Over in Bury, there’s a charming East Lancashire Railway pub that’s just won a huge award for its collection of real ales and ciders.
Called The Trackside, you’ll find it at the heritage railway’s Bury Bolton Street Station serving up a huge selection of special beers and ales from local breweries, like Brightside’s Odin Blonde – brewed just down the road in Radcliffe.
Recently voted the area’s Pub of the Year by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the award-winning booze is also a former CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year winner -boasting five different ciders, all dispensed from its cellar.
Image: The Trackside Pub
The pub combines some really excellent cask and keg ales with the nostalgia of the East Lancashire Railway, with a whopping 11 different hand pumps all permanently in use – one permanently pours the pub’s house ale, whilst the rest fluctuate with a variety of regularly-changing guests beers.
It also offers canopy seating on the station platform itself for those wanting to make the most of the full train station experience, a spot that’s a veritable sun trap when the Gods are blessing us (and with ample wall heaters that can be switched on the rest of the time).
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Inside, arches and alcoves are covered with old beer pump labels, whilst old globe chandeliers hang from the ceiling throwing a warm light across happy punters swigging their pints of local beer.
Image: The Trackside Pub
It’s easy to see why the Rochdale, Oldham and Bury branch of CAMRA named The Trackside its Pub of the Year for 2022.
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Voting was carried out by members of the local CAMRA branch, who looked at a number of elements including the selection of real ales and ciders available at the pub, service, welcome, inclusiveness, comfort and community feeling.
Tim Stronach, Supervisor at The Trackside, said: “After the difficult last few years we’ve come back stronger than ever, the entire Trackside team especially Thomas Jackson who runs the cellar. I could be here mentioning names all day over who deserves a shout out – the whole team work incredibly hard to deliver an excellent experience for our customers and it’s an honour to have played a part in the pub being named Bury area Pub of the Year.”
Local CAMRA Chairman, Peter Alexander comments: “I am delighted that this excellent pub has been chosen by a vote of our members. These awards are always closely contested and the exacting standards plus a great choice of real ale and cider have clearly been recognised.
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“The whole team at the Trackside is to be congratulated, with a special mention to Tim Stronach for his superb cellar work in ensuring beer and cider is always presented at its best. Congratulations to a very worthy winner.”
ELR Chairman, Mike Kelly, added: “The Trackside at Bury Bolton Street and Buffer Stops at Rawtenstall are an important and integral part of the heritage railway experience. Today we pay tribute to the entire Trackside team past and present, and this award is for them and recognises that they know their beers.”
Tipped for a renovation any day, make sure to get in touch before planning your visit – just in case they’ve started work already.
For information on upcoming events at The Trackside, visit the pub’s Facebook page here.
Food & Drink
Joe & The Juice to open even MORE locations in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
Joe & The Juice is set to launch yet more juice bars and coffee shops in Manchester city centre.
The viral brand used to have a spot in town within the former Debenhams building, but vanished from Greater Manchester when the department store folded.
But its comeback has been remarkable since reopening in town last year, with the number of Joe & The Juice locations now at an all-time high.
And there are even more on the way…
Bright pink hoardings have appeared on a corner unit on Princess Street, right off St Peter’s Square, teasing a new Joe & The Juice cafe in the city centre.
The unit has been empty for at least 10 years, despite being in such a prime part of the city centre.
Plans were also revealed last year for the Danish-based brand to open within the reopened Sunlight House on Quay Street.
Joe & The Juice is coming to St Peter’s Square in ManchesterJoe & The Juice on Cross Street
The new additions will bring the number of Joe & The Juices in Greater Manchester to five, adding to their existing portfolio of Cross Street, Manchester Airport T2, and the Trafford Centre.
The brand is known for its signature menu of juices, smoothies, health shots, coffees and matchas, plus its viral Scandi-inspired sandwiches like the Tunacado.
With more than 300 juice bars and coffee shops around the world, Joe & The Juice’s pink branding has become a familiar site globally since its launch in 2002.
An exact opening date for the new St Peter’s Square Joe & The Juice hasn’t been revealed yet, but the signs promise it’s ‘coming soon’.
Inside the new Manchester food hall opening in a Grade II-listed building
Daisy Jackson
The operators behind a brand-new food hall in Manchester city centre have shared a glimpse inside.
Work is underway to transform the Grade II-listed Ducie Street Warehouse into an enormous food hall concept, with 11 kitchens plus an outdoor terrace, mini cinema, tequila bar, and game rooms.
When it opens this summer, Manchester Street Food will also have a self-service beer tap wall and two stages, as well as a 75-cover private hire space.
Ducie Street Warehouse closed late last year to make room for the building’s new chapter, as the team behind Edinburgh Street Food (ESF) take the reins.
In new images shared today, original features like the arched brick ceilings and terracotta tiled floors will be retained, but the space will have plenty of colour added in the form of murals, painted pillars, and neons.
ESF is looking to expand right across the UK over the next five years, kicking off here in Manchester on the edges of the Northern Quarter.
The 15,000 sq ft internal space, just a stone’s throw from Manchester Piccadilly, will have space for 450 people inside plus another 180 on the south-facing terrace outside.
The games room at Manchester Street FoodThe 32-seat cinemaInside Manchester Street Food
A winter garden will host breakfast service, while guest traders will take over the terrace to keep the offering fresh.
The existing 32-seat mini cinema in the building will be retained in the new plans for Manchester Street Food.
Manchester Street Food is expected to generate 180 employee opportunities.
Ben MacMillan, ESF Managing Director, said: “Manchester has always been a city with incredible energy, creativity and a love of food, so bringing our concept here in this stunning venue is a natural and exciting next step.
“We want to create a space brought to life by local artists which celebrates the city’s culture and provides line up independent traders and brewers a city centre platform to shine.
“We’ve seen how much people embraced the spirit of ESF in Edinburgh and we know Manchester, with its energy and hunger for innovation will take it to another level. We’re incredibly excited about making the city our second home.”
Georgina Pellant -
1st April 2022 
