Stockport restaurants and residents have joined forces to help feed some the community’s most vulnerable people for free next week.
After expressing dismay at the current political climate – said to be with respects to the “unacceptable” £30 free school meal hampers provided to some children learning from home this week that have gone viral on social media – and believing that “no person should go hungry”, Ate Days A Week – a “new and inventive musical-themed” sandwich and pie restaurant, with a branch in Stockport and a pop-up unit at street food venue Hatch in Manchester city centre – has teamed up with independent cocktail business Cherry Jam Stockport and the Vara family to “offer free meals to anyone who needs it”.
Next Wednesday 20th January from 12pm, the collective has vowed to “dish out free meal bundles” for 150 people from across the community on a first come first served basis – and it’s not just next Wednesday either.
150 meals will be distributed for free every Wednesday “throughout the duration of lockdown”.
Spreading word of their intent to feed, Ate Days A Week took to social media with a post that read: “Just think of all those hungry mouths we have to feed, take a look at all the suffering we breed, so many lonely faces scattered all around, searching for what they need,”
Ate Days A WeekAte Days A Week
It continued: “We want to do something – we can’t count on the elected powers that be to look after us, so we’ll look after anyone we can.”
“No questions asked – any age, any colour, any creed, any walk of life is welcome.”
According to the social media post, those claiming one of the 150 free food bundles from next week can expect to took into a freshly-prepared hot meal, which will consist of either a Hotpot from Cherry Jam, or Vegetable Curry & Rice from The Vara’s.
And along that, they will get some fresh fruit and a roast chicken sandwich from Ate Days A Week.
All meals will be served at Ate Days A Week from 12pm on Wednesday 20th January, and every Wednesday after that until England’s third national lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic comes to an end.
You can find more information about the initiative here.
Ate Days A Week, 8 Vernon Street, Stockport, Greater Manchester, SK1 1TY.
Eats
Hotel Chocolat to open viral chocolate Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hotel Chocolat is set to open a Velvetiser Cafe in Manchester city centre, and it’ll be absolute paradise for chocolate lovers.
The popular chocolate shop, which has stores across the UK selling delicious chocolate bars, boxes and more, is now preparing to branch out in town.
Hotel Chocolat then hit a new level of fame with its Velvetiser, an invention that creates velvety smooth hot drinks at the touch of a button.
They’ve been so popular, Hotel Chocolat is now opening Velvetiser Cafes across the UK – and Manchester is up next.
If it follows in the footsteps of the Meadowhall cafe in Sheffield, visitors will be able to customise their perfect hot chocolate from thousands of combinations.
There are 18 flavours, different milks, and a whole variety of toppings available.
Then you drink can be served hot, over ice, or as a choc shake.
Colourful hoardings for the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser Cafe have now appeared on Cross Street, just next door to the new Joe & The Juice.
A planning application has also been lodged with Manchester City Council.
Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.
The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).
Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.
Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.
It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.
The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.
There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.
Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.
And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.
Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.
“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.
“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.
Emily Sergeant -
13th January 2021 
