There’s a bottomless pancake brunch happening in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on Pancake Day and it sounds absolutely brilliant.
Priced at just £12.50 for 90 minutes of unlimited pancakes and another £15 for non-stop drinks, if you think you can manage to eat your body weight in pancakes then this might just be for you.
Taking place at The Shack in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, pancakes will come loaded with everything from bacon and maple syrup to Biscoff, strawberries and cream, whilst drinks choices will include the likes of prosecco, mimosas, numerous beers, and a couple of different ciders.
Beer and cider drinkers can get stuck into a choice of Coors, Corona, Redstripe, Aspall or Shack fruit cider, and there’s also a cocktail upgrade option for those who want to go all-out.
Image: The Shack MCR
Image: The Shack MCR
Priced at £25 for the cocktail option, this will give you an hour and a half of bottomless pornstar martinis, frozen strawberry daiquiris, caramel chocolate espresso martinis and your choice of house spirit mixers.
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Further pancake topping choices include caramelised banana with caramel and Nutella, Lotus Biscoff and berries, or ‘OG pancakes with the option to add on buttermilk fried chicken for another £2.50.
Available at The Shack all day from 12-11pm or whilst pancakes last, you’ll need to book in advance in order to guarantee a seat there on the day.
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An independent sports bar a the corner of High Street, when it’s not slinging gout pancakes The Shack is known for its live sports screenings, massive burgers and games – like pool tables, ping pong, beer pong and darts.
Image: The Shack MCR
Image: The Shack MCR
Split over three floors, it is open from 10am daily and typically serves its brunch until 1pm (pancake day being an exception).
On the ground floor, it’s all about casual dining, booth seating and private screens showing all the live sport you could desire.
Then downstairs in the basement, the sports bar and club space typically has residents playing tunes every weekend to bring the party vibes.
To make a booking for the bottomless pancake brunch at The Shack, click here.
Feature image – The Shack MCR
Eats
Irish Festival Village returns to Manchester with live music, fry-up pizzas and loads of Guinness
Daisy Jackson
A huge Irish Festival Village has returned to Manchester city centre today to kick off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Over the coming 10 days, there’ll be live Irish music, street food, retail stalls and – of course – plenty of Guinness flowing.
The main event is now open at St Ann’s Square, where a gigantic marquee festooned in green, white and orange has been installed.
Inside here, the bar is being run by the O’Shea’s team, and the stage will host loads of live music and great craic.
Outside you’ll find Birchwood Pizza, who have got a menu of pizzas inspired by the Emerald Isle.
Pizzas include the What’s the Craic (a fry-up pizza with white pudding and Dubliner sausage) to The Black Stuff (black pudding, rosemary potato and streaky pudding).
The Irish Festival Village has opened as part of the wider Manchester Irish Festival celebrations across Greater Manchester.
The Irish Festival Village is back in ManchesterIrish pizzas at the Festival Village on St Ann’s SquareYou can shop Irish treats outside
There’ll also be a Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday 16 March, which will weave its way from the Irish World Heritage Centre all the way onto Deansgate.
The parade will showcase and champion local groups and organisations such as GAA clubs, Irish dance classes, marching bands, and pipe bands, along with a strong representation of the 32 counties in Ireland.
And it handily winds up around King Street, just beside the Irish Festival Village.
The gathering spot will be open from Friday 7 March all the way through to St Patrick’s Day itself – find out more HERE.
There’s a bakery in Manchester where you can decorate your own adorable tiny bento cake
Daisy Jackson
We’ve found a wholesome activity that’ll suit even the most cack-handed of bakers – a workshop where you can decorate your own miniature bento cake.
This Manchester activity has shot to the top of our list of our favourite things to do locally, perfect for a hen do, a birthday, a mate date or a date date.
Bento cakes, or lunchbox cakes, have all the elaborate decorations of a full celebration cake but made miniature, for a treat that doesn’t have to be shared out to dozens of people.
From swirls of buttercream frosting to pretty piped love hearts to cursive writing atop your cake, there are loads of decorations you can add to your own creation.
At Vanilla Ice Cakes in Chorlton, you’ll sit under the expert eye of owner Fiza, a master baker who’s been in the game for more than a decade.
She’ll guide you (and sometimes step in to help you) as you fumble your way through decorating your own cake.
As you arrive for your workshop you’re presented with two adorable vanilla sponge cakes, a classic base for a proper Victoria sponge or a more elaborate celebration cake.
Other cakes at Vanilla Ice CakesYou can mix up your own buttercream icingMaster baker Fiza at work at the bento cake workshopThe bento cake workshop space in ManchesterOne of our creations at the bento cake workshop in Chorlton, Manchester
Each class includes hot drinks, plus a plate full of Vanilla Ice Cakes’ delicious brownie bites.
From here, you’re taught the basics of piping, building a buttercream ‘dam’ before spooning in a filling of choice – jam, Nutella or Lotus Biscoff.
After applying a crumb coat (Great British Bake Off fans will already be on the right page here), the real fun begins.
Fiza will help you to whip up a smooth buttercream in whichever colour you wish, before letting you run riot with a piping bag.
You’ll practice swirls, rosettes, hearts, and even writing in icing ahead of decorating your actual cake.
You can see how we got on below, then book your own spot HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
9th February 2023 
