Manchester’s beloved fried chicken shack and the home of “birds, booze, and beats” has got some pretty tasty treats on its festive menu this year.
With the festive season right around the corner, and Christmas set to be here before we know it, plenty of Manchester’s independent bars and eateries are gearing up for what is always one of the busiest times of the year in the foodie calendar by giving their menus a seasonal re-vamp to add some limited-edition dishes.
Yard & Coop – which sits on Edge Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter – may be popular all year round and raved-about by both locals and city centre visitors alike, but it’s festive food offering is sure to get people talking more than ever.
The “home of Buttermilk chicken” has completely transformed its menu this Christmas.
One of the stand-out festive menu additions this year has to be the ‘Boxing Day Burger’, which, as the name suggests, pays a worthy homage to the unofficial national day of leftovers by giving “Boxing day vibes in a bun”. The burger combines fried chicken thighs dunked in a rich ‘butter chicken’ curry sauce, with lime pickle, pomegranate, mango, and mint yoghurt in a toasted brioche.
The £14.50 burger is then topped with the also-new sprout bhajis, and served with sweet potato fries and curry-salted parsnip crisps.
Yard & Coop’s festive food offering is sure to get people talking more than ever / Credit: Instagram (@yardandcoop)
Another headline-grabbing festive dish has to be the ‘Winner Winner Christmas Dinner’ platter, which is buttermilk fried chicken breast with cheesy mash, pulled chicken and sage stuffing, two Yorkshire puddings, parsnip crisps, sticky marmalade chipolatas, and creamed shredded sprouts with chestnuts, all served with Yard & Coops original recipe cranberry ketchup and lashings of delicious gravy.
Some of the other festive treats on the menu to tuck into include the ‘Festive Negroni Wings’ served with cranberry ketchup and zesty orange, and the ‘Sprout Bhajis’ topped with lime pickle, orange dressing, pomegranate seeds, and a mint yoghurt drizzle.
The “home of Buttermilk chicken” has completely transformed its menu this Christmas / Credit: Instagram (@yardandcoop)
If you’ve never grabbed a bite at Yard & Coop before, then all the restaurant’s chicken is farm-to-fork within 48 hours, and is then coated in buttermilk and tossed in its secret recipe crumb to keep it crispy.
The menu “celebrates the whole bird”, from individual cuts with home made sauces, to epic burgers, and quirky large plates.
Yard & Coop is also getting into the spirit by serving up a handful of festive street food dishes from its own stall down at Manchester Christmas Markets.
Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Daisy Jackson
An iconic ready-to-drink favourite has launched back into the UK – oh yes, Breezer is back.
First launched in the 1990s, Breezers – then pitched as an ‘alcopop’ – were a staple on dancefloors and at barbecues right across the UK.
And now Bacardi has decided to bring these delicious, fruity, easy-drinking bottles back to British shores.
There are three new flavours to try as Breezers return to your fridges – Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime, and Crisp Watermelon.
And Breezer launched back into Manchester last night with a suitably memorable party, turning a spot in the Northern Quarter into a corner shop.
The ‘local Cornerbop’ was stacked with your usual essentials, plus shelf after shelf of these colourful glass ready-to-drink bottles.
Inside the Breezer ‘Cornerbop’ corner shop in ManchesterBreezer is back, in three new flavours
The Breezer relaunch party saw Tarsza and Rennie Peters spinning nostalgic anthems with a modern twist at a pop-up party in a corner shop.
Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer.
“RTDs are booming, however, the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages category could do with a bit more excitement. By bringing back Breezer we’re definitely putting the fruity taste into FAB.”
The iconic ready-to-drink classic is back – and better than ever.
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Emily Sergeant -
24th November 2021 
