Food & Drink

Manchester Food and Drink Festival announces dates for its 2021 return

MFDF 2021 promises "a magnificent celebration of the region’s food and drink and all the talented people that bring it to the table".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 5th March 2021
Manchester Food & Drink Festival

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”.

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.  

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.

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 Festival
Manchester 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.

“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.

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

Drake-backed fried chicken brand Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

The huge LA-based fried chicken brand backed by Drake is heading to Manchester for the very first time this summer.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open in the Printworks this August – the first UK branch outside of London and Birmingham.

The cult chicken brand has said that its new venue will feature an ‘industrial design inspired by Manchester’s rave scene’ (if we had a pound every time a new venue used that design style, we’d be as rich as Drake…).

Dave’s Hot Chicken is famed for its signature Nashville-style hot chicken, which is served in seven different spice levels from No Spice to Reaper.

Expect sliders, tenders, ‘next-level’ top-loaded shakes and slushes.

It’s grown so quickly that in 2021, it caught the eye of none other than rapper Drake, who is a ‘significant investor’ in the brand.

The fried chicken spot will be moving into the large corner unit at Printworks, which has previously been Busaba Thai, and Floripa, with 139 covers.

Dave's Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester
Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Manchester

Inside, it will feature towering ceilings, exposed steelwork, and laser lights, claiming to be a ‘full-on sensory trip, where music, light and fried chicken will come together to create a high-voltage experience’.

There will also be custom graffiti inspired by L.A.-based street artists Splatterhaus and Dehm.

Dave’s Hot Chicken still has hour-long queues down in London, several months after opening on Shaftesbury Avenue – next up will be a Birmingham branch in July before Manchester opens later this summer.

And this is just the start of a nationwide expansion.

Jim Attwood, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said: “Printworks Manchester is the ideal setting for our next UK site – right at the heart of one of the country’s most exciting cities.

“The new restaurant pays homage to Manchester’s legendary warehouse rave scene, with an industrial-inspired design and bold, high-energy atmosphere to match our signature flavours.

“We can’t wait to bring something fresh to this iconic venue and its vibrant mix of entertainment, food and culture.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken will open at Printworks Manchester on 8 August.

Read more

Featured image: Supplied

Food & Drink

Burger King is giving away FREE vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Vegan Royale

Reckon you could swap out meat for a vegan alternative?

Now we know there’ll be droves of meat-lovers who read that question with their noses turned up, immediately dismissing the possibility that it would ever be something they’d consider… but what if we told you it was free?

That’s right – Burger King has announced that for the next week or so, it’ll be delivering its delicious Vegan Royale burgers to meat-loving customers for free, all with the aim of giving them a chance to experience just how tasty and satisfying plant-based foods can be, and prove that they won’t miss out by giving it a go.

The Vegan Royale is Burger King’s take on its legendary Chicken Royale burger, and sees a crispy vegan patty – that’s meant to be an alternative to chicken – topped with iceberg lettuce, vegan mayo, and crowned with a toasted sesame seed bun.

Burger King is giving away free vegan burgers to meat lovers to prove how ‘tasty’ they are / Credit: Burger King UK

The fast food chain‘s campaign is in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher, and comes as shocking new research has revealed that more than 40% of meat eaters admit to having never tasted a plant-based burger.

On the other hand, that same research also found that the UK appears to eb embracing plant-based foods more than ever, as nearly 60% of the population say that are open to trying it.

67% of those who once thought plant-based food wasn’t for them say a great meat alternative burger was what changed their mind – so maybe this is what the Vegan Royale can be for you, if you’re willing to give it a chance.

So, to give hungry customers a taste of what the fuss is all about, Burger King will be offering anyone who orders on UberEats or Just Eat, with a minimum spend of £20, a Vegan Royale burger for free of charge along with the rest of their order.

Read more:

But you’ll need to be quick though, as this tasty offer is only available until Tuesday 8 July.

Featured Image – Burger King UK

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