Manchester football stadiums sell the Premier League’s cheapest pints, study finds
Meanwhile, a beer will set you back over a fiver (£5.10) at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium whilst London Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium charge a steep £5.
Aside from the end result, there are many things that can make or break a match day. From the cost of a pint to quench your thirst to the mood of other fans around you, there are simply some stadiums that do it better than others – and apparently, Manchester is up there with the very best.
As much as Manchester United fans hate their owners, it’s possible the Glazers may have done one thing right: namely, selling the cheapest beers in the Premier League.
According to a new study by Betting.com, Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium offers the cheapest pints of beer in the whole of the Premier League with thirst-quenching pints costing football fans just £3 a pop.
But whilst reds fans might be feeling smug at the news, it’s good news for blues supporters too as Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium comes in a close second-cheapest with pints for home and away fans only costing an extra 40p more.
Old Trafford stadium came top of the table for cheap pints according to the new study. / Image: Commons Wikimedia
Third on the list is Leeds United’s Elland Road, where fans typically pay £3.60 for a pint, followed by Newcastle United’s St James’ Park and Nottingham Forest’s The City Ground.
The most expensive pint in the Premier League, meanwhile, can be found at King Power Stadium, home to Leicester City, where a pint will set fans back a steep £5.10 a go.
As well as conducting research on the cheapest pints, Betting.com has also revealed the best and worst football stadiums in the UK based on online reviews, the cost of a match day pint, as well as food and atmosphere ratings.
On top of this, they’ve also revealed the stadiums home to the most and least expensive tours for fans looking to walk in the footsteps of their heroes.
With an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, matched only by Anfield (Liverpool F.C), and The City Ground, (Nottingham Forest), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium comes out on top as the best football stadium home to a Premier League club.
The Etihad Stadium came in a close second with pints for just £3.40. / Image: Commons Wikimedia
Spurs’ ground boasts 82% of its reviews being 5 star, tied with Craven Cottage (Fulham), and a 4 star rating by fans for its food, matched only by Amex Stadium, home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
In second place overall comes St. James’ Park, followed by Anfield in third, The City Ground in fourth and Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in fifth.
On the opposite end of the scale, London Stadium is revealed to be the worst stadium home to a Premier League club. The home of West Ham United, the stadium scores a measly 2.5 out of 5 for its atmosphere and charges fans a high price (£5) for a match day beer.
Fans love to get a sneak peak behind the scenes of their team’s ground, but how much can a tour set you back? Stamford Bridge, home to Chelsea, is by far the most expensive stadium to see through the eyes of your heroes, costing £40 a head, followed by Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (£27) and Emirates Stadium (£27) in joint second place whilst Anfield (£25) comes in third.
Meanwhile, King Power Stadium (Leicester City), Amex Stadium (Brighton & Hove Albion), Elland Road (Leeds United) and The City Ground (Nottingham Forest) have the cheapest tours on offer at £15 a head.
The old fire station in Salford that’s now home to a bakery, brewery and bar
Daisy Jackson
A former fire station in Salford has been turned into a bustling base for some of the North West’s finest baking and brewing talents.
The Old Fire Station, right beside the University of Salford, is now operating as a bakery, brewery, bar, cafe and restaurant.
That means pastries, bread, pizzas and even beers are made within a few feet of where you’ll be eating and drinking them.
The space is beautiful, still boasting those gigantic red fire station doors and the traditional ceramic tiles that would have been here when the space was still home to fire engines instead of bread mixers.
Around half of the pastries coming out of the bakery, headed up by Erick Molero Delgado (his CV includes top bakeries across the USA and Europe), are completely vegan – not that you can tell from looking at their glossy, laminated layers and extravagant fillings.
We’re talking perfectly cubed laminated brioche with sweet maple flavours, mini pizzettes with olives and tomatoes dotted inside a pastry wall, and striped pain suisse stuffed with nuts and chocolate.
Then there are the not-very-vegan-at-all pastries, like a spandaeur, which is like a croissant and pastel de nata hybrid, and thick slices of Basque cheesecake.
There are new signature ‘Salford bagels’ too developed by assistant head baker Scott Shannon, which are a fusion of North American, German and Jewish styles, fermented for up to 48 hours with a crisp outer shell and a chewy centre.
A spandaeur pastry and a pain suisseHeirloom tomato bruschetta on sourdoughThe bakery line-upThe ‘Salford Bagel’ with smoked salmon
We had ours stuffed with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers and raved about it all the way home.
Erick says: “Our new menu is a true labour of love by the whole team – from early ideas and experiments right through to the final bake.
“If someone has an idea, we run with it. That creative freedom is priceless. It keeps the work exciting, and it means our customers have the opportunity to get something fresh every time they visit.”
As for the beers, they’re all made on site too – on the opposite side of The Old Fire Station is Lark Hill Brewery, headed up by Jack Dixon, who’s able to experiment and explore new flavours in this top-spec microbrewery.
Jack Dixon in the Lark Hill BreweryLaminated briocheThe Old Fire Station bakers at work
There are experimental beers, sometimes made in collaboration with researchers at the University, as well as true-to-style classics like a New England Pale Ale and the Lark Helles, a fresh take on a classic German lager.
Jack said: “Having the autonomy to design and brew what I want, without limits, is rare and exciting,.
“It means every beer we pour here has a story and a personality. We’re proud to bring something new to Salford’s craft scene.”
This summer, they’re launching New York-style pizzas, made on slow-fermented, hand-stretched pizza dough.
And very little goes to waste here – the trimmed-off croissant pastry is now being turned into their own croissant loaf, which they’re whipping into French toast for the brunch menu.
Everything at The Old Fire Station is crafted with talent and love, and you can really taste it.
Lord Mayor of Manchester opens crucial new community kitchen in Blackley
Danny Jones
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Carbine Grimshaw, has opened an upgraded community kitchen in the heart of Blackley.
Recently refurbished and officially unveiled last week, the uplifting new space, based out of the GM ward’s Higher Blackley Community Centre (HBCC), aims to be a key outlet and amenity for the area.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony, which took place on Thursday, 17 July, was attended by local councillors, centre staff, as well as local community members and volunteers.
Christened with a commemorative plaque celebrating the completion of the important renovation, the work has been carried out by North West-based perimeter physical security specialists, ATG Access.
A wholesome moment with the Lord Mayor.
Having sat virtually untouched since the 1960s, the kitchen space was long overdue for some TLC, and now it has been reopened as a modern, purpose-built and community-driven facility.
Speaking at the event, the Lord Mayor said: “The work that has been done here is fantastic, especially the social value aspect of it. It’s clear to see it’s far more than just a community centre; it’s the hub of the community. The support it provides to so many people is remarkable.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the unsung heroes behind it all, from centre manager Kate and her dedicated team, to the board of trustees and all the volunteers. It’s a shining example of what community spirit can achieve, and I’d love to see it replicated right across Manchester.”
The kitchen itself is now kitted out with entirely new units, fresh flooring and splashback surfaces, as well as large appliances including a big range cooker, American-style fridge freezer and commercial dishwasher – all donated by ATG and its supply chain partners, Van Leeuwen and Welding Engineering.
But it isn’t just a place to cook; the sizeable room will host workshops, events, meet-ups and various other activities, from toddler groups to adult learning programmes, as well as offering services to various classes and groups.
BeforeAfter
In just its first week of being put to use, the kitchen has already helped provide meals for 11 families who would otherwise have gone without – nothing short of brilliant news for the district.
As for ATG, Managing Director, Richard Ellis, went on to say: “From our first visit, it was clear this was a place where we could make a real impact. The building was well-used and worn, but the people and the work being done there were inspiring.
“We felt a responsibility to help and were delighted to do so, getting ‘hands on’ through our volunteering programme.”
Finally, HBCC Manager Kate Shannon added: “It’s been a huge lift for the community. The new kitchen means we can do more, support more people, and take pride in our space again. It’s been a real team effort, and we’re so grateful to ATG.”
Well done to everyone involved in bringing the Higher Blackley Community Centre Kitchen to life.
Well done to everyone involved in bringing the Higher Blackley Community Centre Kitchen to life.
Georgina Pellant -
9th March 2023 
