfruit panna cotta. 

And for drinks (because this is a pub, after all), The Black Friar has put together a range of seasonal drinks like a rose sangria sharer, and non-alcoholic sodas like kaffir lime and coconut. 

Ben Chaplin, head chef at The Black Friar, said: “This new menu is all about celebrating the best of spring produce. 

“We’ve carefully crafted each dish to highlight fresh, seasonal ingredients and bold flavours, adding new depth to our offerings while still delivering the comfort that will always be associated with The Black Friar. 

“My top recommendation and personal favourite dish is the Slow-Cooked Boddingtons Braised Ox Cheek.”

Neil Burke, owner of The Black Friar, commented: “We wanted to bring a taste of spring to The Black Friar, inside and out. This floral installation will transform the space and bring sunshine and smiles, whatever the weather! 

“My top recommendation on the new menu is the Cumbrian Spiced Lamb Scotch Egg. It’s EXCEPTIONAL.”

To find out more about The Black Friar and to book a table, visit HERE. 

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new Bar Shrimp seafood bar in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Team behind award-winning Higher Ground to open new seafood bar, Bar Shrimp, in Manchester

Higher Ground, one of Manchester’s very top restaurants, is to open a brand-new seafood bar later this year.

With Bar Shrimp, they’ll be bringing a brand-new offering to town, with cocktails, beers on tap, British seafood and snacks.

Bar Shrimp will come from Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins, who at this point are a well-oiled operational machine.

They’re the team behind proudly British bistro Higher Ground, which grows much of its own produce at its Cinderwood Market Garden and earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand within a year of opening.

The same team are also behind Flawd, the beautiful waterside wine bar at Ancoats Marina.

And they’ve cemented themselves as one of Manchester’s most widely acclaimed hospitality teams – even Rick Stein says Higher Ground is one of the best places to eat in the entire country, which is high praise indeed.

Bar Shrimp, set to open in Manchester this winter, aims to be a ‘relaxed and focused bar with delicious food’.

They say: “Whether it’s a beer after work, some food with friends or after dinner drinks late into the night, Bar Shrimp will be a dynamic space where the music and energy evolves throughout the evening where everyone and anyone can come together for a memorable experience.”

They announced the news this morning on Cerys Matthews’ BBC 6Music Show.

British seafood with a side of cocktails? Sounds alright to us.

A location, opening date and more info on Bar Shrimp will follow – stay up to date with their latest HERE.

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Featured image: Supplied

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