The first food line-up for the kitchens at New Century has been announced, featuring a butty shop from one of Manchester’s most prestigious chefs.
The legendary music venue New Century Hall has been unused for the best part of a decade, but is set to reopen this summer under a (slightly) new name as an events, music, and food and drink destination.
The heart of the development will be the 10,000 sq ft kitchens, with six independent operators serving up food to around 300 diners.
Adam Reid, the chef behind The French inside The Midland hotel (often lauded as one of the regions’ best restaurants), will open a brand-new concept that’s a bit of a departure from his usual fare.
The new-look New Century Hall. Credit: Supplied
Two-time Great British Menu winner Reid will launch The Butty Shop, which he hopes will bring the classic British butty back to life.
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He’ll use classic northern flavours inspired by childhood visits to the bakery, with sides including pickled eggs and potato salad.
Also joining the food line-up at New Century is Banh Vi, a favourite from Altrincham Market.
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Adam Reid, of The French, will be opening a butty shop at New Century
Banh Vi are also opening
They’ll be bringing their plant-based Vietnamese and Thai dishes to the venue, including banh mi baguettes, steaming bowls of Pho, and fresh summer rolls.
2021 British Street Food Awards ‘People’s Choice’ winners, BaoBros23, are also joining New Century – their first foray into Manchester.
Father-and-son duo Daniel and Iain Woodhead will bring Asian-inspired cuisine with a touch of nostalgia, like bao, loaded fries and desserts, fresh from their success as a pop-up at Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden.
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BaoBros23 are joining the food offering at New Century. Credit: Supplied
There’ll also be coffee and grab ‘n’ go concepts from New Century, plus local beers, wines, cocktails, teas, juices and smoothies.
The redevelopment of the Grade II listed building is already underway, and will soon be spilling outside onto Sadler’s Yard for al fresco dining and events.
Across the three-floor social hub, there’ll be an 800+ capacity live music venue, a large food hall, and a creative college.
The venue is located between Victoria Station and Shudehill, right at the heart of one of central Manchester’s best connected areas, the 20 acre NOMA neighbourhood.
Inside Manchester’s new padel club with a Pot Kettle Black cafe and courtside cocktail bar
Daisy Jackson
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world, and it’s really picking up speed in Manchester now too with another city centre club opening this month.
The Pollen Club is a little different to the others, in that it’s fully undercover and protected from Manchester’s less-than-favourable weather.
And another thing that makes it a must-visit is the cafe attached to it – a third site for the beloved Pot Kettle Black.
The Pollen Club and Pot Kettle Black have both taken over a prominent city centre spot just off Deansgate, at the foot of the recently-opened Treehouse Hotel.
There are two state-of-the-art padel courts inside, with a mezzanine terrace for enjoy Pot Kettle Black’s offerings.
In summer, there are plans to launch a bar downstairs too, where you can sip spritzes courtside from loungers and swing seats.
The exciting new Manchester padel club will host pop up events, DJ takeovers and an extended evening food offering.
Pot Kettle Black are part of the new padel clubInside Manchester’s new padel club, The Pollen ClubPot Kettle Black are part of the new padel club
And even if you’re not heading inside The Pollen Club, Pot Kettle Black has a grab-and-go hatch facing onto Blackfriars Street, making their delicious coffees, sandwiches and pastries (from their own bakery Half Dozen Other) even more accessible.
Commenting on the opening of the new site, Pot Kettle Black co-owner, Mark Flanagan said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have opened our third Pot Kettle Black site at The Padel Club. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team.
“After ten years in the city we’ve been enjoying seeing some familiar faces stopping by for a coffee and we can’t wait to get started on our programme of summer events!”
Insomnia Cookies is giving away FREE cookies to anyone with these two names
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s late-night sweet treat spot Insomnia Cookies is dishing out freebies this week… but there’s a catch.
You have to be called one of two specific names to get one.
With the long bank holiday weekend upon us, those in-the-know will also have noticed that this Sunday isn’t just Easter Sunday, it also happens to be 4/20… and that means Insomnia Cookies is back with its ‘blazing’ £4.20 deal, giving you the chance to bag a box of four warm cookies while saving nearly £7 at the same time.
But even better still, if you happen to have either the first or middle name ‘Mary’ or ‘Jane’, then you can also get yourself a warm tasty cookie for free.
To mark both 4/20, and celebrate the launch of its newest strain of mouthwatering cookie, the Mary Jane, anyone called Mary or Jane can pop into either of Insomnia Cookies’ two Manchester city centre sites – Cross Street and University Green – show their valid ID with their name on, and walk alway with a cookie free of charge.
If you want to try the new Mary Jane cookie, then this limited-edition special is made up of a cookies n cream dough base, packed with rainbow sprinkles.
The freebie deal has been running all week, and you have up until 3am on Monday 21 April to take advantage of it.
Customers will be limited to one free cookie per day.
Insomnia Cookies is giving away free cookies to anyone with these two names / Credit: Insomnia Cookies UK
If you aren’t lucky enough to be called one of those two names though, then thankfully you can still make some great savings on a classic four-pack of cookies over the spring bank holiday weekend, and for every four-pack sold, £1 will be donated to Groundwork – a charity helping make Manchester greener for nature and for local people.
“We’re calling for Marys and Janes to join us to live the high life with free cookies all week,” commented Millie Ralston, Head of Marketing at Insomnia Cookies.
Daisy Jackson -
14th July 2022 
