A new ‘haute couture’ burger bar is planning to open its first UK restaurant in Manchester.
Called The Butcher, it will join as a part of the new entertainment complex Urban Playground – billed as a ‘revolutionary new entertainment venue in Manchester’ and will be located close to Selfridges on the top floor of the Arndale.
In what promises to be a UK first, popular European burger chain The Butcher will join the new complex in the Arndale to deliver its food offering.
Starting off with a secret kitchen called KIQ (Keep It Quiet) in Amsterdam, prior to its launch in Manchester the brand has opened a number of high-end burger bars in Holland, Germany and Ibiza.
Image: The Butcher
Known for its high-end “haute couture” take on fast food, The Butcher promises to bring something a little different to the Arndale’s – and Urban Playground’s – food offering.
ADVERTISEMENT
Committed to serving what they bill as the “world’s best beef burgers”, The Butcher prepares all of its components in-house, on the day, using prime Aberdeen Angus beef in its hand-shaped patties.
Burger buns and signature sauces are also freshly made on-site, whilst further produce – ranging from herbs to vegetables – promises to be the freshest available.
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: The Butcher
Bringing its global signatures along with it, hungry Mancs will be able to tuck into the likes of babganoush, avocado and truffle-laden burgers, alongside more kooky options like ‘The Benedict’ – a brunch-style burger loaded with hollandaise sauce, ham and a fried egg.
Elsewhere, veggies and vegans will find plant-powered buns like the Veggie and Vegan Delights, both combining fried mash chickpea patties with herbs, spices, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion and sesame paste. Vegan cheese is available as an extra, or cheddar for veggies.
As for drinks, think signature milkshakes and some boozy options too – like a ‘dark rum ‘n’ chocolate’ milkshake, which puts a milky twist on the signature dark and stormy.
It will be opening within Urban Playground, which promises to be an “ultimate entertainment destination” and will bring an exclusive preview of ITV‘s The Cube Live experience to Manchester in what promises to be a world first.
The new entertainment complex will feature exciting games from the award-winning show, alongside a new crazy mini gold extravaganza with ‘unique technology’ called Putters.
Image: Urban Playground
Speaking on the new opening, Butcher founder and co-owner Yossi Eliyahoo says: “As a creative concept developer, I envision and feel the places I design before they actually exist.
“We knew that the UK was the next stop for our international expansion plans, and Manchester truly is a global hotspot.
ADVERTISEMENT
“A city that is constantly evolving with many exciting happenings that command worldwide attention. This is the perfect city for our first UK concept, and it had to be The Butcher that we launched – it’s fast, it’s sleek, it’s modern, but quality is never compromised.”
Feature image – The Butcher
Food & Drink
Bar Posie – The beautiful new cocktail bar with an oyster happy hour from the team behind 10 Tib Lane
Daisy Jackson
The team behind Manchester’s 10 Tib Lane restaurant are ready to open a brand-new city centre cocktail bar, with an oyster happy hour.
They have announced that Bar Posie will be opening next week in the old Philpotts sandwich shop, right off Market Street.
The brand-new bar for the city centre will be serving cocktails, small plates and bar snacks, at the foot of Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building (also home to the Reset by Form pilates studio).
Bar Posie will be doing an aperitvo and oyster happy hour every Tuesday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, with £8 aperitivo and oysters for a quid.
It’s all coming from the 10 Tib Lane team, which opened in the old Bock Biere site back in 2021, transforming the space into a cosy multi-storey restaurant with seasonal sharing dishes.
This week, Bar Posie has shared a sneak peek of its menu, which will feature quality plates like confit chicken and wild mushroom croquettes, pork belly skewers, and a bitter leaf salad with buttermilk dressing.
As for drinks, expect cocktails like a cacao nib negroni, a classic vodka martini, and ‘La Isla’, a blend of Aperol, almond, Takamaka koko, mango and melon soda and acid.
That’s alongside conventional and natural wines, craft beer, and plenty of coffee.
Cocktails at Bar PosieHighlights of the snack menuA selection of snacks and cocktails at Bar PosieBar Posie is just off Market StreetInside Bar PosieInside Bar PosieCredit: The Manc Group
The space itself will be split into a mix of cosy booth seating, bar seats, and al fresco dining across two levels, with the cocktail bar at the very heart of everything.
Sophie Robson from Posie said: “We’re thrilled to finally be opening the doors to Posie. We’ve put all our passion and expertise into curating a menu that feels fresh and exciting, and into creating a space where people feel comfortable, looked after and relaxed.
“We can’t wait to welcome guests and show them the best of Posie.”
Matt Pazos, Retail Commercial Manager for Bruntwood SciTech, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Posie to the Bloc community.
“The team’s unique style is clear to see in the space, transforming it into a beautiful and inviting bar with an innovative menu offering that is testament to their expertise.
“Posie will make a fantastic addition to Manchester’s food and drink scene and we can’t wait to see how the brand grows in the coming months.”
Bar Posie will open in Bruntwood SciTech’s Bloc building on Tuesday 4 November.
Greggs confirms Festive Bakes return date as it unveils 2025 Christmas menu
Emily Sergeant
Greggs has unveiled its Christmas menu for 2025, and that means the Festive Bake is back again in all its glory.
The UK’s most-popular high street bakery chain has officially revealed its festive food and drink offering for the 2025 season, and there’s a few brand-new goodies joining the lineup this year, along with the return of some undeniable fan favourites.
And of course, nothing spells Christmas at Greggs quite like the Festive Bake, right?
The chain’s classic crumb-coated pastry filled with chicken, sage and onion stuffing, and sweetcure bacon in a creamy sage and cranberry sauce goes down an absolute treat each year, and is a serious fan-favourite, so it’s no surprise it’s made a comeback for 2025.
Thankfully for plant-based foodies, the Vegan Festive Bake has also made a comeback, but this year under a slightly different name – the Vegan Lattice (Festive Edition).
Greggs has unveiled its Christmas menu for 2025 / Credit: Greggs
Despite the new name, the flavours have stayed the same, as the Vegan Festive Lattice is puff pastry filled with savoury-flavour Quorn mycoprotein pieces, sage and onion stuffing balls, and vegan bacon, finished with a mouth-watering cranberry and red onion sauce.
Another returning Greggs festive favourite this year is the Christmas Lunch Baguette, which is a freshly-baked baguette ‘jam-packed full of festive flavours’, alongside last year’s newest addition, the Festive Flatbread – which is filled with sage and onion-style chicken, sweetcure bacon, mayo and cranberry and red onion relish.
When it comes to sweet treats, Greggs really does take some beating, as the lineup is full of tasty cakes, muffins, biscuits, and more.
Some of the stand-out newbies this year include the Gingerbread Muffin, and the Christmas Mini Caramel Shortbreads, while returning for more is the indulgent Chocolate & Hazelnut Flavour Doughnut, the Christmas tree and start-shaped biscuits, and of course, the classic Sweet Mince Pies.
The festive drinks lineup this year includes the popular Mint mochas and hot chocolates, and the Salted Caramel Latte.
Gingerbread returns for 2025 too, and you can get Gingerbread Lattes both hot and iced, as well as a Gingerbread Flat White.
Georgina Pellant -
1st February 2022 
