As we speed ahead into July, we take note of some of the most exciting new openings in Greater Manchester this week.
From a crumble cafe selling glittery, shortbread-laden desserts, to an independently-run vegan fast food site in Piccadilly that’s giving us strong guilt-free McDonald’s vibes, as ever there’s plenty of exciting new things to try in Manchester this week.
Keep reading to discover our top picks.
Homemade crumble cafe Crumbled has just landed in Spinningfields / Image: Crumbled
A brand new crumble cafe with glittery toppings and all the custardyou can eat
New Manchester cafe Crumbled is dishing up the wholesome homely favourite with a variety of different fruity bottoms like rhubarb, strawberry and apple.
ADVERTISEMENT
Hand-baked with love and care, they are all priced at £5 with a choice of shortbread or crumble.
Opt for yours to be served ‘traditional’ or with added glitz – think glittery toppings, blow-torched marshmallows, rose petals and ice cream.
ADVERTISEMENT
Find Crumbled’s pop-up inside Wolf Italian Street Food on Spinningfields, Wednesday to Sunday.
The asparagus and pancetta lasagne from Casa Lasagne / Image: Casa Lasagne
A new authentic Italian lasagne spot, using a pasta recipe passed through generations
Due to open this Thursday 1 July, Casa Lasagne is cooking up everyone’s favourite home comfort food with the utmost authenticity. Think pistachio, pesto and besciamella lasagne, rich pumpkin and white ragu lasagne and four-cheese lasagne made with parmigiana and stilton, and you’ll start to get an idea of the variety on offer here.
ADVERTISEMENT
A family-run operation using a pasta recipe passed through the generations, they also plan to cook up deep fried Neapolitan croquettas and other Italian treats.
Order from their website or find them on Deliveroo or Uber Eats.
Vegan Shack owners Dimeji and Saffron first started Vegan Shack in their Flat Kitchen two years ago. Think ‘Vegan McDonalds’ / Image: Vegan Shack
Collyhurst’s Vegan Shack arrives in town, with a second site on Piccadilly Gardens
Starting from humble beginnings in a flat kitchen in 2019, Vegan Shack’s known for its loaded fries and delicious plant-based kebab creations.
From spending their last £30 on food for their dark kitchen concept in 2019 to opening a second site in Piccadilly Gardens this week, founding couple Dimeji and Saffron have had quite a journey.
ADVERTISEMENT
Head down for fast food favourites like burgers, wraps, fries and shakes.
Find them just off Piccadilly Gardens inside One Piccadilly.
Scandinavian-inspired cafe bar Lättsam has it all: Beatnikz beer, Grindsmith coffee, wine, cocktails and pastries / Image: Lättsam
A new Scandinavian-inspired cafe bar in Manchester’s business district
New cafe bar Lättsam is set to open this Thursday 1 July on the corner of Fountain Street and Spring Gardens. Minimalist in design with striking white and yellow tiles, this cafe/workspace/kitchen will also house a Beatnikz bar and miniature brewhouse.
Head down this weekend for Grindsmiths coffee and fresh pastries, beers, wines and cocktails – and keep your eyes peeled for a big street food announcement coming soon.
ADVERTISEMENT
Find them on the corner of Fountain Street and Spring Gardens from July 1.
Summer Beer Thing brings hundreds of tasty beers from Manchester and further afield into the city centre every year / Image: Summer Beer Thing
It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for fans of Common and co’s Summer Beer Thing. Cancelled last summer, it seemed unlikely to happen again this year after the team announced they’d be leaving the Pilcrow.
Now (thankfully) it’s going ahead again – this year on the waterside at KAMPUS.
Kicking off this Thursday 1 July, there’ll be eight rotating taps plus natural wines and ice cream sandwiches from Nell’s.
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
Georgina Pellant -
28th June 2021 
