It has been absolutely beyond baltic in Greater Manchester in the last couple of weeks, and all we’ve wanted to do is crawl in front of a roaring fire.
Ideally, we’d have had a giant plate of gravy-covered food in front of us at all times, and a comfy armchair and a pint of Guinness is a bonus.
Thankfully the hills around Greater Manchester are packed with cosy country pubs, perfect for whiling away these chilly winter days.
We’ve picked out five of our absolute favourites here for you to add to your list.
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Expect big plates of locally-sourced food, many great pints, and plenty of character.
The Pack Horse, Hayfield
Credit: The Pack Horse Hayfield
We never stop rabbiting on about this cosy pub, and for good reason.
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Headed up by chef and co-owner Luke Payne, The Pack Horse in the village of Hayfield is an outstanding establishment.
Here is a pub where you can have a world-class meal that shows off the best of British produce, while sipping an ale, with muddy boots on your feet.
In the space of one week last year, it earned a double whammy of successes, scooping up a place in both the Michelin Guide and the Top 50 Gastropubs.
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The menu changes all the time, but you expect things like venison Wellington with local meat, wild rabbit and smoked pig’s head pies, and Shetland plaice with potted shrimp butter.
The Hearth of the Ram is one of those local boozers that makes you hop straight on Rightmove to consider relocating closer to it.
Opened back in 2012 in the village of Ramsbottom, the 200-year-old building has been given a facelift by its current owners.
They’ve built a lovely outdoor terrace during the long months of lockdown last winter too.
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It’s a delightful range of pub grub here, like sausage rolls made with Bury black pudding, baked Inglewhite goats cheese, and Goosnargh chicken supreme.
Take a walk up Peel Tower, take in the views, then come right back down to refuel by the roaring fire.
You don’t even need to cross the threshold of The White Hart to see why it’s one of the country’s best and most cosy pubs – just a glimpse of the views from its doorway are enough to win you over.
The building itself goes way back to 1788 and has at various points in its existence been a police station, a schoolhouse, a WWII look-out point, and a brewery.
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Now, it’s a gorgeous gastropubs with real ales and roaring fires for those who have just ventured over from the surrounding hills, but also an elegant brasserie for anyone wanting a top-notch dinner.
The brasserie menu is packed with steaks and hearty pub classics.
There’s a familiar face behind The Church Green – Manchester’s very own Aiden Byrne, who has run the pub with his wife for more than a decade.
Aiden was the youngest chef to win a Michelin star, at just 22 years of age, so you know the kitchen’s in very safe hands.
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You’d be a fool to visit and not order one of the Church Green’s pies, baked in a perfectly golden pastry with regularly changing fillings.
If, for some reason, you don’t like pie (get out), there’s also mains like salt aged duck with barbecued beetroot, grilled salmon and nduja linguine, and an enormous 12oz Beef Wellington to share.
During lockdown, the couple really turned their attention to the deli part of the business, so you can also take some of those pies home with you.
When most people think of pub drinks, they think of a nice cold pint, but if you’re a gin drinker this is the pub for you.
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The Saddleworth boozer is home to a world record-breaking selection of gins. If you ask to see the list, you’re handed a binder so heavy it would break a toe if you dropped it.
The 18th century building is one of the cosiest pubs in the country, tucked away in the Saddleworth village of Delph.
Its menu is hearty, and properly northern – we’re talking steamed rag puddings, steak and ale pie made with Timothy Taylors, and a four cheese and onion pie served with baked beans.
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Adam Higgin (via Facebook)
Feature
Taemin at AO Arena: Take the K-pop world’s ‘Advice’ – you need to watch him live
Thomas Melia
This time last month, South Korean star, SHINee and SuperM boyband member, Taemin showed Manchester the real meaning of ‘The Rizzness’. It was our first K-pop gig and won’t be our last.
Normally, if you ask me what I’m getting up to on a Tuesday night, I’d respond with the usual: “Nothing.” Ask me this random but eye-opening night back in March 2025, and I’d say, “Watching the ‘Ephemeral Glaze’ tour”.
Opening with a song labelled ‘Déjà vu’, ironically, felt from the truth, as the minute the performer stepped onto the stage, the whole crowd was watching what felt like an all-new spectacle come to life – even for some of the already inducted K-pop fans inside the AO Arena.
Following up with ‘Guilty’, I’d be lying if I told you we didn’t love this performance. It wasn’t overshadowed by that unbelievable grand opening either – if anything, it was even better.
A majestic pose from Taemin at AO Arena in Manchester, performing to a lively crowd.Credit: Audio North
This was a setlist that just keeps on giving: after this, ‘Advice’ greets our ears and fans erupt in various screams and cries, to which Taemin, 31, certainly appreciated.
It’s high energy through and through, as the next song, ‘Idea’, felt like the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle for those of us not so used to this kind of music, well and truly captivating the Manc crowd.
Closing what was merely his opening segment with this song was definitely a good ‘Idea’… (sorry).
Its title may draw from a comedic viral term used to describe someone with great flirting skills, a.k.a. ‘rizz’, but ‘The Rizzness’ is no laughing matter.
Fans caught on quickly, and as soon as the first note was pumped out into the arena, the atmosphere reached whole new heights and those familiar screams at an other-worldly pitch returned.
I never thought I’d see the day where AO Arena screamed, “You know I got the rizz, the rizzness”, but there’s a first time for everything, I guess.
Taemin and his dancers were electric at AO Arena.Credit: The Manc Group
Being from Korea, 31-year-old Taemin tried his best to communicate with the crowd throughout the night, taking breaks after back-to-back performances to gauge the audience’s reactions.
The South Korean superstar didn’t take long to warm up to the crowd and showed off his cheeky side, telling the arena, “Only 4 more songs” before finishing the sentence with “I lied”.
‘Criminal’ had me and the rest of Manchester weak in the knees; the choreography was flawless throughout, but this was a true highlight. Ending with ‘Say Less’, Taemin knew exactly what he was doing, putting a song that catchy right at the end, as this was all that replayed in my head on the train home.
Put it this way, we may still be relative newbies to the world of Korean pop music, but with another big name heading to Manchester, we’re definitely keen to find out more.
Daisy Jackson -
16th December 2022 
