Food & Drink

Nell’s Pizza is finally reopening for takeaway at Common this week

The "NYC-inspired, MCR made" pizza parlour is bringing its substantial slices back to the Northern Quarter.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd March 2021

Hugely popular NYC-inspired pizza parlour Nell’s Pizza is finally bringing its “substantial pizza slices” back to the Northern Quarter this week.

The “NYC-inspired, MCR made” eatery – famous for its 22″ pizza slices – has become a firm favourite of city centre foodies since arriving at Common last year, but has unfortunately been temporarily closed for the past few months.

The owners of Common and Nell’s Pizza made the difficult decision to close following the announcement of England’s third national lockdown back at the start of January.

This decision was taken primarily due to declining footfall in the city centre.

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Explaining the choice to shut up shop in a post to social media, Common said: “Our hand has been forced by the new government grants that are contingent on sites closing [and] sadly it now makes more sense for us to furlough staff and close, [rather] than stay open and plod on in a ghost town city centre.

“After 16 years in the game on Edge Street, this will be our longest closure and it is highly gutting [but] lots of other businesses are in the same boat as us so please support where you can if any of your local neighbourhood pivot experts are staying open / operating online / delivering etc”.

While the doors to Common may have been closed, Nell’s Pizza has remained open for takeaway services at The Beagle in Chorlton throughout the duration of the current lockdown.

But is now set to return to its original Northern Quarter hub from this Thursday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMwddmMl0L7/

Both Common and Nell’s Pizza will be coming “back in style” as a takeaway service this Thursday, and will be open every Thursday – Saturday, from 4pm – 9pm for the next two weeks, before reopening for outdoor hospitality from 12th April, at the earliest.

Orders can be placed for Click and Collect on the Common & Co app here, or via Deliveroo.

Advanced bookings from 12th April onwards are currently not being accepted, as Common will instead be operating on a first-come-first-served / walk-in basis.

You can find menus and more information here.

Food & Drink

Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade

An iconic ready-to-drink favourite has launched back into the UK – oh yes, Breezer is back. 

First launched in the 1990s, Breezers – then pitched as an ‘alcopop’ – were a staple on dancefloors and at barbecues right across the UK. 

And now Bacardi has decided to bring these delicious, fruity, easy-drinking bottles back to British shores. 

There are three new flavours to try as Breezers return to your fridges – Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime, and Crisp Watermelon.

And Breezer launched back into Manchester last night with a suitably memorable party, turning a spot in the Northern Quarter into a corner shop. 

The ‘local Cornerbop’ was stacked with your usual essentials, plus shelf after shelf of these colourful glass ready-to-drink bottles. 

Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Inside the Breezer ‘Cornerbop’ corner shop in Manchester
Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Breezer is back, in three new flavours

The Breezer relaunch party saw Tarsza and Rennie Peters spinning nostalgic anthems with a modern twist at a pop-up party in a corner shop.

Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer.

“RTDs are booming, however, the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages category could do with a bit more excitement. By bringing back Breezer we’re definitely putting the fruity taste into FAB.”

The iconic ready-to-drink classic is back – and better than ever. 

Follow @breezer on Instagram for more.

18+, please drink responsibly.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Food & Drink

£1.8m revamp of Ancoats pub The Shamrock is FINALLY set to begin

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied

At long last, work to revamp The Shamrock pub in Ancoats is about to begin – and they’re calling on locals to rename the historic boozer.

The Shamrock, on Bengal Street, was taken over by Joseph Holt brewery in 2019 but has been firmly sealed shut ever since, with the pandemic halting its revamp.

But now the family-owned brewery is ready to get to work on the pub, with a £1.8m revamp kicking off very soon.

The Shamrock, which dates back to 1808, will be transformed from an Irish pub into a Joseph Holt’s venue.

Back in the turn of the 19th century, it was a popular watering hole for the Irish and Italian communities who moved to the industrial neighbourhood.

Obviously, Ancoats has gone through some pretty major changes in the years since, and is now one of the city’s trendiest and foodiest suburbs, filled with flats, bars, coffee shops and more.

It’s because of this that the Joseph Holt team felt like The Shamrock was due a new name for its new chapter, and are asking the public to help rename the pub, with a shortlist of five names drawn up.

The options on the table for when the pub reopens include The Victoria Arms (as a nod to the flats and accommodation across the road); The Fleet (the name of a former neighbouring pub); and The Linen Arms, reflecting the city’s cotton trade.

The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied
The historic Ancoats pub The Shamrock will finally undergo a £1.8m revamp. Credit: Supplied

The other choices for the public to vote on are The Spinners Rest, after the mill workers who lived in historic Ancoats; and Queen Adelaide, after another former pub around the corner on the main Ancoats Road.

Richard Kershaw, CEO of Joseph Holt, said: “As a family business with deep roots in the area, our pubs are very much at the very heart of the communities where they are located.

“With the moving forward of long-awaited refurbishment of The Shamrock – and with it a new name – we wanted our customers to feel part of the journey.

“So we brainstormed names for the pub that would respect the past and the local area while also looking to the future. Now we’re letting the people who matter most to us, our customers, decide which one to use.”

You can place your vote on the new name for The Shamrock pub HERE. One participant who picks the winning name will receive free drinks vouchers.

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Featured image: Supplied

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