Manchester Food and Drink Festival is back for 2021.
Following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unveiling of the government’s “irreversible” roadmap to lift England’s current national lockdown and reopen society over the next few months – with an aim to end all social restrictions by 21st June, at the earliest – the city’s flagship food and drink festival and undoubtedly one of the highlights in the annual events calendar has announced its grand return this September.
Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) will take place from Thursday 16th – Monday 27th September.
This year, the festival – which will once again be headline sponsored by food delivery platform Just Eat – is open to the entire Greater Manchester hospitality industry and will be supporting the recovery of its dining and drinking economies by showcasing and celebrating as many businesses as possible.
MFDF 2021 promises “a magnificent celebration of the region’s food and drink and all the talented people that bring it to the table”.
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Fans of MFDF will be pleased to know that the ‘Festival Hub’ is returning for 2021.
Taking place in Cathedral Gardens, he Festival Hub will, as always, be free to enter, but this year, there will be a limited number of bookable tables available, meaning for a reservation fee of £5, guests can guarantee a table and skip the queues.
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Advanced table bookings are now live and can be made here.
The team behind MFDF are also thrilled to announce that the Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards are back “in the flesh” for 2021 too, and will taking place at a brand new venue.
The MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards will take place on Monday 27th September at Manchester Hall.
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After a year out of action, the event this year promises to be the “hospitality homecoming” event of the year, as MFDF brings the industry together to celebrate and recognise the achievements and challenges of this extraordinary time.
The 2021 award categories will be announced soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Manchester Food & Drink FestivalManchester Food & Drink Festival
Speaking on the festival’s return this year, Alexa Stratton-Powell – Festival Director at Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) – said: “This year’s festival is about celebration, reflection and recovery [as] it has been an extraordinarily difficult time for the hospitality industry, and so too for the festival and all the events companies and professionals around the country.
“Postponing last year’s MFDF was a very difficult decision, but the right one.
“This year we’ll come together to do what Manchester does best – support each other and our city. We want to create the most exciting festival yet, celebrate as many of our hospitality businesses as possible and make sure everyone has a brilliant time enjoying the region’s amazing food and drink.
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“We’re particularly excited to be announcing the MFDF Gala Dinner and Awards are back [as] they give everyone a chance to recognise the achievements of our unrivalled hospitality community [and] we will be back soon to announce the award categories, nominees and how to vote.
“[This will] give everyone the chance to get behind their food heroes.”
Andrew Kenny – Managing Director of Just Eat UK – added: “We’re delighted that the plans for MFDF have been finalised and we can share the good news. We are really looking forward to celebrating with our customers, our local restaurant partners and the whole of Manchester at MFDF this September.”
Manchester Food & Drink Festival
As it stands, Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) will be delivered in line with current event guidance, and the festival team will be monitoring the situation closely as they continue to plan the event.
The new ‘MFDF Planner’ is ready to download for 2021 too.
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Bringing the “festival to your fingertips like never before”, app users will be able to browse the full festival programme, reserve tables at the Festival Hub and vote in the MFDF awards too, so head to the Apple and Android app stores to download by searching ‘MCR Food and Drink Festival’.
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You can find more information ahead of the event via the MFDF 2021 website here.
Food & Drink
More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner
Emily Sergeant
More than 12 million Brits would argue that your Christmas dinner needs a side of Yorkshire puddings, a shocking survey has revealed.
The survey in question carried out by retailer Next – which polled a total of 2,000 Brits about their Christmas dining and tableware habits – has uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track when it comes to, what we can all agree is, one of the biggest and heartiest meals of the year.
It turns out, Brits like a lot of unusual items on our Christmas dinner plate.
Some of the most obscure finds the survey is that two million people admitted to eating onion rings alongside their turkey and sprouts, and a further 5% (3.4 million) Brits like tucking into a bit of seafood on Christmas Day.
A surprising 4% (2.7 million) of people admitted that they like to add ketchup to their Christmas dinner plate – with mac and cheese, chips, and sweetcorn also making the top 10 list.
More than 12 million Brits think Yorkshire puddings belong with your Christmas dinner / Credit: Rumman Amin (via Unsplash)
If all of that wasn’t mad enough as it is, one of the most shocking stats from the survey is probably the fact that a whopping 1.4 million respondents even said that they wouldn’t consider it a Christmas dinner without the addition of baked beans.
But when it comes to Christmas dinner, there’s probably one debate that’s bigger than them all, and is still yet to be decided – do Yorkshire puddings belong on your Christmas dinner plate or not?
Well, 12.7 million Brits believe that they do, and we reckon a good chunk of that number is us northerners.
The UK’s top 10 non-traditional Christmas food items
Yorkshire Puddings (19% – 12.7 million)
Bread sauce (5% – 3.4 million)
Seafood (5% – 3.4 million)
Ketchup (4% – 2.7 million)
Mac and cheese (3% – 2 million)
Onion rings (3% – 2 million)
Chips (2% – 1.2 million)
Bread (2% – 1.2 million)
Sweetcorn (2% – 1.2 million)
Beans (2% – 1.2 million)
A new survey has revealed has uncovered that millions of people stray off the beaten track for Christmas dinner / Credit: Lisa Baker (via Unsplash)
While previous research has shown that the most common items on a British Christmas dinner are roast potatoes and gravy, these latest stats reveal there are some people out there who just like to do things a little differently.
But no matter how you like to eat it, a delicious Christmas dinner is always going to be something to celebrate, right?
Popular bar chain The Alchemist to rewind back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 next month
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s most popular bar chains is celebrating its sweet 16th birthday next month by winding back to 2010.
Money is always tight in January, right?
Once Christmas is over with, and so is the festive feasting and drinking, many like to use the first month of the new year to lay low and save some money back up – which is why The Alchemist is launching a limited-edition ‘2010 Revival Menu’, bringing back some of its most iconic early cocktails and dishes – all at their original prices from 16 years ago.
For the whole month, you can enjoy the curated throwback selection starting from £6, which i perfectly timed for a month of saving without sacrificing going out.
The Alchemist is rewinding back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 / Credit: The Manc Group
The 2010 Revival Menu includes the return of the fan-favourite White Chocolate Raspberry Martini for £6 on the cocktail menu, which was an early Alchemist staple, alongside other fan-favourites like the Colour Changing One and Virgin Pornstar, both for £6 again.
When it comes to food dishes for £6, you can tuck into a selection of different refreshing salads, while stretching your budget up to £10 will get you things like Chicken in a Basket, a Cheeseburger, and Fish and Chips.
Other iconic Alchemist cocktails returning for a fraction of the price next month include the popular Smoky Old Fashioned, and Dead Read Zombie – both for £8.
The Alchemist opened its original bar in Manchester‘s swanky Spinningfields district all the way back in 2010, and quickly became a popular and stylish destination with its high ceilings and industrial features, and has since developed into a much larger chain – with not only more Manchester destinations, but others across the UK too.
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2021 
