We already take brunch very seriously here in Manchester, but now one of the city’s most popular restaurants is taking it to a whole new level.
The Botanist has always been known for its imaginative food and drink creations, but now, the restaurant chain has unveiled a huge new brunch menu at the beginning of this month, and it’s giving diners the chance to build their own brunch board – with endless options and combinations to choose from.
The brand-new concept from the restaurant chain – which has a number of sites in Greater Manchester and across the North West – lets you select five small plates from a choice of 28 different options.
Your chosen five dishes come served on a “very Instagrammable” wooden board, and it’s priced at £15.95 per person.
If you’re really hungry though, extra dishes can be added for an additional £3 each.
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The Botanist has launched a new ‘build your own brunch’ board concept / Credit: The Botanist
So, how does the build your own brunch board actually work then?
Well, it’s split into five categories – bakery, protein punch, hearty, on the side, and sweet treat – to give you a wide range of mouthwatering options, with some of the dishes including Ham Hock Egg Benedict, Croque Monsieur, Smoked Trout and Salmon Pate, Acai Berry Protein Smoothie, and Nutella and Biscoff French Toast.
There’s plenty of options suitable for vegans and those following a plant based diet too, with dishes including Scrambled Tofu with sundried tomato oil and toasted seeds, Plant Based Cumberland Sausage, Mini Hash Browns, and Passion Fruit and Chia Yoghurt.
There’s over 98,280 different combinations to choose from / Credit: The Botanist
Diners can either choose one dish from each section to create a balanced board of options, or choose any five dishes they like from the full list.
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This means there’s a total of a whopping 98,280 different combinations to create.
That’s not all either as there’s a drinks package upgrade too, with new brunch cocktails that have expertly-crafted by The Botanist’s in-house “cocktail wizards”, including Smoked Rose-Mary, Campari G&T, and Watermelon Garibaldi, as well as a range of nourishing and freshly-prepared Juice Boosts.
The Botanist Brunch is now available from 9am at participating sites, although specific service days and times vary depending on individual venues, and you can find out more information here.
Featured Image – The Botanist
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Review | Midsomer Murders comes to Manchester for a satisfying Opera House adaptation
Hollie Wells
‘The Fuzz are here!’ – also known as the well-known duo, Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy. As ever, they’re here to solve the murder of orchid-loving, elderly lady Emily Simpson in the seemingly sleepy county of Midsomer…
Manchester’s historic Opera House played host to the first ever stage production of Midsomer Murders: ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift‘ last night.
With a busy, full audience of fans of the original novel by Catherine Graham and the acclaimed ITV staple. There was a hum of anticipation to see the timeless tales unfold.
Excitingly, the role of Barnaby in the stage play is under the trusted care of Daniel Casey, who is best known as DS (Detective Sergeant) Troy in the prior television adaptation of Midsomer Murders between 1997 and 2008.
Casey’s comfort and wealth of experience with these narratives comforted the audience from the outset. In a purposely complicated plot, Casey grounded the performance and was the throughline in the show.
‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is a good, light-hearted, mid-week show, with an enjoyable concoction of eccentric characters and the perfect ‘whodunnit’ plot, which keeps you intrigued and entertained throughout its roughly two and a half hour duration.
Even those more than familiar with Misdomer tales and the most typical murder mystery format will still get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
The engaging use of multi-role actors received a great response from the audience, particularly the moments between Barbara Lessiter and Dickie Whitley; all of their interactions were performed with fabulous comedic timing by Chandrika Chevli.
The elements of comedy throughout made for a lovely evening at the Opera House. This was not solely through the actors, either: the use of mechanics within the set of this stage-play allowed for multiple moments of physical comedy, and this was a strong motif throughout.
A rotation of impressive transitional sets also aided in transporting the audience to the infamous village and crime scenes, allowing one to be absorbed in the story and successfully converting Midsomer Murders from page to screen to stage.
Running for only three days from Wednesday, 27, until Saturday, 30 May 2026, with matinee shows available throughout.
One must act fast to join the detective duo and catch the killer before it’s too late!
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
Daisy Jackson
Festival-goers have been warned not to take wheelie bins full of alcohol to festivals with them this summer.
The warning has come ahead of this year’s Download Festival, which takes place next month and kicks off the summer’s biggest run of festival dates.
But a major train operator has said there have been incidents in the past of passengers trying to travel to festivals with wheelie bins and luggage trolleys.
Passengers have had to be reminded that wheelie bins are not permitted on board, and they should instead only carry as much luggage as they can comfortably carry.
The warning comes from East Midlands Railway, one of the key services that will whisk people to Download Festival between 10 and 14 June.
Customers returning from the festival are also encouraged to use boot-cleaning brushes provided at stations to help remove mud before boarding trains.
Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re encouraging customers to travel light.
“Last year, some festive goers tried to board services with wheelie bins or festival trolleys full of beer. While it might seem like a great idea for getting your supplies to the festival, it just isn’t safe or possible to bring them onboard train services.”
Festival-goers urged to stop taking wheelie bins full of booze
EMR has also warned customers to plan journeys in advance, with engineering work taking place at various locations on the Midland Main Line, near where Download Festival takes place.
She continued: “We’re advising customers travelling to Download Festival to plan their journeys in advance and be aware that essential engineering work will affect services across the weekend.
“As a result, some services will be reduced or amended, and passengers should check before they travel and allow extra time.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th June 2022 
