Celebrity chef Rick Stein has paid a visit to Greater Manchester and fallen head-over-heels in love with one of the city’s newest restaurants, Higher Ground.
The legendary chef and food writer had already named Higher Ground as one of his favourite places to eat in the entire UK, but with the premiere of his new BBC series Rick Stein’s Food Stories, we can finally see him fawn over it with our own eyes.
Rick’s Manchester episode has aired on BBC Two on Friday 16 February, and also includes a visit to Bury Market.
Meeting with Higher Ground head chef Joseph Otway for lunch, Rick praised him for ‘using every part of the beast’.
Joseph had chosen to cook him a portion of homemade pasta made with a pork offal ragu, which had been a surprise hit and has become one of Higher Ground’s best-selling recipes.
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He said: “We needed a pasta dish for that evening, and we always cook with what we have available. We put the offal ragu on and I was pretty nervous about it, but it sold very well, and people loved it.”
The dish is made with pig’s heart, lung, kidney and liver, which is minced on site before being cooked in lashings of red wine and beef stock.
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Higher Ground chef Joseph Otway chatting to Rick Stein in his Manchester episode of his new BBC series. Credit: BBCRick Stein watching Higher Ground chef Joseph Otway preparing their offal ragu. Credit: BBC
Rick said of Higher Ground: “Walking into this restaurant, it’s really cutting edge. It could be in any city in the world really.”
He also told Joseph: “You’re on the money, and I’ve been in the business for a while!”
Since the episode of Rick Stein’s Food Stories dropped on iPlayer, Higher Ground has shared a statement about meeting with a ‘culinary hero’.
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They wrote: “Last year we had the pleasure of welcoming Rick Stein, one of my culinary heroes, to Higher Ground. I cooked a recipe with Rick and talked at length about how exciting it is to be based in Manchester and creating a restaurant that works with whole animal butchery and produce from our own farm, @cinderwoodmarketgarden.
“The series focuses on artisanal food producers around the British Isles and some forgotten food items. In this episode I made a ragu from all of the offal of one of the pigs we took from @janesfarmuk – a dish we had on the menu at the time.
The pork offal ragu prepared for Rick Stein by Higher Ground in Manchester
“We’re taking a pig at the end of this week so it might be back on the menu soon!”
Higher Ground started life as a pop-up at Kampus but has since put down roots on New York Street.
It’s a modern space with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on two sides, and a whole wine room where diners can pick out a bottle to take home.
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Also behind the restaurant is front-of-house man Richard Cossins and wine expert Daniel Craig-Martin. Rick said they are ‘young and just wonderful’.
And it’s not just Rick who approves of it – Higher Ground has already been added to the Michelin Guide and placed in the top 100 in the UK within months of opening.
Rick Stein just named Higher Ground as one of his favourite restaurants in the UK. Credit: Sam Harris
Speaking of Higher Ground to Conde Nast Traveller, Rick said: “This is in a really trendy part of Manchester, but I love it because Joe is one of those chefs who won’t cook anything that isn’t local.
“Of course, it’s not one of those places that won’t use olive oil because it’s not local, but the main ingredients are strictly local. I really liked it, but it’s so unlike the sort of place that you would expect me to like.”
The legendary chef said he first visited when in Manchester for the cricket, and says Higher Ground ‘really shows how much food is improving in Manchester’.
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Rick Stein named Higher Ground in Manchester as one of his favourite restaurants in the UK. Credit: The Manc Group
Rick said of the food: “I had the most delicious homemade pasta, a pappardelle with heart, liver and lungs of lamb made into a Ragu. You wouldn’t know it was made of heart, lungs and liver if you didn’t know; it was really, really tasty.
“They do organic wine, which is unusual for me, but currently trendy and apparently gives you less of a hangover.”
Rick Stein has travelled the length and breadth of the UK filming a new series Food Stories, where he’ll ‘meet the pioneers of the twenty-first century British food scene’.
And the Higher Ground team certainly fit that description.
A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester next week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a run, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
A build-your-own banana pudding bar is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s now-viral banana pudding brand, Buttercup, is opening its first permanent spot – with a build-you-own pudding bar.
The local business has brought banana pudding – a dessert made world-famous by the Magnolia Bakery in New York City – to our city.
And now Buttercup is making things permanent, opening a banana pudding bar at Deansgate Square where you can customise your perfect pot of this nostalgic dessert.
Each pot comes with a base of vanilla custard whipped with cream, soft sponge, and fresh banana, which you can then customise with rotating flavours and toppings (previous signatures have included brown butter Biscoff, matcha and white chocolate, and tiramisu).
Expect toppings like homemade cookie crumb, brownie bites, chocolate chips, and pretzels, and drizzles like cinnamon honey, raspberry, and pistachio.
This cult dessert spot will be taking on a permanent residence at General Store Deansgate Square, in partnership with HUBB Coffee.
It’s the first permanent home for Buttercup since founder, 22-year-old Natasha Black, launched the idea from home in July 2025.
A build-your-own banana pudding pot from Buttercup. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup founder Natasha Black at a recent pop-up. Credit: The Manc Group
Since its inception, Buttercup has sold thousands of banana puddings around Greater Manchester, hosted sell-out pop-ups, and collaborated with big local brands.
Classic puddings will start at £5.50, with rotating flavours at £6, and toppings from 50p. There’ll also be a range of other homemade bakes.
To celebrate the launch, Buttercup and HUBB will be offering free classic banana puddings to the first 20 customers on Saturday 6 December from 12pm, followed by a special £5 combo deal offering a pot of classic banana pudding paired with HUBB’s banana latte, running until 3pm.
Natasha Black, Buttercup founder, said: “This residency feels like the perfect next step for Buttercup. I’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to our banana pudding in just three months and wanted to give our customers a regular spot to enjoy it.
“General Store and HUBB have created such an amazing, supportive space for independents and I’m so excited for people to build their own pudding pots and try all the new flavours we’ve been working on.”
Mital Morar, founder of General Store, also commented: “Buttercup has been a standout example of the collaborations we love to support. Their rapid growth and loyal following have been incredible to see.
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
Buttercup banana pudding pots. Credit: The Manc Group
“We’re delighted to welcome them in-house alongside HUBB Coffee as a permanent fixture. Natasha and her team bring real creativity and commitment, and we’re excited to work with them through Christmas and into the New Year.”
Dean Hans, Co-founder of HUBB Coffee also comments: “We’ve had a fantastic introduction to Manchester since launching our coffee bar in September. Teaming up with Buttercup strengthens the whole concept – it allows us to focus on what we do best: delivering top-quality coffee, matcha, and beverages, while Buttercup shines on the sweet-treats and pudding side.
“Bringing the two brands together just makes sense, and we’re excited to explore the mash-ups we can create between our coffee and Buttercup’s pudding range.”
The residency will open 12pm-7pm at General Store Deansgate Square, opening on Wednesday 3 December.
Daisy Jackson -
16th February 2024 
