You can get mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees at this Manchester winter village
Whilst we're no stranger to a cocktail tree, these ones at Mala's winter village are extra special - served with real, living firs for that extra festive touch
There’s a winter village in Manchester selling mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees and we are just a little bit obsessed.
Hidden away off the beaten track in the Northern Quarter, if you look for a big green door you should stumble across Mala’s magical alpine village.
The secret garden on Lever Street has been transformed into a winter wonderland for the festive season, complete with ski cabins, heated Alpine chalets and a giant barn – plus not one but two charming outdoor garden spaces.
Image: The Manc Group
Now, as we roll into December, the team has upped its bar offering – which already includes steins, hot chocolates and a range of cocktails including margaritas – to offer these amazing mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees throughout the season.
Priced at £6.50 per glass or £24 for a tree of four, they come out on real evergreen firs jazzed up with baubles and pine cones. It doesn’t really get more Christmassy than that.
ADVERTISEMENT
And that’s not all. As well as the brilliant mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees, Mala is also serving up a Berry 75 cocktail tree – priced at £29, or £8 for a single glass.
The Berry 75 cocktail tree at Mala – priced at £29, or £8 for a single glass / Image: Mala / Memphis Medium
The Berry 75 is a twist on the classic French 75 cocktail, a combination of gin, lemon juice, sugar and fizz – but this one has added raspberry to give it that red, Christmassy hue.
ADVERTISEMENT
Food-wise, there are plans to offer a cheese fondue at some point next month, but right now you can still get your hands on some top-notch local scran as Mala has partnered with a host of local eateries.
By scanning a QR code on your table (or in your heated chalet), you’ll be able to access the menus of surrounding eateries like Ply, Chakalaka, House of Habesha, Salt and Pepper and more – with each venue bringing its food in for you directly.
On-site, you’ll also find Crumbled – serving up pots of indulgent crumbles from their hatch next to the bar. With toppings like biscoff, chocolate sauce, rose custard and more, it’s a proper indulgent sweet treat.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s no need to book either, rather you can simply walk in – and the mulled wine Christmas cocktail trees will be served throughout December.
Mala’s opening hours are from 12.30 to 9 pm every day.
GRUB On The Docks returns to MediaCity this summer with street food, World Cup screenings, and more
Emily Sergeant
Indie street food traders will be lining the Salford waterfront this summer, as GRUB On The Docks returns once again.
Summer is right around the corner, and MediaCity’s waterfront site will once again be transformed into a vibrant open-air destination built for warm weather and big moments across the season, as GRUB On The Docks returns later this week.
Running across the summer months, you can some of Greater Manchester‘s best street food traders to be serving up global flavours and summer-ready drinks, alongside live music, DJs, and just an all round laid-back atmosphere turning daytime hangouts into evening sessions.
There’ll be a rotating lineup of independent street food operators, including the likes of Sizzling Seoul’s East Asian bowls, Dukes Po Boys big American flavours, and Umami Cartel’s Japanese and Mexican fusion dishes all on the menu, as well as Oppa Korean Dogs, Sazume Sake, and Ilovebrioche – with many more ‘special’ traders and chefs still to be announced.
Aside from the food, the events calendar this year is packed with open-air screenings of the World Cup, classic films, and summer blockbusters, as well beer and wine festivals, wellness workshops, a New Faces Comedy all-day event, and even a dedicated Meet The Neighbours resident meet-up.
For families, there’s the popular Baby Mosh party, and plenty more activities to pass the time while schools are out for the summer.
GRUB On The Docks is returning to MediaCity this summer with street food, World Cup screenings, and loads more / Credit: Supplied
“GRUB On The Docks is all about creating a space people want to spend time in,” explained Jason Bailey, who is the Director of GRUB.
“Summer by the water, great food, cold drinks, and a proper atmosphere. MediaCity is a unique waterside location, and this is creating a pop-up for the summer months which reflects the energy of this creative campus. With the World Cup in the mix as well, it’s shaping up to be something really special.”
GRUB On The Docks returns to MediaCity this Thursday 28 May, and it’ll be open weekly on Tuesday to Sunday from 12-10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Eats
The very best ice cream and frozen yoghurt places around Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We know it’s not often sunny out in these parts to enjoy the proper summery joy of lapping up lots of ice cream, but there are still bloody wonderful places to get it here in Greater Manchester – and we know some of the best.
Of course, it always hits different when the sun does come out.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer it chock-full of chocolate chips and coffee, mouth-frothingly fruity sweet, you’re in your pistachio phase or cannot get past the raspberry ripple, there are plenty of places to get whatever you’re after.
Be it Manchester city centre or beyond, we do ice cream pretty darn well for a place that basically rains for two-thirds of the year.
15 top ice cream, soft serve and fro-yo places around Manchester
In no particular order, by the way, because we already hate playing favourites and all those serve our infinitely sweet tooth are created equal.
1. Grandpa Greene’s – Oldham
First up, there are few other fitting enough places to start than the Diggle Lock’s legendary Grandpa Greene’s, which serves not just some of the best desserts we’ve EVER had but stunning, homemade ice-cream that we here at The Manc have even helped make in the past.
In fact, this place has been such a hit in the area that they’ve gone on to open their own bistro and, unsurprisingly, it’s proved just as impressive and popular.
2. Midnight Brownie Club – Ashton-under-Lyne
Heading over to Tameside now, Midnight Brownie Club is one to indulge at any time if you ask us, especially if you treat yourself to one of their sumptuous sundaes, which you can top with everything from kunafa, Lotus Biscoff crumble, raspberry ripple and more.
You can go wrong with those fudgey little chocolate squares, of course, and they obviously do lots of different stuff besides just ice cream and their namesake brownies, so our own recommendation is that you give it a try sooner rather than later.
From Oldham over to the borough of Bolton, and native favourite, Milk Maids, whose award-winning dairy farming expertise has seen them garner an iconic status among locals, and it’s no wonder.
We’ve been on to this place in Over Hulton for ages, but now they’re approaching a decade of serving their oh-so-sweet scoops, we can’t pretend to take even the remotest bit of credit. Their reputation precedes them and is about as long-standing as their lines.
4. Hello Oriental – Oxford Road Corridor
This one might come as a surprise, but if you’re in the market for some really good soft serve, subterranean pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental just so happens to have it on offer.
Available in tubs or even served on top of a cute little animal-shaped waffle cone hybrids (there’s even a little chocolate surprise inside), they’re not just smooth and silky, they’re also adorable.
In at number four is arguably the ice cream and dessert parlour with the very best name in Manchester, and that’s Big Licks, which recently relocated from Liverpool Road over in Castlefield to Printworks. Now positioned in a much more central location, it’s no surprise that the spot has seen an increase in queuing.
You’ll find pretty much every combo you could ask for here; they also do some pretty banging burgers if you fancy eating both tea and afters here. We’re big fans of their ice cream sandwiches, as well.
As a native Stopfordian myself, my grandma only ever called dessert a ‘sweet’ or ‘pudding’, regardless of what it was, but regardless of what you call it around your way/in your family, we have a Stopfordian ice cream spot that you need to visit.
Macari’s Gelateria opened up over in Heaton Moor back in 2023, and it’s quickly grown a passionate cult following – ourselves included. From their punchy and/or fruity flavours, to the super soft texture that their perfectly flaky wafers just about hold up to, it’s pretty perfect. Remember the name.
Credit: The Manc Group
7. Lazy Sundae – Manchester Arndale
We’re past the halfway mark now, and if you’re not already feeling a bit sluggish after this sugary feast for your eyes, you almost certainly will after looking at the super indulgent Lazy Sundae, who do everything from bubble tea and creative Korean desserts to standard ice cream cones.
But make no mistake, there’s nothing plain or basic about this place: it’s remained one of the best places for ice cream in Manchester, and while we may have said goodbye to their OG spot in NQ back in January 2025, the Arndale parlour now serves as the perfect flagship location.
Sticking with the city centre and whipping our way back to NQ (pun very much intended), we’ve got the brilliant Black Milk up next, who we confess most regularly visit for a proper good milkshake, but they do shine when it comes to pretty much anything sugary, to be honest.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ice cream-wise, you can’t go wrong with their cookies and cream sundae, and their special St. Patrick’s Guinness gelato is still one of the most unique desserts we’ve ever had. Speaking of gelato…
Heading out to Trafford now, and the ever-growing foodie scene in Sale, their increasingly well-known Gelato Creamery® store has been making waves for some time now, and by waves, we mean perfectly swirled scoops of ice cream’s somewhat healthier but still just as tasty Italian cousin.
They have a more central pod at Jacuna Kitchen over in Ardwick on the outskirts of the city centre, but really do recommend visiting their shop on School Road for a lesson on what proper good gelato should taste like.
Another Stopfordian stop on this ice cream tour comes in the form of All Things Nice, who couldn’t be more appropriately named if they tried – both when it comes to the scran and the service.
Over in the hilly village of Marple, this lovely little cafe on Market Street is known for all manner of bakes, brunch plates, pastries, and a fair few sweet treats, including their ice cream, which is just about as delicious as everything else on the menu. No surprise here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Credit: The Manc
11. Wazuzhi – Chinatown
Here’s another one that might surprise people: yes, the affordable Manchester city centre favourite and Chinatown staple formerly known as Wasabi isn’t just great at the savoury side of things; they also have some lovely desserts, too.
Specifically, they do ‘shaved ice’ cups, which come in a variety of flavours, many of which are super fruity and fresh, but we do heartily reccommend coming for the sushi first and this for afters.
Since we’re mixing things up a bit, now it’s time to throw some ‘fro-yo’ into the conversation, and if you haven’t tried MAST over on King Street West – that little backstreet just off Deansgate and around the corner from Crazy Pedros – you’re really to correct that oversight.
There’s something about this one that feels like a proper treat whilst also balancing that sugar content, thanks to the healthier ice cream alternative, as you still get that fix from toppings like Smarties, crushed Oreos, classic candy lovehearts and tonnes more. Pretty as a picture.
13. Frurt – Various
Sticking with the frozen yoghurt theme, it’d be foolish to overlook the kings of the local game, as this may be a franchise, but it started right here back in 2010 with husband-and-wife team, Syed and Shaza Hassan, and they’ve only got bigger and better, still offering healthy, dairy and gluten-free cups.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can find them in the following locations: the city centre (a pair of them), Stockport, Sale, on Bury New Road, Bolton, Oldham, not to mention soon the Trafford Centre and beyond Greater Manchester.
The penultimate blood sugar pincher is the famous Get Baked, which barely even turned the key to unlock the doors before they had a crowd waiting outside the shop window of their first permanent Manchester location.
Whether you’re three for big cookies, the famous Matilda-inspired ‘Bertha’ cake or their free-flowing soft-serve that is easier to drink than water – we know we have a problem, we’re working on it – you won’t be disappointed, no matter how long you wait.
Credit: The Manc
15. Baby Mayhem – Ancoats
Last but certainly not least of the latest newcomers to the Manc dessert scene, and while it may not be strictly just an ice cream parlour, it is one of the best places for anyone who is powerless to resist their cravings for things fresh, cold, filled, fried and covered in sugar.
Baby Mayhem is where ice cream and doughnuts collide in one superior pudding. How does a ‘donut ice cream sandwich’ sound? Incredible? We thought so… It’s popped in the old Lazy Tony’s Lasagneria site and is already following in its footsteps of filling locals’ bellies to the max.
That should just about do you for now, and if this list wasn’t sickly enough, don’t you worry…
You best believe we’ll be going around all around Greater Manchester in search of more ice cream and the best places that do it whenever the sun is out.
So, just keep your eyes peeled for when we inevitably update this one, because there’s always room for one more scoop.
Well, speaking of…
Honourable mention
Take issue with this if you want, but any place that offers a free ice cream sandwich on your birthday deserves to be on the list if you ask us, so here’s our nod to the wonderful Nell’s.
ADVERTISEMENT
Available in dulce de leche, cherry pie, cookie dough and, of course, that birthday cake flavour – not to mention various one-off specials through the year – nothing quite compares to a slice and one of these sweet little frozen sandos.
Georgina Pellant -
25th November 2021 
