Food & Drink

Kampus’s restaurant-on-stilts to become bakery, florist and bagel shop

Florist and bagel shop hybrid Bread Flower is take charge of The Bungalow at KAMPUS.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 16th November 2021

The Kampus neighbourhood in Manchester city centre is set to welcome a new bakery, florist and bagel shop hybrid as Bread Flower take charge of the Bungalow.

The business, founded by baker Maya Black and florist Scarlett Jamieson, will occupy the landmark building – formerly a security cabin and built on stilts – in the run-up to Christmas and beyond.

Visitors will be able to grab open bagel sandwiches to eat in or take away from the Kampus bakery, with menu items including salt beef and a bagel French toast.

Bags of Bread Flower’s handmade sourdough bagels will be on sale by the dozen or half-dozen.

The Bungalow at Kampus, which used to be a security cabin / Credit: Kampus

On the floristry side of things, Scarlett will be creating bouquets, wreaths and table centre-pieces to order, as well as selling smaller bunches in store.

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The Bread Flower bundles – featuring freshly-baked bagels, schmears (flavoured cream cheese), Manchester Smokehouse salmon (or a vegan carrot alternative) and hand-tied flowers – will make a return too.

New Christmas morning hampers will include added festive extras, like sparkling wine from Le Social, Blossom Coffee, and sticky buns. These can be pre-ordered and collected on either December 23 or 24.

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Open topped bagel sandwiches will be on offer in the Bread Flower bakery and cafe / Credit: Bread Flower

A series of events will run as part of the Bread Flower residency – expect workshops dedicated to wreath-making, or sustainable Christmas decorations, as well as a Hanukkah-inspired supper club with games and storytelling.

There’ll be an Indie Winter Market too, offering trading pitches to local businesses like Beaches & Cream, Shy Seagull and Prestwich Gin.

Maya said: “We’re really looking forward to opening the Bread Flower cafe in the Bungalow.

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You can order table centre-pieces and wreaths – or learn to make your own in a workshop / Credit: Bread Flower

“Kampus has been a home for us for a few months now, hosting various events like our supper clubs and yoga brunch, and of course delivering our bundles, but this four-week residency will be bigger and better than anything we’ve done before.

“We’ve got lots of lovely festive events lined up, like our Hanukkah supper club, Indie Winter Markets with wonderful local traders and weekly floral workshops too; offering what we hope is a genuine independent alternative for shoppers with delicious produce and unique gifts.”

The Bread Flower cafe at The Bungalow will be open from Friday 26 November until the end of January.

Its opening hours will be 8am to 2pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and 10am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Featured Image – Bread Flower

Food & Drink

Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?

It’s funny how we all turn a blind eye to the temperature outside when it comes to the Christmas Markets.

At a time of year where should probably all be hibernating inside, droves of us instead head out to brave the elements all in the name of the festivities.

Of course, the Manchester Christmas Markets sell all sorts of wares to take the edge off, and we’re not just talking about the stalls selling woollen mittens everywhere.

Our favourite winter warmers tend to take the form of a tray of piping hot garlic potatoes, or a mug of hot chocolate, or another boozy beverage that’s massively underrated.

The drink in question is a Hot Blob, which is listed on the menu at the Piccadilly Gardens markets as ‘legendary’.

A bold claim, but a lot of long-time Manc residents will understand why.

The Hot Blob is a jaw-clenchingly sweet concoction served piping hot at the Manchester Christmas Market, similar to a hot toddy.

It’s made with Australian fortified white wine, lemon, sugar, and boiling water.

Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs - Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it?
Hot Blobs – Retro drink makes return to Manchester Christmas Markets, but what is it? Credit: The Manc Group

The drink was first invented by Yates, that well-known pub chain, which started life as Yates’s Wine Lodge up the road in Oldham.

According to Pubs of Manchester, the Hot Blob has a tendency to ‘speed up drunkenness to a young drinker’.

These days, it’s pretty rare to come across one on a menu, but back in 1990s it was a staple in a few pubs around town.

There even used to be a ‘Blob Shop’ on High Street, run by local legend Ged Ford (now in charge of the equally legendary Millstone pub), which found itself in a state of utter carnage when the IRA bomb went off.

The long-lost institution specialised in ‘cheap wine, cheap beer, and plenty of blobs’.

The old Yates Blob Shop on High Street, Manchester. Credit: deltrems@flickr

Ged sold 6,000 a week.

And while the drink may have fallen out of favour since then, there are still healthy numbers being sold at this time of year, even if they are a damn sight more expensive than they were in the 1990s (£6 a pop, plus a glass deposit).

Anyway. If you’re sick to the back teeth of the endless gluhwein being peddled across the markets, make a beeline for Manchester Winter Ale House at Piccadilly Gardens, where you can find Hot Blobs as well as boozy Vimto and cask ales.

The Manchester Christmas Markets officially end on 22 December.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine

The main gripe people seem to have with the Manchester Christmas Markets is the prices of food and drinks, blasting them every year like a broken record as being ‘overpriced’.

So we’ve done the hard slog for you, running all around the city centre to suss out exactly how much everything is costing in 2024.

From Piccadilly Gardens (rebranded as The Winter Gardens for the season) to King Street, there are wooden sheds and festive cheer absolutely everywhere.

There’s some brilliant food and drink to discover – you can see our top picks HERE – but as this is a huge visitor attraction, that can come at a price.

Once you factor in the deposit for a Manchester Christmas Markets mug, you can easily spend £12 just to get a mulled wine (though you will get £3.50 of that back when you return your mug).

There are also deposit charges on glassware – £2 for a pint glass, £3.50 for cocktail glasses and £7 for a stein.

You can see the full list of prices for food and drinks right across the Manchester Christmas Markets HERE, but below are where you can find the cheapest spots at the festive event.

Mulled wine

Mulled wines are priced at £5.50 almost everywhere across the Manchester Christmas Markets, though some stalls are offering bigger serves of this popular festive drink for a small price hike.

Then people are charging another £3 to add a shot of brandy, rum or amaretto, making an £8.50 total.

But the cheapest we’ve found is just £7 for mulled wine with a shot of booze, and that’s at Mamma Mia, an Italian stall on New Cathedral Street, right near St Ann’s Square.

Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine
Where to find the cheapest drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, from beer to mulled wine. Credit: The Manc Group

Beer

Again, prices for beers at the Manchester Christmas Markets are pretty consistent and average £6 a pint.

But you can get cheaper – at The Last Outpost, a Western-themed bar at Exchange Square, beers start from £5.50.

And at The Hip Hop Chip Shop at Piccadilly Gardens, they’re selling local craft beers, like Shindigger, Pomona Island, Manchester Union) for just £5.50. And you get bonus good vibes for supporting local breweries.

Wine

We’ve found a couple of glasses of wine for just £5 around the Markets this year, which is cheaper than most bars in town really.

The King Street Craft Bar, which has the bonus of having seating, has house wines from a fiver.

Christmas Alley at Piccadilly Gardens will also give you a wine for £5.

Prosecco

Prosecco works in every season and if this is your go-to of all the drinks at the Manchester Christmas Markets, we’ve found where you can save a few pennies.

Most places are charging between £6.50 and £7 per glass, but at El Gato Negro on King Street (yep, the same stall operated by the Michelin-recommended restaurant) are charging just £5 – that’s a whole £1.50 cheaper than most other stalls.

Hot chocolate

Basic hot chocolates are generally £3.50 everywhere, with a few very luxury upgrades (like a £7.90 creation from The Flat Baker that’s served in an edible cookie cup).

Once you add in a shot of alcohol, the cheapest as at the Apres Ski Bar at Piccadilly Gardens, which charges £2.50 for a spirit.

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That makes £6 for a boozy hot chocolate.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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