A new bar, called The Trading Route, is set to open next month, from the minds behind three of Greater Manchester’s best-loved and most established food and drink names.
The Northern Quarter’s long-standing bar and brunch spot Trof, plus local brewery Manchester Union, and Monton’s village wine shop Wandering Palate, are all collaborating on this very exciting new venture.
Inside The Trading Route, there’ll be cold beer and hot rotisserie chicken, plus a luxury larder of expertly-sourced goods.
Set to open in November at Goods Yard Street, just a few doors down from Caravan, it’ll be a 150-capacity space that’s open from dawn until dusk.
The Trading Route will act as a lagerhouse for Manchester Union, taking inspiration from the great beer halls of central Europe but serving local brews from their Ardwick-based brewery.
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Pints will be poured with a full and frothy head, and served in custom-made Tübinger glasses. They want this to be known as The Home of The Foam.
There’ll also be a purpose-built rotisserie serving crisp whole- and half-chicken, as well as porchetta, carved fresh from the oven to order and served with pickles and dips.
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The menu has been crafted by the Trof team – a Manchester institution – and will also showcase freshly-baked focaccia as well as small plates like slow-roasted potatoes served with chicken fat mayo, salsa verde, and pecorino), salads, and house-made sweets.
The Trading Route comes from Manchester Union, Trof, and Wandering Palate. Credit: SuppliedThe Trading Route is heading to Goods Yard Street. Credit; Supplied
Then heading across from Monton, Wandering Palate will look after the pantry portion of The Trading Route – expect some of the most sought-after cheeses and sundries you can pick up on the way home.
Jamie Scahill from Manchester Union said: “The Trading Route is an unofficial tap room for us, and it feels like this has been a long time coming.
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“Working with our friends at Trof and Wandering Palate has been great, with our offerings and expertise perfectly complementing one another. We can’t wait for people to come down to experience our very own lagerhouse over a few pints this November.”
Matt Nellany from Trof added: “We’ve focused on bringing everything that people love about Trof to an exciting space in a new neighbourhood.
The Trading Route comes from Manchester Union, Trof, and Wandering Palate. Credit: Supplied
“The kitchen team have been perfecting a menu ideally suited to our purpose-made rotisserie ovens – think crispy chicken, slow-cooked porchetta, and some killer vegan options too, all designed to be shared.
“It’s going to be that perfect spot whether you’re grabbing breakfast, stopping in for lunch, or settling in for a proper evening session.”
And Will Evans from Wandering Palate said: “It’s brilliant to be bringing our wines, cheeses, and deli favourites to a new audience in the city centre. We’ve curated a selection of goods that we’re really proud of, and, of course, we’ll be there to help people discover something special to take home. It’s an exciting space, and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it.”
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To celebrate its launch, The Trading Route will throw a day-long complimentary party, with free lager and chicken to the first mailing list subscribers who sign up HERE.
‘Manchester’s best lunch deal’ that’s only available for two hours a day
Daisy Jackson
There’s a cafe in the centre of Manchester that’s had queues all the way down the street thanks to its incredible value lunch deal.
Although it’s been in Spring Gardens for two years now, Meridian has remained one of Manchester’s best-kept secrets online, thanks to its decision to stay totally off social media until recently.
That hasn’t stopped the queues though, and they’re all here for the same thing – a loaded £5.80 lunch box.
Tucked away just off Market Street, Meridian is an unassuming cafe operated by founder Dan.
It’s much more than a coffee shop, with a menu of Asian fusion dishes served in the cafe, as well as for grab-and-go lunches.
The lunch boxes start from just £5.80, which gets you a box absolutely packed to the brim with delicious Chinese and South East Asian items.
You start off with a base of either egg rice fried, chips, or noodles; then lash on a sauce like Malaysian curry, Thai sweet chilli, or satay.
Meridian in ManchesterThe Meridian lunch boxes in Manchester
As for the toppings, there’s a massive list including popcorn salt n chilli chicken, Japanese gyozas, roasted pork ribs, tofu bites, and crispy spicy beef.
Plans officially submitted for ‘vibrant’ new food hall in Wythenshawe
Emily Sergeant
Are you feeling hungry? Good, because a new food hall is on the horizon.
That’s right – plans to transform Wythenshawe Civic have taken another exciting leap forward this week, as Manchester City Council and placemaker Muse have submitted a planning application to bring a brand-new food hall to the town.
Set to be housed within the three units next to the former Peacocks store – which has now been demolished – the new food hall will become a ‘vibrant’ destination for independent and local food vendors to attract people with ‘delicious and diverse’ offerings.
Developers also hope the new food hall will keep the suburban Manchester town’s centre ‘bustling’ throughout the day and into the evening.
The announcement that the new food hall is in the works comes as part of the already-announced plans for Wythenshawe Civic – with work to soon begin on everything from the public realm, and outside space, to the vacant office space above the existing Iceland-store, which will also be transformed into modern new workspace to support local start-ups and bring new jobs into the town centre.
Developers also recently submitted three separate applications to create 422 new affordable homes for social rent across three locations in the town centre.
“Listening to local people over the last year and more, we know that Wythenshawe residents want more from their town centre – more things to do, opportunities to spend time in Civic and night time attractions that give the area a lift and attract visitors,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“This is the drive behind the Culture Hub. A place for local people with an interest in the arts to take part in creative activities, see a show or enjoy the cinema space – right in the heart of their community.
“This is another exciting chapter in the transformation of Wythenshawe Town Centre.”
Joel Chandler, who is the Senior Development Manager at Muse, added that developers are ‘moving at pace’ with plans to give the town centre the ‘regeneration it deserves’.
“The food hall will be a hive for a range of local outlets and will provide new spaces for the community to spend time in and give the town’s nighttime economy a major boost.”
Daisy Jackson -
16th October 2024 
