Food & Drink

Manchester is getting a cheese and wine restaurant from MasterChef champion Simon Wood

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 16th November 2021

One of Manchester’s most respected chefs is launching a new cheese and wine concept in the city centre.

Simon Wood, former MasterChef champion, will open his new concept Homage on Jack Rosenthal Street later this week.

The seven table restaurant will celebrate all things cheese and wine, using local dairies and producers.

Each cheese course will be expertly matched with chutneys and accompaniments, with paired wines and liquors.

Simon is chef patron at Wood restaurant, and will be converting its old private dining space into Homage.

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The new hidden gem on the second floor of the restaurant will be open from Thursday, November 18.

Simon said: “Wood has defied all expectations and brought unintimidating fine dining to Manchester.

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Read more: The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this week

“We are thrilled to be launching Homage as a complementary concept, and it will be a first of its kind in the UK.

“Homage is about connecting, sitting back and enjoying time with family, friends and colleagues, whether you’re having a quiet taster and glass of wine with a friend you’ve not seen in years, or a business meeting over a long port with an associate.”

Featured image: Darren Robinson Photography

Food & Drink

Salford industrial estate bakery with incredible cinnamon rolls to open new site

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Mayya Bakery cinnamon rolls

Mayya Bakery, a local ‘hidden gem’ with incredible cinnamon rolls, is set to open a brand-new bakery that will make it significantly less hidden.

Until now, Mayya has been quietly trading from an industrial estate in Salford, where it’s built a great reputation for its bakes despite an off-the-beaten-track-location and relatively little social media fanfare.

It opened its doors in 2024, operated by former primary school teacher Meli and her husband, dentist Oguz.

This is an artisan bakery with a real Turkish flare, with plenty of comfort food like freshly made gözleme (or gozzies for short) and bigger dishes if you fancy sitting in.

Their counters are stuffed with sweet bakes, like their perfect cinnamon rolls, plus loaves, babka, cookies, and homemade cheesecake.

For bigger dishes, you’ll find breakfast dishes like Turkish eggs, Simit (a traditional sesame bagel) breakfasts, and menemen.

The counters at Mayya Bakery's current location
The counters at Mayya Bakery’s current location
Incredible cheesecake at Mayya Bakery
Incredible cheesecake at Mayya Bakery
Signs on Chapel Street Salford for the new Mayya Bakery
Signs on Chapel Street Salford for the new Mayya Bakery

And now Mayya Bakery has revealed plans to open a new location in a much more prominent spot in town, with signs appearing in the windows of a unit on Chapel Street.

The sign reads: “Everything is homemade – including this picture.”

It also quips: “They called us hidden gem… not hidden anymore.”

Mayya will open on Chapel Street soon – keep an eye on our food and drink Instagram page The Manc Eats for the latest.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of one Greater Manchester pub

Danny Jones Danny Jones Sacha Lord putting £2,500k behind one Manchester pub bar

Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.

Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.

It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few ocassions over the last few years.

Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…

Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”

The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”

Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.

Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.

This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.

Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend.

The best beer gardens in Manchester for when the sun is shining

It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.

A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.

The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.

Which are you calling your favourite these days?

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Featured Images — Sacha Lord/The Manc Group/The Manc Eats

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