Revered Manchester chef Simon Wood has announced that his fine dining restaurant will be transformed into a “tacos and tequila” joint next month.
As the MasterChef champion’s flagship restaurant, WOOD – on Jack Rosenthal Street in the heart of Manchester city centre – sadly will not be able to fully reopen to the public until 17th May, at the earliest, as per the government’s “irreversible” roadmap for lifting England’s current national lockdown, it will instead be launching a new month-long “taco terrace” from 12th April, when outdoor hospitality venues are allowed to get back to business.
The restaurant’s food offering will be available to take away from the WOOD Shack, or can instead be eaten on the terrace area on First Street.
🌮 Tacos & Tequila 🍸
For one month only we’ve created a ‘Signature Taco Range’ – each ingredient cared for, expertly paired with a range of Tequila cocktails & Mexican beers.
Running w/c 12th April ‘til 9th May (outside only) with an option to grab & go from the WOOD shack! pic.twitter.com/FfoyKyAICm
There’ll be three taco fillings to take your pick from when the new concept launches.
Simon has said that he will be working closely with the team from his more casual Cheltenham restaurant, WOODKRAFT, to develop a menu of signature tacos, with the limited-run of the traditional Mexican dishes all set to be served with fermented red chillies and Simon’s signature ‘Devils Tongue’ hot sauce.
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When it comes to what’s on the menu, there’ll be a pulled chicken taco served with homemade pico de gallo, Devils Tongue hot sauce, guacamole, and shredded gem lettuce, as well as an Aleppo cod taco, again with pico de gallo, pepper, and lime sauce, and then for vegetarians, a charcoal-smoked oyster mushroom taco with chilli cheese tostada, and pink onion is on the cards.
WOOD’s new taco offering will be served alongside an extensive margarita menu too.
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And if all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, they’re also promising a free taco with the first beer or margarita purchase to “get you going”.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 EXCITING NEWS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Throughout the pandemic the team here @WoodRestaurants have strived to deliver a quality dinner to your Door
Finally from 12th April we can deliver you one outside my Manchester restaurant
The Taco Terrace at WOOD is set to open its doors between 12th April and 9th May 2021 and you can find more information via its website here.
If you’re looking for something a little more affordable and in-keeping with a tighter food budget in the meantime however, then you can find more information about Simon Wood’s Feeding Families With Simon Wood initiative, with all recipes for £30 or less, here.
Glastonbury weekend is upon us, and to celebrate the UK’s biggest music festival in all its glory, Nell’s is hosting its own festivals instead.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be making the trek to the fields of Worthy Farm next weekend, as Glastonbury 2025 headliners Olivia Rodrigo, Neil Young, and The 1975 bring the tunes, alongside a list of other talented names too big to even begin starting to reel off – as is always the case with Glastonbury, there’s something for everyone.
But for those of us not lucky enough to have bagged tickets to what is undeniably the biggest event in the British music calendar, not to worry, as Nell’s is where it’s at here in Greater Manchester.
The beloved New York-style pizza specialists – which now has four sites across the region – is turning two of its most popular restaurants into festival hubs next weekend, bringing all the spirit of Glastonbury to Kampus and Altrincham.
Manchester‘s thriving canalside neighbourhood Kampus will become home to the aptly-named Kampus Fest, while over in the Trafford town of Altrincham, Alty Fest will be in full force.
Nell’s is hosting its own FREE Glastonbury-themed festivals at Kampus and in Altrincham / Credit: Supplied
At Kampus, the gardens will be transformed into a city centre festival site for a free three-day party featuring big screens live streaming the full Glastonbury festival throughout, plus a pop-up market, face painting and hair tinsel stations, an outdoor tequila and margarita bar, happy hours, and of course, lots and lots of Nell’s pizza.
Altrincham is bringing you much of the same – the same big screens, the same tasty pizza slices, and the same happy hours, only over two days instead of three.
Family fun is also at the heart of both Kampus Fest and Alty Fest, so you can expect lots of crafting workshops and bunting making, accessory customisation stations, as well as all-day colouring sessions by Born to be Wild Child and Søstrene Grene.
Kampus Fest will take over the gardens at Kampus from Friday 27 – Sunday 29 June, while Alty Fest will take place at Nell’s Altrincham on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June.
Hugely popular Manchester bakery The Flat Baker has announced plans to open its very first cafe.
The Brazilian-French bakery has become legendary in the city for its flaky croissants and pistachio-based treats.
For the last few years, it’s been operating out of a hatch in Ancoats, with queues often snaking down Radium Street from early in the morning on weekends.
And now The Flat Baker has announced an exciting next chapter in their journey in Manchester – their very first bakery and cafe.
The team will be taking over a unit on the same street, which will have space to house their baking operations as well as a sitting area to serve brunch and hot food.
They’ve announced that they’ll be retaining their much-loved hatch but expanding to a second site in the heart of Ancoats.
They hope this will drastically reduce any waiting and queue times and allow even more people to sample these incredible bakes.
In a statement shared on Instagram, they wrote: “We have been keeping a secret from you. This corner of Ancoats will never be the same, because it will be our new bakery, cafe and brunch!
“We have been dreaming of it for years – we almost closed a deal with another two locations in the past few years, but it didn’t work out.
“We were about to leave the plan of the new shop aside, we were very frustrated of how things were not working the way we planned it to…
“But everything happens for a reason! Who knew the building next door was just waiting for us…
“The two-storey building has just the right space for our baking operations, plus a sitting area and a space to serve brunch and hot food.
“Don’t worry, we won’t let our tiny hatch go, we will keep both locations. This will allow us a faster service, avoid the waiting times and long queues.
“For now we just want to share this great achievement. Growing a small business when you see many other places shutting is such a challenge. But if you never stop dreaming and work hard for it, the sky is the limit! We can’t wait for the next chapter to come. Matt and Deb x”
The Flat Baker Cafe is expected to open in Ancoats this summer.
Emily Sergeant -
12th March 2021 
