Celebrity chef Tom Kerridge will be offering diners a ‘too good to be true’ set lunch menu deal at three of his restaurants.
The chef, who owns the Bull & Bear in Manchester’s Stock Exchange hotel as well as the world’s first two-Michelin star pub, will create a £15 set menu, executed by his head chefs across the country.
He said he wants to ‘get the excitement and buzz back into restaurants’ during the cost of living crisis.
Kerridge’s menu will include classic pub favourites, executed to his usual high standard, like cottage pie, lasagne, and jam roly poly pudding.
There’ll be two courses for £15, with the option to add an extra course for an extra £7.50 – and bearing in mind that the cheapest starter on the Bull & Bear’s usual menu is £14.50, that’s quite a bargain .
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The acclaimed chef pulled off a similar stunt during the 2008 financial crisis when people were ‘very worried about the money in their pockets’ and says it made ‘absolutely no money but filled the pub with noise, excitement and laughter’.
Credit: Tom KerridgeCredit: Facebook
Tom Kerridge added: “Now, in 2022, it feels like those times are here again. You can’t turn on the TV, look at social media or read a newspaper without the grim news of the cost-of-living crisis.
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“So, it is time to bring back the ‘too good to be true’ offer. We are very excited to launch a set lunch £15 menu. Yes, that is right, £15 for two courses (a third course can be enjoyed for an additional £7.50), running across three of our sites. Kerridge’s Bar & Grill in the heart of London at The Corinthia, the one Michelin starred The Coach in Marlow, and the beautiful Bull & Bear in Manchester.”
He continued: “The dishes will champion classic pub favourites or even school dinners, so expect cottage pie, lasagne and caramelized onion sausage with mash followed by old school desserts of spotted dick, jam roly poly and crumble and custard.
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“The aim is to get the excitement and buzz back into restaurants without guests having the fear of spending too much money. A taste of the good times at a fraction of the price.
“Please come and join us, and most importantly, make a booking in London, Manchester or Marlow.”
The £15 set lunch menu will be available at Tom Kerridge’s The Bull & Bear in Manchester from Monday 5 September.
Featured image: Bull & Bear
Eats
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd September 2022 
