Food & Drink

A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons

Welcome back, Boddies.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 5th September 2025

Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.

And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.

That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.

With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.

Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.

Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…

Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.

Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.

Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.

The lost art of Boddingtons, and which pubs still serve The Cream of Manchester

Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.

“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.

Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.

In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?

@the.manc The history behind the cream of Manchester #themanc #manchester #boddingtons ♬ Powerful gangster and manly(1070054) – Patricia

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/The Manc Eats

Food & Drink

Manchester sandwich specialists Bada Bing strike up new sponsorship deal with local football team

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bada Bing now sponsoring FC United of Manchester

Beloved city centre sandwich shop Bada Bing has struck up a somewhat unexpected but exciting new partnership with local football team, FC United of Manchester, who are now sponsored by the sub specialists.

We can’t think of any better matchday scran than a massive butty, to be fair.

Confirming that they will be sponsoring FC United for the 2025/26 season, Bada Bing is taking its first foray into football, with their branding already up on the advertising boards around the ground.

While they’re yet to confirm any more specific details apart from that they’re joining forces with the Moston-based outfit, supporters are already licking their lips at the mere thought of their famous hoagies coming to Broadhurst Park stadium.

Having plenty of fun with the announcement online with a classic Sopranos reference (why break the habit of a lifetime?), Sam and Josh – both big footy fans, themselves – stood proudly beside the hoardings this week.

Although we still know very little about what FC United fans can expect from the latest Manc brand marriage, we’d bet on the odd game-defining hero appearing both on the pitch and in the hands of ‘Red Rebels’ stood watching and, hopefully, eating just beside it.

Of course, this is by no means the only noteworthy crossover Bada Bing has enjoyed since reopening last year; their viral merch is famously made by Stretford-based fashion label, UN:IK Clothing.

In fact, it isn’t even their sole step in sports, either. Regularly teaming up with outdoor content creator and trail runner, Sam Matthew – a.k.a. Peaks and Pubs – they’ve already held charity relays, pop-up events with New Balance, and we’re sure there is more to come with the Northern Premier League side.

They are, after all, the king of collabs and tapping into local, contemporary culture in the area just at the right moment.

It was only last month that we saw them working with Thatziki to create a Greek butty fit for the gods, and they’ve most recently teamed up with Indian street food favourites, Bundobust, too.

Commenting underneath the social media post, FC United simply replied: “Thanks for your support! Great to have you on board!”

Once again, please just give a hint—ANY kind of sign that Bada Bing menu items are coming to Lightbowne Road, because if so, Greater Manchester’s ‘Footy Scran‘ game is about to level up big time.

As for FC games, they’re still some of the most affordable in the region, and you don’t need to be a disillusioned Man United fan to get invested in the now 20-year-old phoenix club.

Go support a local grassroots team if you can, and fingers crossed, you can grab a Bing while you’re at it.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Bada Bing (via Instagram)/The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Spudway

Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.

That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.

Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.

So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.

The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.

Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.

You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.

This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.

“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.

Spudway
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway

“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.

“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”

Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.

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You can tuck into them at your local Subway now.

Featured Image – Subway

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