Eats

The Manchester mental health cafe staying open to provide lockdown support

“Feel Good Club exists to remind people that we are all just humans".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 3rd November 2020
Instagram – @wearefeelgoodclub

Feel Good Club is Manchester’s new kid on the block and it will be remaining open throughout the second national lockdown for takeaway services and to provide support.

The movement – which started humbly as an Instagram page by founders Kiera and Aimie Lawlor-Skillen – is aimed at normalising the stigma around mental health and has flourished into a successful platform of 120K+ followers.

So successful in fact that is saw the pair go on to open the doors to their brand-new wellbeing-focused coffee house in the heart of the Northern Quarter just last weekend.

But, despite the country heading into another national lockdown – which is expected to take effect from 0.01 GMT on Thursday 5th November and requires hospitality businesses to close for the four week duration – Kiera and Aimie will be keeping the Hilton Street coffee house open for takeaway only.

As well as being a brilliant independent business to grab your caffeine fix from, it will also provide vital support services for those who need most, especially as Google search data compiled by Feel Good Club shows the increasingly-worrying rise in mental health searches, with a 25% uplift in the UK overall.

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Searches for how to deal with anxiety are also up by 53%, how to cope with OCD up 89%, and searches for tips on how to cope with depression are up 67% too.

Instagram – @wearefeelgoodclub

Making the announcement on Instagram, Kiera and Aimie said: “We’ll be staying open throughout lockdown for takeaway [and] our team are mental health first aid trained so can support people who may be in need when they come to get their coffee,”

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“It’s a difficult time for everyone and we want to offer support to anyone who might be struggling during this time.”

“Feel Good Club exists to remind people that we are all just humans”.

The cafe also employs a number of community-driven initiatives such as the ‘pay it forward’, which means you can pay for someone else to have a coffee on you, or easily enjoy one of their pay it forward coffees if you are in need, struggling or having a hard time.

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To make ordering as comfortable as possible, you can send @wearefeelgoodclub a message on Instagram before you order, or ask for a ‘Thumbs Up’ on arrival, and the staff will know exactly what you mean.

Feel Good Club will continue to be a space to host community events, a co-working space, and a place to relax once restrictions are lifted too, and you can find more information via the website here.

You can follow the movement on Instagram here.

Eats

The 5 best places to go for a matcha in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson A selection of matcha items at Tsujuri in Manchester

Matcha fever has the nation gripped at the minute – it feels like half the country has turned its back on flat whites in favour of the popular green tea drink.

This pretty Japanese beverage might have been around for centuries, but it’s having a bit of a new moment here in Manchester and finding a whole new wave of fans.

With the global success of brands like Blank Street, you can barely walk down the street without passing someone sipping something green.

So we’ve decided to pull together five local spots in Manchester who are doing the very best matcha in town, from the very traditional to the very playful.

Know of somewhere we’ve missed? Drop us a DM on our The Manc Eats Instagram page HERE.

Ohayo Tea, Chinatown

Ohayo Tea in Manchester
A matcha bubble tea at Ohayo Tea in Manchester
Matcha bubble tea and soft serve at Ohayo Tea in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

This adorable bubble tea cafe in Chinatown has a Shiba Inu dog as its mascot, and you’ll find his face carved into the walls, waffles in the shape of his head, and a giant dog statue bursting out of the wall.

Ohayo Tea serve a complex take on a matcha drink that plays into their bubble tea expertise – expect your matcha to come layered with tapioca pearls, cheese foam, pistachio foam, and plenty more options too.

These drinks come with instructions – tilt your branded cup (the Shiba is back) it to at least 45 degrees to get every layer at once, or, if you insist, use a thick straw to mix it all together.

You can also get matcha soft serve here with shards of honeycomb stuck to it. Delightful.

Just Between Friends, Ancoats and Northern Quarter

Just Between Friends, Ancoats
Matcha drinks at Just Between Friends, Ancoats
Matcha drinks at Just Between Friends, Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group

If you’re someone who actually likes matcha to taste of matcha, rather than of all sorts of syrups and other add-ons, turn to one of the city’s best coffee shops. 

At Just Between Friends – which has locations tucked into an old mill in Ancoats as well as right on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter – matcha is whisked properly with a traditional bamboo whisk, before being added to steamed or chilled milk.

The result is either a warm, smooth drink served in an earthenware cup, or a refreshing iced matcha. 

You can wedge yourself into a window seat or even sit on the cobbled archway outside and imagine you’ve transported yourself to a Tokyo backstreet.

Matcha Kyoto, Deansgate

We’d love to tell you the opening hours and location of this pop-up matcha hotspot, but it tends to shift around Manchester a bit.

It’s worth tracking down though – Matcha Kyoto is importing speciality ingredients all the way from Kyoto and doing everything as authentically as possible.

With matcha whipped cream, matcha lattes, matcha desserts and matcha toppings it’s a dream come true for matcha lovers… Is the word matcha starting to sound like gibberish to anyone else at this point?

Track their latest movements on their Instagram HERE.

Sipp, Ancoats and Deansgate Square

Sipp matcha in Ancoats
Sipp matcha in Ancoats
Sipp matcha in Ancoats. Credit: The Manc Group

If you’re new to matcha, or just know that you like yours with a little sweetness and fun, you must get a sip of Sipp’s.

These guys are based in General Stores around town, with their own coffee shop soon to open in Chorlton, and they have a whole list of ‘Matcha Cloud’ drinks.

Their best-seller is the raspberry and coconut, which tastes exactly like a lamington, or there are always specials cropping up (currently, it’s a mango and passionfruit).

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This is gateway matcha – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Tsujiri, Chinatown

A selection of matcha items at Tsujuri in Manchester
A selection of matcha items at Tsujuri in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

Not satisfied with simply serving matcha you can drink, Tsujiri is a Japanese tea house using this powerful ingredient in cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes and more.

Tsujiri was founded all the way back in 1860, before bringing the finest matcha lattes and infused desserts to British shores.

In Manchester, you’ll find them in the heart of Chinatown, tucked up an anonymous flight of stairs, where there are cabinets full of green sweet treats like a matcha basque cheesecake, matcha sundaes, and classic iced lattes.

The GOATs.

More food and drink:

Featured image: The Manc Group

Eats

The two best bakeries in Greater Manchester, according to the Good Food Guide

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Two bakeries in Greater Manchester have been named among the best in the UK

The Good Food Guide has released its list of the top bakeries across the UK – and two in Greater Manchester have made the cut.

The prestigious guide has been travelling across the nation testing out the joy of British bakeries, from pastries to loaves to biscuits.

50 bakeries around the UK have been selected, ‘from a makeshift industrial unit in Devon to a radically remote destination in the Scottish Highlands and a must-visit spot in Mid Wales’.

Greater Manchester, as we know, has no shortage of great bakeries, whether it’s queueing for ages for an artisan pastry at La Chouquette, the ever-changing specials at Half Dozen Other in the Green Quarter, or delicious bakes and breads at Companio.

The Good Food Guide has said that the nation is going through something of a ‘modern baking boom’ and selected two spots locally that are doing it better than anyone else.

The first is Pollen, a legendary bakery which started life under a railway arch near Manchester Piccadilly, where people would queue all morning for a cruffin (at the time, this was revolutionary).

The team have now gone on to open a sunny waterside cafe at Ancoats Marina, and another in the leafy Kampus neighbourhood.

Pollen in Ancoats
Pollen in Ancoats
Pollen in Ancoats
Pollen in Ancoats
Pollen at Kampus
Pollen at Kampus
Pollen at Kampus
Pollen at Kampus
Credit: The Manc Group

The Good Food Guide praised Pollen for its ‘quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves’.

The Good Food Guide says of Pollen: “Since the aroma of fresh croissants first wafted from the ovens of the original bakery in Ancoats, Pollen has established something of a cult status in Manchester for its quality viennoiserie and sourdough loaves.

“A second, larger outpost at the Kampus development in the Piccadilly area is a serene, putty-hued space looking onto a lush courtyard garden where you can linger over a lunch of BBQ mushrooms on toast with celeriac and salsa verde or Jerusalem artichoke soup with herb butter.

“The counter also advertises a handsome selection of sweet treats: our surprisingly delicate matcha cheesecake was a sure sign of the pastry team’s skills.”

Long Boi's Bakehouse in Levenshulme
Long Boi's Bakehouse in Levenshulme
Long Boi's Bakehouse in Levenshulme
Long Boi’s Bakehouse in Levenshulme. Credit: The Manc Group

The second of the bakeries in Greater Manchester to catch the eye of the Good Food Guide is the brilliant Long Bois over in Levenshulme, a sunny, colourful little bakery which first rocketed to fame for its homemade pop tarts.

The guide said: “A small team of all-female bakers turns out a satisfyingly creative selection of sweet and savoury bakes – perhaps a pandan lamington (a take on the coconut-drenched Aussie classic) or an ‘everything bagel’ croissant stuffed with dill, spring onion and cream cheese – while classic cakes and pastries are presented with equal doses of flavour and flourish.

“With a tiny production kitchen, bread comes from the also-excellent Holy Grain Sourdough in Manchester city centre. Like any self-respecting neighbourhood bakery, they sell out quickly – so get there early.”

Where’s your favourite bakery in Greater Manchester?

More food and drink news:

Featured image: The Manc Group

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